SUMMARY

President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump have agreed to debate, one-on-one, but without the involvement of the Commission on Presidential Debates, which has run those debates since 1988. CNN and ABC will host the events in June and September, respectively. This lesson and accompanying questions focuses on the debate portion of the video.

Timestamps:

Watch start of video to 2:30 - Trump and Biden will debate

2:31 - 8:29/end - What the polls are saying about the 2024 presidential and Senate races

View the transcript of the story.

News alternative: Check out recent segments from the NewsHour, and choose the story you’re most interested in watching. You can make a Google doc copy of discussion questions that work for any of the stories here.

WARM-UP QUESTIONS

• Who is set to debate?
• When will the two debates take place?
• What is the purpose of political debates?
• Why do the strategists say the candidates want to debate each other?
• How did the last debates between Biden and Trump go?

FOCUS QUESTIONS

Debates have mixed results as to how they affect the electorate. Do you think debates matter? Do the candidates owe it to the American public to debate and share their thoughts on the issues?

Media literacy: Besides political strategists, who would you like to have seen interviewed in this story?

Alternative: See, Think, Wonder: What did you notice? What did the story make you think? What would you want to learn more about?

WHAT STUDENTS CAN DO:

The Commission on Presidential Debates, a nonprofit corporation sponsored by the Democratic and Republican political parties, has run the debates since 1988. Trump and Biden are not going through the Commission to hold the debates. Learn more about the organization here and why it faces an uncertain future.

Complete the Lesson plan: Debating Our Destiny: Do Presidential Debates Matter? NewsHour's co-founder Jim Lehrer was involved in the Debating Our Destiny documentaries in 2000 and 2008. Lehrer served on the board of the Commission on Presidential Debates. If time is short, just watch the clips!

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