Viewers have taken to social media to express fears about CNN potentially using new microphones to ‘mute Trump’ and ‘rig’ tonight’s debate to help Biden.
As Biden, 81, and Trump, 78, prepare for Thursday’s presidential debate, those who are planning on tuning in have revealed their concerns over the news channel’s equipment.
CNN revealed in a short clip titled: Inside CNN’s Presidential Debate: How it Will Work, how the microphone mute button works at each podium and what the consequences are if one is enabled.
The explainer video, which exploded online, caused a stir among viewers as many raised fears that the debate could be ‘rigged’ as a result of the mic feature.
Taking to X, formerly Twitter, one user commented beneath the CNN clip: ‘Yeah. With this current mic setup and the way they’re going to mute Trump, he is going to really have to execute his timing right. His best strategy will to be calm and ruthless’.
Another chimed in: ‘This is just so they can mute Trump while he destroys Joe Biden’.
A third added: ‘Rigged b*******. So they can ask away and virtually mute Trump whenever he wants to respond’.
‘And CNN will abuse this to shut Trump’s microphone off…. How transparent can they be?,’ one more responded.
In the clip, news anchor Victor Blackwell explains that behind the podiums where Biden and Trump will later come head-to-head, two green lights appear next to the microphone.
‘When they’re on, they signal to the candidate his microphone is on. When the green lights are off, they signal to the candidate his microphone is off,’ Blackwell said.
He then went on to give viewers at home ‘a sense of what it would look like if a candidate whose microphone is off interrupts a candidate whose microphone is on’.
Blackwell and CNN’s chief domestic correspondent Phil Mattingly demonstrate the outcome as they stand at each podium.
With Blackwell’s lights remaining green, and Phil’s off – Blackwell can still be heard loud and clear as he speaks while Phil’s voice is muffled and difficult to hear.
Phil explained that it is the news channel that has direct control over the switching on-and-off of the studio’s microphones – not the candidates.
This sparked fury across social media as people dashed to Trump’s side and slammed the news network.
One more comment read: The debate hosted by Trump haters Jake Tapper and Dana Bash. Per CNN: The ‘high tech’ microphones have green lights that will tell Biden or Trump if their mic is on. Otherwise, the sound of their voice won’t make it to the viewer’s watching on TV. Trump will be muted, What a joke!’
Another added: ‘CNN demonstrates how candidates microphones will be muted for the presidential debate.
‘Basically, every time Donald Trump says something they disagree with, they’re going to mute him’.
One more offered a solution: ‘Trump should just bring his own Microphone and bluetooth it to CNN’s coverage’.
Speaker Mike Johnson, the highest-ranking Republican in government also shared his thoughts ahead of the debate.
‘I expect everybody will be watching,’ he told the This Week on the Hill Show.
‘I also expect that CNN is going to rig it as much as possible and make it as favorable as they possibly can for President [Joe] Biden, but I don’t think it’s going to work,’ he added.
It comes as the two political figures are revving up to come face-to-face tonight for their first general election debate of the 2024 presidential race.
In the rematch, airing at 9pm on CNN, Trump and Biden will be in the same room together for the first time since their debates in 2020.
They each have 90 minutes in front of an audience of tens of millions and on the biggest stage of the general election campaign so far to show why they are the candidate to pick in November.
Trump’s allies have said Biden will be pumped full of performance-enhancing drugs so he can make it through. Joe’s campaign have warned Donald won’t be able to control himself.
The two candidates both agreed to the rules CNN sent to their campaigns in May.
Part of that agreement was allowing microphones to be muted when the other candidate is speaking, a departure from previous debates.
It is an attempt to avoid crosstalk and interruptions.
The Biden campaign requested to have the mics shut off so there could be an ‘orderly proceeding’.
But in 2020, one of the key moments of their first televised debate was when Biden said ‘will you shut up, man’.
Trump was seen as constantly interrupting and Biden was considered to have won the debate.
Additionally, there will be no studio audience, another change from previous events. The aim is to avoid partisan noise in the background of what organizers hope will be a serious debate on policy and opposing politics.
No props or pre-written notes will be allowed onto the stage, but candidates will be provided a pad of paper, pen and water bottle.