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The big story New debate, who dis?














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It didn't come easy, and it won't feel quite the same, but we're getting our first US presidential debate tonight.

President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump will square off at 9 p.m. ET for a 90-minute debate.

But don't be surprised by some noticeable differences from what you've come to expect when two presidential candidates face off.

There will be no audience, and the candidate who isn't speaking will have his mic muted. The bipartisan group that typically holds the debates isn't running it. And it's also the earliest major debate on record.

Business Insider's Brent D. Griffiths has the full rundown on what to expect tonight.

The impact debates have on an election is… up for debate. Candidates who aren't well known, not a problem for Trump or Biden, see the biggest impact.

But that doesn't mean the debate isn't important. It's one of the few live events that isn't football which is guaranteed to draw millions of Americans' attention.

It also represents a big gamble for Biden, Brent writes, as the president tries to silence critics on everything from his age to his handling of the economy, which is a key issue for voters.

Chris Szagola/AP images, Julien de Rosa/AP images, Tyler Le/BI

Meanwhile, the debate itself has some interesting subplots.

For one, it will feature commercials for the first time. CNN, which is hosting, is selling two tiers of advertising, with the more premium version reportedly costing at least $1.5 million.

But in a unique twist, CNN might not come away making the most from the debate. Rival networks can air the broadcast and sell commercials. And with Fox News and MSNBC often outpacing CNN in viewership, they might be able to sell ads for more money, writes BI's Alice Tecotzky.

Debates are also typically easy fodder for social media, specifically X, as viral moments are bound to occur. And this marks the first presidential debate the platform navigates under the Elon Musk regime.

Meanwhile, it'll be interesting to see how things go on Instagram's Threads, which has largely avoided political discourse.

However, one group won't be able to benefit from the debate despite being perfectly positioned for the action: US sportsbooks. So-called prediction markets do exist for political betting, but regulators want to ban them.

US sportsbooks have avoided the entire political sphere — sorry, no same-debate parlays — despite it being big business for UK bookmakers.

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The Insider Today team: Dan DeFrancesco, deputy editor and anchor, in New York. Jordan Parker Erb, editor, in New York. Hallam Bullock, senior editor, in London. Annie Smith, associate producer, in London. Amanda Yen, fellow, in New York.