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13 Best Video Essay YouTubers in 2024 According to Viewers

Tamara Indriana

First of all, what even is a video essay ?

The line between video essays and documentaries is often muddy. While both video essays and documentaries use audiovisual elements to convey ideas and narratives, they differ in their focus, narrative structure, visual style, and intended audience.

Video essays offer critical analysis and interpretation of visual media, while documentaries provide factual information on real-life events and experiences. One key tip to distinguish between the two is that documentaries focus on getting answers from primary sources , like conducting interviews.

Video essays have gained popularity in recent years, particularly on YouTube. The accessibility of digital editing tools and visual media makes it easier than ever for aspiring filmmakers, critics, and scholars to produce and share their own video essays with the world.

In this article, we have compiled a list of the best video essayists on YouTube. Join us as we unravel the intricacies of these digital storytellers who put their viewers on the edge of their seats.

If video essays are not your cup of tea and you’re looking for something more educational, check out our article on the best documentary YouTube channels .

13 Top Video Essay YouTube Channels in 2024

This list is compiled from the opinions of  Favoree  and  Reddit  users.

In no particular order:

1.  EmpLemon  – 1.2M Subscribers

Emplemon blends elements of documentary-style storytelling with humor and cultural critique. Through his videos, Emplemon tells stories about internet culture, dissecting its quirks with razor-sharp wit and insight.

His contents elicit a rollercoaster of emotions, from laughter at absurd internet phenomena to contemplation of the impact of online communities on society.

2.  ContraPoints  – 1.8M Subscribers

Natalie Wynn, better known as Contrapoints, makes incisive video essays about social topics. Initially gaining fame for providing leftist rebuttals to right-wing content, Wynn’s dark humor and elaborate productions captivate audiences.

While her style has evolved to include more intimate settings, Wynn’s content remains intellectually stimulating, featuring detailed philosophical discussions presented in a visually stunning manner.

Natalie is not only an icon for her video essays, she’s also one of the most influential Trans creators on YouTube .

3.  ColdFusion  – 4.7M Subscribers

ColdFusion is a prominent YouTube channel making high-quality videos on corporations and their scandals. The channel’s soothing narration style contributes to a relaxing viewing experience.

With professional editing and a focus on interesting subject matter, ColdFusion delivers compelling insights into the latest trends and developments shaping the world of business and technology.

Check out our article on the best economics YouTube channel if you’re interested in improving your financial knowledge!

4.  Wendigoon  – 3.4M Subscribers

Wendigoon’s exploration of horror and supernatural phenomena certainly gives viewers goosebumps. With a focus on topics like urban legends , paranormal encounters, and mysterious occurrences, Wendigoon delivers chilling narratives that leave viewers intrigued and unsettled.

The channel’s immersive storytelling and atmospheric visuals evoke a sense of unease, drawing audiences into the eerie world of the unknown. Wendigoon’s expertly crafted videos combine suspenseful narration with haunting imagery, creating an unforgettable viewing experience.

Can’t get enough of chilling true crime stories? Our article on the best true crime YouTube channels will help you find more creators to watch.

5.  hbomberguy  – 1.6M Subscribers

Hbomberguy is a highly respected YouTuber famous for his well-researched video essays. With a focus on various topics ranging from video games to social critiques of modernity, Hbomberguy delivers arguments backed by cited facts. His recent video that exposed Internet Historian has gotten the most attention and discourse.

Despite a sporadic upload schedule, his content is eagerly anticipated, offering deep dives into internet culture and thought-provoking analyses.

6.  Kurzgesagt – In a Nutshell  – 21.8M Subscribers

Kurzgesagt is incredible at explaining complex scientific concepts and philosophical ideas in a simple way. Through stunning art and animation, Kurzgesagt brings these topics to life.

Covering a wide range of subjects from space exploration to biology, the channel’s videos are both educational and visually captivating, leaving viewers feeling inspired and enlightened. Kurzgesagt offers an immersive journey into the wonders of the universe, sparking curiosity and wonder in audiences worldwide.

7.  Fredrik Knudsen  – 1.2M Subscribers

A cult favorite, Fredrik Knudsen’s acclaimed series “Down the Rabbit Hole” investigates obscure corners of the internet and perplexing aspects of history.

Known for his unbiased and objective approach, Knudsen presents his subjects in a neutral manner, allowing facts to speak for themselves. His thought-provoking content offers insights into the complexities of human experiences and internet phenomena.

