“The Biden campaign has demanded that Joe Biden not have to stand during the presidential debate.”
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This combination of photos from Sept. 29, 2020, show then-President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden debating in Cleveland. The pair will meet again June 27 during the first presidential debate of 2024. (AP)
Presidential debate host CNN says it’s false that Joe Biden’s campaign demanded no standing
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A CNN spokesperson said this didn’t happen.
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Both candidates agreed to stand during the June 27 debate.
CNN on June 15 released rules that President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump have agreed to abide by during their anticipated June 27 debate.
Not included in the list was one that some social media users had been sharing before the final terms were made public.
"Breaking: The Biden campaign has demanded that Joe Biden not have to stand during the presidential debate," the claim in a June 14 Instagram post said. The post was a screenshot of a June 12 X post by Philip Anderson, a Texas man who has pleaded not guilty to charges stemming from his actions on Jan. 6, 2021, at the U.S. Capitol.
We saw similar claims on X, citing unnamed sources.
The Instagram post was flagged as part of Meta’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook, Threads, and Instagram.)
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Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential candidate, in May said that he had been asked about a seated debate.
CNN spokesperson Dylan Rose Geerlings told PolitiFact in a statement that the viral claim about Biden’s team asking for a seated debate is false. "It’s not accurate… CNN’s proposed format was to have both candidates stand and both sides agreed to the rules when they agreed to debate."
According to CNN, Biden and Trump have also agreed to: no studio audience other than campaign staffers; no stage props or pre-written notes; having their microphones muted by the network when the other candidate is speaking. A coin toss will decide where their podiums are positioned and campaign staffers will not be allowed to interact with the candidates during breaks, the network said.
We rate the claim that the Biden campaign asked not to stand during debate False.
PolitiFact Researcher Caryn Baird contributed to this report.
Our Sources
Instagram post (archived link), Jun. 14, 2024
CNN, Biden and Trump campaigns agreed to mic muting, podiums among rules for upcoming CNN debate, Jun. 15, 2024
Email exchange with CNN’s Dylan Rose Geerlings, Jun. 17, 2024
YouTube, FULL RALLY: Former President Trump Holds Campaign Event In The Bronx, New York, May 23, 2024
Rev, Trump Speaks at Rally in the Bronx, May 26, 2024
Department of Justice, Texas Man Arrested on Felony and Misdemeanor Charges for Actions During Jan. 6 Capitol Breach, Aug. 30, 2023
CBS News Texas, Mesquite man arrested, charged in Jan. 6 Capitol breach, Aug. 30, 2023
Department of Justice, Statement of Facts, Aug. 28, 2023
Court Listener, United States v. ANDERSON, accessed Jun. 17, 2024
X post, Philip Anderson (archived link), Jun. 12, 2024
X post, Washington Reporter (archived link), Jun. 17, 2024
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Presidential debate host CNN says it’s false that Joe Biden’s campaign demanded no standing
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