Biden and Trump to debate next month in Atlanta |

ATLANTA – President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump will participate in a debate June 27 at CNN’s studios in Atlanta, the network announced Wednesday.

The 9 p.m. debate will be broadcast live by CNN, CNN International, CNN en Español, CNN Max and CNN.com without an audience, a highly unusual arrangement for presidential debates.

The first presidential debates between Republican Richard Nixon and Democrat John F. Kennedy took place in 1960 without the audience present. But since the presidential debates resumed in 1976, all have taken place in front of a live audience.

Both candidates wasted no time throwing trash talk when announcing the debate.

“Donald Trump lost two debates to me in 2020,” Biden said in a video posted Wednesday. “Since then, he has not appeared in a debate. Now he acts like he wants to debate me again. Well, make my day, buddy, I’ll even do it twice.

“I am ready and willing to debate Crooked Joe at both proposed times in June and September,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social website. “Let’s get ready to rumble!!!”

It is unclear whether any third-party candidates will be on stage for the Atlanta debate. To participate, candidates must place their name on enough national ballots to potentially reach the threshold of 270 electoral votes to win the presidency and obtain at least 15% in four separate national runoffs.

Debate moderators and additional details will be announced at a later date.