The Commission on Presidential Debates is reportedly issuing new rules for future presidential face-offs.
Following Tuesday night’s chaotic presidential debate, the commission plans to provide the ability to moderators to prevent President Trump or Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden from speaking over one another, according to CBS News.
EXCLUSIVE: @CBSNews has learned the Commission on Presidential Debates plans to issue strict new rules in the coming days that include cutting off a candidate’s microphone if they violate the rules, per an informed source.
More tonight on the @CBSEveningNews
— Norah O’Donnell ?? (@NorahODonnell) September 30, 2020
The commission issued a statement on Wednesday saying it was considering “additional structure” in future presidential debates to allow both sides to have adequate time to speak.
“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 statement reads. “The CPD will be carefully considering the changes that it will adopt and will announce those measures shortly. 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 Washington Examiner reached out to the Commission on Presidential Debates for comment.
Both the Trump and Biden campaigns will reportedly be notified of the rule changes. However, those changes will not be up for negotiation. Trump campaign communications director Tim Murtaugh said the Biden campaign is attempting to “work the refs.”
“They’re only doing this because their guy got pummeled last night. President Trump was the dominant force and now Joe Biden is trying to work the refs,” Murtaugh said in a statement. “They shouldn’t be moving the goalposts and changing the rules in the middle of the game.”
Fox News’s Wallace, who was the moderator of the first debate, told the New York Times that he “never dreamt” that the debate between Biden and Trump would “go off the tracks the way it did.”