8.  blameitonjorge  – 1.7M Subscribers

Blameitonjorge is beloved for his videos centered around lost media, creepy events, and obscure topics. With a soothing and friendly voice, Jorge’s narration style is modest, respectful, and intelligently humorous, offering a refreshing contrast to typical list-making channels.

His videos cover a diverse range of subjects, including UFO sightings, nostalgia, horror movies, true crime, and Mexican urban legends, all presented with meticulous research and informative editing. Blameitonjorge’s efforts to uncover unanswered mysteries and controversies breathe new life into forgotten topics.

9.  Solar Sands  – 1.3M Subscribers

Solar Sands, an American YouTuber, specializes in video essays analyzing and reviewing art, culture, and archaeology. His long form contents concentrate on retrospectives on various aspects of artistic quality, including the history of low-resolution paintings in Minecraft and analyses of artists like Trevor Henderson .

Solar Sands’ content offers unusual insights into the world of art and culture, appealing to viewers interested in thought-provoking discussions and analyses.

10.  Philosophy Tube  – 1.5M Subscribers

Abigail Thorn, AKA Philosophy Tube, is a British YouTuber exploring philosophy, politics, and personal identity through theatrical presentations and insightful discussions. Abigail’s well-researched content creates a deeper understanding of complex topics and provides support for those grappling with personal identity.

Her inclusive and authentic approach transforms philosophical concepts into accessible narratives, while her openness about her transgender journey inspires self-acceptance in viewers. With a blend of academic rigor and theatrical flair, Philosophy Tube continues to educate and entertain her audiences.

Want a deeper understanding of philosophy without breaking the bank? Check out the best philosophy YouTube channels to learn more!

11. Super Eyepatch Wolf – 1.7M Subscribers

John Walsh, also known as Super Eyepatch Wolf , is an Irish YouTuber renowned for his analytical-style videos primarily focused on anime, with occasional forays into manga and video games.

Unlike many other anime YouTubers, his presentation style stands out for its calm and passionate delivery. His content resonates with audiences seeking thoughtful analysis and insightful commentary.

12. Folding Ideas – 920K Subscribers

Dan Olson or Folding Ideas is a YouTube channel offering long-form video essays on internet culture. From NFTs to nuggets, he makes any topic interesting and will leave you looking for more.

While the writing can occasionally seem overly clever, Dan Olson’s thoroughly researched insights provide valuable perspectives into tech grifts and other media. Despite only uploading every few months, the channel’s in-depth and insightful content is highly appreciated by viewers.

13. Jacob Geller – 1.2M Subscribers

Jacob Geller offers thought-provoking video essays that seamlessly blend topics such as video games, history, politics, and more. With a dark yet empathetic tone, Geller digs deep into philosophical, ethical, metaphysical, and psychological themes, using gaming as a springboard for discussions.

Whether discussing a specific video game mod or architectural design, Jacob’s talent shines through in his insightful videos, offering a deep exploration of video games with surprising depth.

Why are video essays important?

Video essays are important as they provide a platform for creators to offer nuanced interpretations and critical perspectives on various subjects. They serve as engaging educational tools, stimulating discussions and deepening understanding of visual media and cultural phenomena.

What are the benefits of video essays?

Video essays offer benefits such as fostering critical thinking, providing accessible and entertaining educational content, and offering a fresh approach to the analysis and exploration of visual media.

What’s the difference between a video essay and a documentary?

The difference lies in their focus, narrative structure, visual style, and intended audience. While video essays offer critical analysis and interpretation of visual media, documentaries provide factual information on real-life events and experiences, often by obtaining answers from primary sources through interviews.

Is video essay a genre?

Video essay is not a genre in the traditional sense. Rather, it is a format or style of content creation that can encompass a wide range of subjects and approaches, from film analysis to cultural critique.

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10 of the Most Niche YouTube Video Essays You Absolutely Need to Watch

YouTube’s algorithm is designed to keep your eyeballs glued to video after video (after video, after video...). The dangers of this rabbit hole are well-documented . However, for every ideological radicalization enabled by YouTube, I like to think there’s at least one innocent, newfound pop culture obsession discovered at 3 a.m. via the greatest medium of our time: the Video Essay.

