Trump Gets the Last Word in Pre-Debate Coin Flip, Will Face Biden on the Left

Biden's campaign chose to select the right podium position, which means the Democratic president will be on the right side of television viewers' screens and his Republican rival will be on viewers' left.

Former President Donald Trump will get the final word when he debates President Joe Biden on CNN next week, after a coin flip to determine podium placement and the order of closing statements.

The coin landed on the Biden campaign’s pick — tails — which meant his campaign got to choose whether it wanted to select the president’s podium position or the order of closing statements.

Biden’s campaign chose to select the right podium position, which means the Democratic president will be on the right side of television viewers’ screens and his Republican rival will be on viewers’ left.

Trump’s campaign then chose for the former president to deliver the last closing statement, which means Biden will go first at the conclusion of the debate.

Biden and Trump are set to make history on June 27 in the first presidential debate between an incumbent and a former president. It will also be the first debate since 2020 featuring either Biden, who did not face a serious challenge for the Democratic nomination, or Trump, who skipped those held during the Republican primary race.

CNN’s Jake Tapper and Dana Bash will host the 90-minute showdown in Atlanta. Both candidates have accepted the network’s invitation and agreed to accept the rules and format of the debate, as outlined in letters sent to the campaigns by the network in May.

For Trump, delivering the final closing statement in CNN’s debate is a notable difference from his New York criminal trial and conviction last month. He seethed during the hush money case that his lawyer wouldn’t get the last word — even though prosecutors delivering the final remarks in a trial is common practice.

“WHY IS THE CORRUPT GOVERNMENT ALLOWED TO MAKE THE FINAL ARGUMENT IN THE CASE AGAINST ME? WHY CAN’T THE DEFENSE GO LAST? BIG ADVANTAGE, VERY UNFAIR. WITCH HUNT,” the former president wrote on Truth Social.

The debate qualification window closed just after midnight Thursday, with only Biden and Trump meeting the constitutional, polling and ballot qualification requirements CNN laid out in May.

The debate will include two commercial breaks, according to the network, and campaign staff may not interact with their candidate during that time. The candidates agreed to appear at a uniform podium. Microphones will be muted throughout the debate except for the candidate whose turn it is to speak. While no props or pre-written notes will be allowed on the stage, candidates will be given a pen, a pad of paper and a bottle of water.