Tracking the attacks in the first presidential debate

The New York Times is tracking speaking time during the first debate of the year between President Biden and former President Donald J. Trump, analyzing how much time the candidates spend attacking each other and interrupting each other. The debate began at 9 p.m. Eastern Time.

Time spent attacking the opponent’s policy or character

Presidential debates involve a delicate balance between highlighting a candidate’s accomplishments and attacking his opponent. The Times tracks how much time each candidate devotes to his opponent rather than to his own accomplishments and policies.

Comparison of today’s debate with the debates of 2020

Percent of time candidates spend attacking each other’s policies and character.

How much do the candidates talk over each other?

Percent of time Biden and Trump speak at the same time.

To avoid interruptions and confusion, the debate moderator, CNN, announced that he would mute the candidates’ microphones when it was not their turn. Each candidate will have two minutes to answer questions, followed by a one-minute rebuttal and responses.

During the first debate in 2020, the candidates’ microphones were not muted, but they were muted at times during the final debate.

What problems lead to most attacks?

How much time do the candidates spend attacking each other on key issues?

Experts say they are watching to see whether Trump will again resort to personal attacks and insults and whether Biden will focus his attacks on Trump’s recent capital crime convictions.