The genre of YouTube video essays is more interesting than it sounds. Sure, any piece of video content that advances a central thesis could be considered a “video essay.” But there are key components of video essays that elevate the genre into so much more than simply a YouTube version of a written article. Over the past few years, the term “YouTube video essay” has grown to evoke connotations of niche fascination and discovery. For creators, the field is highly competitive with strong personalities trying to get eyes on extremely in-depth analysis of a wide range of topics. The “niche” factor is especially important here. Ultimately, the hallmark of a good video essay is its ability to captivate you into watching hours of content about a subject matter you would have never expected to care about in the first place. Scary? Maybe. Fun? Definitely.

Whether you’re skeptical about the power of video essays, or you’re an existing fan looking for your next niche obsession, I’ve rounded up some of my personal favorite YouTube video essays for you to lean in and watch. This is not a comprehensive list by any means, and it largely reflects what the algorithm thinks (knows) I personally want to watch.

Other factors that influenced my selection process: The video essays needed to have a strong, surprising thesis—something other than a creator saying “ this thing good ” or “ this thing bad. ” These videos also stood out to me due to their sheer amount of thorough, hard-hitting evidence, as well as the dedication on the behalf of the YouTubers who chose to share with us hours upon hours of research into these topics.

And yes, I have watched all the hours of content featured here. I’m a professional.

Disney’s FastPass: A Complicated History

Let’s start strong with a documentary so premium, I can’t believe it’s free. Multiple articles and reviews have been dedicated to Defunctland’s video series about, well, waiting in line. I know what you’re thinking—the only thing that sounds more boring than waiting in line is watching a video about waiting in line. But Defunctland’s investigation into the history of Disneyland’s FastPass system has so much more to offer.

Class warfare. Human behavior. The perils of capitalism. One commenter under the video captures it well by writing “oddly informative and vaguely terrifying.” Since its launch in 2017, Kevin Perjurer’s entire Defunctland YouTube channel has become a leading voice in extremely thorough video essays. The FastPass analysis is one of the most rewarding of all of Defunctland’s in-depth amusement park coverage.

I won’t spoil it here, but the best part of the video is hands-down when Perjurer reveals an animated simulation of the theme park experience to test out how various line-reservation systems work. Again, no spoilers, but get ready for a wildly satisfying “gotcha” moment.

Personally, I’ve never had any interest one way or another about Disney-affiliated theme parks. I’ve never been, and I never planned on going. That’s the main reason I’m selling you on this video essay right off the bat. Defunctland is a perfect example of how the genre of video essays has such a high bar for investigative reporting, shocking analysis, and an ability to suck you in to a topic you never thought you’d care about.

Watch time : 1:42:59 (like a proper feature documentary)

THE Vampire Diaries Video

No list of video essays can get very far without including Jenny Nicholson , a true titan of the genre. Or, as one commenter puts it, “The power of Jenny Nicholson: getting me to watch an almost three hour long video about something I don’t care about.” I struggled to pick which of her videos to feature here, but at over seven million views, “THE Vampire Diaries Video” might just be Nicholson’s magnum opus. Once you break out the red string on a cork board, it’s safe to say that you’re in magnum opus territory.

I haven’t ever seen an episode of CW’s The Vampire Diaries , but since this video essay captivated me, I can safely say that I’m an expert on the show. Nicholson’s reputation as a knowledgeable, passionate, funny YouTuber is well-earned. She’s a proper geek, and watching her cultural analyses feel like I’m nerding out with one of my smartest friends. If you really don’t think The Vampire Diaries investigation is for you (and I argue that it’s for everyone), I recommend “ A needlessly thorough roast of Dear Evan Hansen ” instead.

Watch time : 2:33:19

In Search Of A Flat Earth

Did you think you could get through a YouTube video round-up without single mention of Flat Earthers? Wishful thinking.

“In Search of Flat Earth” is a beautiful, thoughtful video essay slash feature-length documentary. Don’t go into this video if you’re looking to bash and ridicule flat earth conspiracy theorists. Instead, Olson’s core argument takes a somewhat sympathetic gaze to the fact that Flat Earthers cannot be “reasoned” out of their beliefs with “science” or “evidence.” Plus, this video has a satisfying second-act plot twist. As Olson points out, “In Search of Flat Earth” could have an alternative clickbait title of “The Twist at 37 Minutes Will Make You Believe We Live In Hell.” Over the years,  Dan Olson of Folding Ideas has helped to popularize the entire video essay genre, and this one just might be his masterpiece.

