The first Presidential Debate live stream for 2020 is tonight, and it’s our chance to see how President Donald Trump and Democratic presidential nominee and former Vice President Joe Biden compare on the issues ahead of the November 3 election.

Where can you watch the Presidential Debate? What time does it start? We have all of those answers, and we’ll provide updates to this page, as more streaming services launch their videos of the debate. In most parts of the world, the debate live stream will be free, but we have included every option in case you can’t find it online.

First Presidential Debate cheat sheet

The first Presidential Debate will take place at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio today (Tuesday, September 29). The debate will begin at 9pm ET / 6pm PT (2am BST, 11am AEST) and will run for 90 minutes total

Full live streaming and TV channel details are below – including some brilliant free coverage options – and you can watch your preferred coverage from anywhere with this 100% risk-free ExpressVPN trial.

Presidential Debate live stream time

Tonight’s Presidential Debate 2020 start time is 9pm ET / 6pm PT. It’ll be 90 minutes long with six 15-minute segments and no commercial breaks, meaning it won’t get over until at 10:30pm ET, and most channels will have post-debate analysis. 

The Presidential Debate 2020 time of 9pm ET / 6pm PT seems late if you’re on the East Coast, but that’s so people in the Pacific time zone can drive home to see the debate after work.

Debate topics

President Trump and former VP Biden will be asked questions on a variety of topics including their records, the US Supreme Court, the integrity of the election, Covid-19, race and violence in US cities and the economy.

Keep in mind though that the Presidential Debate topics are subject to change and may not follow this exact order – so expect some breaking news to influence some last-minute questions aimed at the President and his tax record, too.

Presidential Debate moderator

The first Presidential debate moderator is Chris Wallace, who is the anchor of Fox News Sunday and son of the late legendary journalist Mike Wallace. 

Chris Wallace claims to want to be invisible in tonight’s debate, letting the Trump and Biden hash out the topics on stage. Political editor of C-Span Steve Scully will moderate the second debate, while NBC News White House correspondent Kristen Welker will moderate the third debate.

If you’ve watched US presidential debates in past years, there were almost always two or three moderators present to ask a variety of questions (typically based on their speciality as an anchor or reporter). This Presidential Debate, like a lot of 2020, is different: there will be just one moderator at each Presidential Debate to reduce the number of people in the room.

Whether you’re a backing Trump, getting behind Biden, or are an undecided voter who wants to see where both candidates stand on the issues most important to American voters, we’ll show you how to watch the first Presidential Debate from wherever you are in the world this week.


Watch the Trump-Biden debate in the US

If you live in the US and have cable or even an indoor antenna, you’ll be able to watch the first presidential debate on TV as all of the major news networks including ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, CNN, Fox News, MSNBC and C-Span will show it. The debate will start at 9pm ET / 6pm PT and will run for 90 minutes. If you’d rather stream the debate online, you’re in luck as C-Span will show the full event on its YouTube channel.

The debate itself will be broadcast live as it happens but you’ll also be able to tune in to see each network’s commentary and score once it’s over.

Don’t want to sign up for cable just to watch the debate on TV? Don’t worry as there are now a number of streaming services, all at different price points, that will give you access to all of the channels showing the debate. We’ve listed a few of our favorites below to make things easier for you.

  • SlingTV $30 per month – With SlingTV’s Sling Blue plan for $30 per month, you’ll get access to CNN, Fox News, Fox, MSNBC, NBC (in select markets) and loads of other live TV channels. The service also lets you watch on three screens simultaneously and record content to watch later with its Cloud DVR.
  • FuboTV $64.99 per month – FuboTV gives you access to 114 live TV channels including ABC, Fox, Fox News, MSNBC and more but it does not include CNN. The service also includes a 7-day free trial so you can test it out for yourself.
  • Hulu with Live TV $54.99 per month – Hulu with Live TV gives you access to all the channels you’ll need to watch the first presidential debate including ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, CNN, Fox News and MSNBC. The service also includes its own Hulu Originals and supports a wide variety of streaming devices.
  • AT&T TV Now $55 per month – AT&T TV Now’s Plus plan will give you access to over 45 live TV channels including ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox, Fox News, MSNBC and NBC. However, if you want even more channels and an HBO Max subscription, you can sign up for the service’s Max plan for $80 per month.
  • YouTube TV $65 per month – YouTube’s live streaming service will give you access to all of the channels you’ll need to watch this year’s presidential debates including ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, CNN, Fox News and MSNBC. YouTube TV also has flexible contracts and no extra fees for HD or cancellation.

Live stream the first Trump-Biden debate from the rest of the world

While the first Trump-Biden debate will likely be shown on TV in the UK, Canada, Australia and the rest of the world, watching C-Span’s live stream of the debate on YouTube will probably be the easiest way to watch it. C-Span will show the first presidential debate on YouTube beginning at 9pm ET (6pm PT, 2am BST, 11am AEST) on Tuesday, September 29.


How to watch the Trump-Biden debate online from outside your country

If you’re currently travelling abroad for work or out of the country, watching the first presidential debate will be difficult as many of your viewing options will be geo-blocked.

Thankfully there’s an easy fix that will let you watch the first Presidential Debate online from anywhere. By downloading a VPN, you can watch no matter where you’re currently located. This simple piece of software changes your IP address to one in a different country where the debate is being broadcast, so you can stream it as if you were back home.

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Topics for the first Trump-Biden debate

The first debate between President Donald Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden will cover six topics. However, the topics are subject to change and the debate itself may not follow this exact order:

  • Trump and Biden’s records
  • The Supreme Court
  • The integrity of the election
  • Covid-19
  • Race and violence in US cities
  • The economy

US 2020 Election – Full debate schedule

  • First presidential debate – Tuesday, September 29 at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio.
  • Vice presidential debate – Wednesday, October 7 at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, Utah.
  • Second presidential debate – Thursday, October 15 at Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts in Miami, Florida
  • Third presidential debate – Thursday, October 22 at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee