ABC News To Simulcast CNN Debate, Provide Pre- And Post-Event Coverage

ABC News will simulcast next week’s CNN presidential debate, with plans for pre- and post-debate coverage led by anchor David Muir.

The network will provide a one hour special report on the June 27 event starting at 8 p.m. ET on the broadcast network and ABC News Live, followed by the CNN debate at 9 p.m. ET. After that ends, the network and streaming channel will provide post-debate programming with analysis of the candidates and the state of the race.

CNN’s Jake Tapper and Dana Bash are moderating the debate itself.

CNN is making its debate feed available to other networks for simulcast. Last month, President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump accepted the network’s invite to debate, breaking with a 36-year tradition in which the general election events were hosted by the non-partisan Commission on Presidential Debates. The commission’s debates were available across networks and platforms, with the group in charge of selecting its own moderators.

Joining Muir will be Linsey Davis, Mary Bruce, Martha Raddatz, Jonathan Karl, Pierre Thomas, Matt Gutman, Rebecca Jarvis, Rachel Scott, Terry Moran, James Longman, Mireya Villarreal and Rick Klein. Donna Brazile and Reince Priebus will provide analysis.

Davis will also anchor a special edition of Prime with Linsey Davis at 7 p.m. ET. White House correspondent MaryAlice Parks and deputy political director Averi Harper will report throughout the day. 

Muir and Davis will moderate the second presidential debate on Sept. 10. The network also is making that debate feed available to other networks.

The debate will be held at CNN studios in Atlanta without an audience. There will be two commercial breaks, and mics will be muted when it is not a candidate’s turn to speak.