(The Center Square) – After Tuesday night’s fiery presidential debate that regularly saw President Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden interrupting and speaking over each other, the Commission on Presidential Debates says it is considering changes to the structure of future debates.
In a Wednesday statement, the commission said it wanted a “more orderly discussion.”
“The Commission on Presidential Debates sponsors televised debates for the benefit of the American electorate,” the commission said. “Last night’s debate made clear that additional structure should be added to the format of the remaining debates to ensure a more orderly discussion of the issues. The CPD will be carefully considering the changes that it will adopt and will announce those measures shortly.”
In a year when Zoom and other video-conferencing calls replaced in-person meetings to help contain the spread of COVID-19, social media was flooded with suggestions that the debate moderator be able to “mute” a candidate’s microphone when the other has the floor.
The commission did not address that specific option in its statement. But it did thank moderator Chris Wallace for his handling of the debate.
“The Commission is grateful to Chris Wallace for the professionalism and skill he brought to last night’s debate and intends to ensure that additional tools to maintain order are in place for the remaining debates,” the statement said.
by Dan McCaleb
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