The last of the 2020 presidential debates is just about here. After a chaotic first matchup between Donald Trump and Joe Biden, a more subdued (but still buzzy) vice presidential debate between Mike Pence and Kamala Harris, and dueling Trump-Biden town hall events in lieu of a second debate, the whole process has felt long and, at times, extremely disorderly. Still, Trump and Biden will face each other on stage one last time, with their next and last presidential debate set for Thursday, Oct. 22 at 9/8c, ahead of the general election on Tuesday, Nov. 3.
Some rule changes are being introduced for this debate, which will take place at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee, with NBC News White House correspondent Kristen Welker moderating. Though the format will mimic that of the first presidential debate, with six 15-minute segments on different topics, the moderator will now have the ability to mute the microphone of the candidate not speaking during the other candidate’s opening two-minute remarks on each topic. The microphones will not be muted after those remarks are completed and the topic moves into open debate. Interruptions during the debate portions after the two-minute opening remarks will count towards the interrupting candidate’s time. The debates commission also announced the six topics Welker selected for the candidates to discuss: fighting COVID-19, American families, race in America, climate change, national security, and leadership.
If you’re looking for information on how to tune in, check out how various networks will be covering the next and final Trump-Biden debate.
ABC News
ABC will air the debate on its broadcast network at 9/8c following a 20/20 debate preview at 8/7c. The final Trump-Biden debate will also be streamed on ABC News’ YouTube channel and ABCNews.com, as well as the ABC News and ABC mobile apps, and standalone ABC News Live apps on Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Roku, and Apple TV. After the debate has concluded, post-debate coverage will begin at 10:30/9:30c on ABC.
CBS News
CBS will air primetime coverage of the debate on its broadcast network, as well as on its YouTube channel, beginning at 9/8c. The debate will also air live on CBS News’ free streaming service, CBSN.
CNN
CNN will air the final presidential debate live at 9/8c, following a two-hour Debate Night in America preview beginning at 7/6c. CNN’s digital platforms will also provide coverage across all platforms, including CNN Politics and CNN Audio.
C-SPAN
C-SPAN will air the debate live on TV as well as on its YouTube channel, C-SPAN’s debate site, and the C-SPAN Radio app.
Fox News
From 9-11 p.m. ET, Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum will co-anchor live coverage on Fox News from inside the venue. They will be joined by a team of FNC commentators for post-debate analysis. Coverage will also be available across Fox News platforms, including Fox News Audio, Fox News International, Fox Nation, and Fox News Digital.
Fox Business Network
Beginning at 8/7c, Neil Cavuto will anchor FOX Business Network Presents Democracy 2020: The Presidential Debate, a primetime special featuring pre and post-debate analysis, as well as live coverage of the debate itself. Throughout the evening, Cavuto will be joined by a rotating panel of business and political commentators. Additionally, Connell McShane will contribute to the night’s coverage directly from Georgia. FoxBusiness.com will also livestream the debate.
MSNBC
MSNBC will provide live coverage of the last Trump-Biden debate at 9/8c, following a debate pre-show that kicks off at 8/7c. The network will also provide post-debate analysis at 10:30/9:30c.
NBC News
NBC News will air live coverage of the debate on TV and on the network’s YouTube channel beginning at 9/8c, along with a half-hour preview at 8:30/7:30c. Additionally, NBC News will also live-blog the debate.
