Former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden will face off in a historic debate on Thursday, with Trump set to have the final word following a coin flip to determine podium placement and the order of closing statements.
The coin toss landed on tails, allowing Biden's campaign to choose between selecting the president's podium position or the order of closing statements. Biden's team opted for the right podium position, positioning the Democratic president on the right side of viewers' screens and Trump on the left.
Subsequently, Trump's campaign decided that the former president would deliver the last closing statement, meaning Biden will speak first at the end of the debate.
This debate marks a significant moment as it is the first presidential debate between an incumbent and a former president. It is also the first debate since 2020 involving either Biden, who faced no serious competition for the Democratic nomination, or Trump, who abstained from participating in debates during the Republican primary race.
For Trump, having the opportunity to deliver the final closing statement in this debate is a departure from his recent experience during his New York criminal trial and conviction. In that case, he expressed frustration that his lawyer did not have the last word, despite it being a common practice for prosecutors to deliver final remarks in a trial.
