How to watch the first presidential debate between Donald Trump and Joe Biden

The first presidential debate of 2020 takes place Sept. 29 at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland.
The first presidential debate of 2020 takes place Sept. 29 at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland. (Image credit: Eric Baradat/Getty Images)

Admit it: There's no way you're not going to watch at least some of the first presidential debate between Donald Trump and Joe Biden. Never mind which one is your choice. Never mind if there's absolutely no way you're going to change your pick, short of one of them spontaneously combusting on live television. (And even then, that might not be enough.

No, you're going to watch the first presidential debate because there's a pretty good chance it's going to be a complete and total circus.

If you're in the United States, you're pretty well covered. The debate is on Fox News, and it starts at 9 p.m. Eastern time. Fox News journalist Chris Wallace will moderate. (Or at least attempt to do so.)

How to watch the first presidential debate from anywhere

For those not inside the United States for tonight's debate, you can still watch every minute of the back and forth. All you need is a good VPN, which can route all your network traffic through a server in the United Sates, effectively putting you (or your computer or phone, anyway) inside the United States.

And that means you can take advantage of any of the free ways to watch the debate including Sling TV or The Roku Channel, both of which have made election coverage free this year. 

We recommend taking a look at ExpressVPN. It's got a free trial, servers all over the world, it's safe, and it's secure. (Those last two things are super important considering that you're going to be routing all your network traffic through it.)

Image

<a href="https://go.expressvpn.com/c/4550836/1330033/16063?subId1=hawk-custom-tracking&sharedId=hawk&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.expressvpn.com%2F%3Foffer%3D3monthsfree%26a_fid%3D744" data-link-merchant="expressvpn.com"">ExpressVPN makes it easy to watch your favorite sports and shows no matter where you are, because it makes it possible for your internet traffic to be routed through your home country — even if you're on the road somewhere.

It's safe, it's secure, it's easy to use, and it's got a free trial, so you can make sure it's the right VPN for you. (Hint: It will be.)

What's going to happen in the first presidential debate

Just kidding — we have no idea. This one's got a seasoned politician going up against someone who's hell bent on blowing up anything and everything. 

This is the first of three scheduled debates. The candidates won't shake hands due to social distancing. (And, uh, other reasons.) There will only be about 70 people in the audience at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland. The debate itself will take about 90 minutes, with no commercial debates. 

Topics for the debate include:

  • The Trump and Biden Records
  • The Supreme Court
  • COVID-19
  • The Economy
  • Race and Violence in our Cities
  • The Integrity of the Election

Each segment should last 15 minutes. Candidates will have 2 minutes to respond after Wallace opens each segment with a question. He'll then ask follow-up questions. 

Things should get really interesting, however, following Sunday's bombshell release of Trump's tax information, which he'd previously refused to release — something no presidential candidate had done in decades. 

The Supreme Court obviously is of paramount importance given the recent death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. And COVID-19 isn't going anywhere anytime soon.

So strap in for the first presidential debate, everyone. It's going to be a circus.

Phil Nickinson

Phil spent his 20s in the newsroom of the Pensacola (Fla.) News Journal, his 30s on the road for AndroidCentral.com and Mobile Nations and is the Dad part of Modern Dad.