Who Is Moderating The 2024 Trump-Biden Debate? CNN Welcomes Back Controversial Duo

All things going well, millions of Americans will be tuning in on June 27, 2024 to watch the current president and the former one engage in a war of words (provided Donald Trump doesn't ditch the first presidential debate, that is). Voters still on the fence will be eagerly anticipating what the candidates have to say about all the biggest hot-button issues, but even viewers whose minds are already made up will be tuning in to see just how heated their showdown gets. You may recall back in 2020, Trump and Joe Biden faced off twice (the third debate was canceled after Trump contracted COVID-19), and it wasn't pretty. The first debate, in particular, resembled a playground fight rather than a reasonable discussion between two adults. Trump continuously interrupted both Biden and host Chris Wallace, until the Democratic candidate finally lost his cool and snapped, "Will you shut up, man?"

To help keep this year's event running smoothly, CNN has tapped (pun unintended) Jake Tapper and Dana Bash to moderate the proceedings. They're both seasoned anchors for the network who are fully aware of the massive responsibility to ensure the presidential candidates have their say while still following all the rules. Tapper famously decried the first 2020 debate as "a hot mess inside a dumpster fire inside a train wreck" (per USA Today), while Bash bluntly called it a "s***show." Even years later, those opinions have Trump and his team questioning just how unbiased this next debate will be with these two in charge.

Jake Tapper and Dana Bash made it clear in 2020 that they disapproved of Donald Trump's combative debate style, which the anchors argued ruined the event. Now, they'll be the ones behind the moderator desk when he once again faces off against President Joe Biden in verbal combat. Unsurprisingly, the news isn't going over well with Trump or his team, who claim that Tapper and Bash's bias will taint the debate's integrity. At a rally in Pennsylvania just days before it was due to take place, the controversial politician employed his signature name-calling strategy by referring to Tapper as "Fake Tapper" and poking fun at the pronunciation of Bash's first name (it rhymes with "banana"), per The Hill. Another CNN host, Kasie Hunt, got tangled up in the mess when she interviewed Trump campaign press secretary Karoline Leavitt three days before the debate. 

As reported by Mediaite, Leavitt accused Tapper and Bash of anti-Trump bias despite Hunt's warning not to criticize her colleagues. After just a few minutes, she cut the segment short. Later, while speaking to Fox News, Leavitt pointed out, "All I was doing was repeating statements that Jake Tapper has said on air himself about President Trump," (via X, formerly known as Twitter). Former first son Donald Trump Jr., who has made fun of CNN anchor Jim Acosta's hair in the past, also went after the debate moderators on his Instagram Stories by reposting a reel from Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene. The short cartoon shows two moderators fawning over the president while giving his frog opponent one second to answer the question: "Why are you so evil?" 

Hoping to avoid another shouting match, CNN has set up the first presidential debate at Georgia Tech's media center studio, with no audience. This ensures fans won't interrupt the discussion, and it should also help eliminate grandstanding on the candidates' part. And while debates always set a time limit on responses and rebuttals, CNN is enforcing the policy by cutting off each speaker's microphone once their time is up (a light panel will signal Trump and Biden at the 15-second and 5-second mark too). Moderators Jake Tapper and Dana Bash may offer extra time for the current and former commanders-in-chief to clarify their answers, but they'll have to be careful not to appear to give either an advantage. 

As for possible topics, will they stick to the biggest, most pressing issues, like the economy, border security, and the ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza? Or will the two candidates get into touchier personal territory, such as Trump's federal fraud conviction and Hunter Biden's conviction on illegal gun possession? And how will Tapper and Bash respond if the former "Apprentice" host somehow manages to shout over Biden while his mic is muted? Skeptics doubt the CNN anchors will be able to make this event equitable. As one wrote on X, "Hopefully they can set their hate aside and give Trump a fair debate. Or will Trump be debating 3 vs 1?" Another snarked, "Try to act professional if it is possible (I doubt it)."