Watch time : 1:16:16

The Rise and Fall of Teen Dystopias

Sarah Z is your go-to Gen Z cultural critic and explainer. The YouTuber brings her knack for loving-yet-shrewd analysis to dig into fandom culture, the YA book industry, and why the teen dystopia got beaten into the ground.

I’ve found that one of the most reliable video essay formulas is some version of “what went wrong with [incredibly popular cultural moment].” In the case of teen dystopias, it’s a fascinating take on how a generation of teen girls were drawn to bad ass, anti-establishment heroines, only to watch those types of characters get mass produced and diluted into mockery. But maybe I’m biased here; as the exact demographic targeted by the peak of The Hunger Games, Twilight, and Divergent, this cultural debrief speaks to my soul.

Watch time : 1:22:41

A Buffet of Black Food History

Food is an effective way to combine economic, cultural, and social histories–and Black American food history is an especially rich one. Food resonates with people, allowing us to connect with the past in a much more real way than if we were memorizing dates and locations from a textbook. Historian Elexius Jionde of Intelexual Media is a pro at taking what could be a standard history lesson and turning it into an interesting journey full of crazy characters and tidbits.

Most of the comments beneath the video are complaints that the video deserves to be so much longer. It’s jam-packed with surprising facts, fun asides, and, of course, tantalizing descriptions of the food at hand. Jionde even warns you right at the top: “Turn this video off right now if you’re hungry.”

Watch time : 22:39

The reign of the Slim-Thick Influencer

At this point, I’m assuming you know what a BBL is. Even if you aren’t familiar with the term (Brazilian butt lifts, FYI), then you’ve still probably observed the trend. Before big butts, it was thigh gaps. The pendulum swing of trending body types is nothing new. Curves are in, curves are out, thick thighs save lives, “skinny fat” is bad, and now, “slim thick” looms large. How do different body types fall in and out of fashion, and what effect does this have on the people living in those bodies?

Creator Khadija Mbowe identifies and analyzes a lot of the issues with how women’s bodies (especially Black women’s) are commodified, without ever blaming the bodies that are under fire. Mbowe handles the topic with grace and humor, even when discussing how deeply personal it is to them. If you’ve ever found yourself staring at a photo of an Instagram influencer, please do yourself a favor and watch this video essay.

Watch time : 54:18

Flight of the Navigator

Once again: I have been sucked into a video about a film that I have never seen and probably never will. Captain Disillusion, whose real name is Alan Melikdjanian, is another giant of the video essay genre, posting videos to a not-too-shabby audience of 2.29 million subscribers. Most of Captain Dissilision’s videos that I’d seen before this were of the creator debunking viral videos, exposing how certain visual effects were “obviously” faked. In this video, he turns his eye for debunking special effects not to viral videos, but to the 1986 Disney sci-fi adventure Flight of the Navigator.

This behind-the-scenes analysis of the Disney film is incredibly informative, tackling every instance when someone might ask, “ Hey, how did they manage to film that? ” It also touches upon the history of the special effects industry, something that deserves a little extra appreciation as CGI takes over every corner of movie-making.

Watch time : 41:28

The Failure of Victorious

YouTuber Quinton Reviews is dedicated to his craft, and I thank him for it. As you’ve certainly caught on to by now, you truly do not need to know anything about the show Victorious to enjoy an hours-long video essay that digs into it. What makes this video stand out is the sheer amount of content that this YouTuber both consumed and then created for us. Part of the video length—a whopping five hours—is due to the fact that every single episode of the Nickelodeon show is dissected. Another reason for the length is all the care that Quinton Reviews puts into providing context. And the context is what made me stick around: the failures of TV networks, the psychological dangers of working as child stars, and the questionable adult jokes that were broadcast to young audiences…if you’re at all interested in tainting your memory of hit Nickelodeon shows, this video is for you.

Watch time : 5:34:58 ( And that’s just part one. Strap in! )

Why Anime is for Black People

In this video Travis goes through the history of the “hip hop x anime” phenomenon, in which East Asian media permeates Black culture (and vice versa, as he hints at near the end). Although I am (1) not Black and (2) not an avid anime fan, I first clicked on this video because I’m a fan of comedian and writer Yedoye Travis. And yet—big shocker—I was immediately engrossed with the subject matter, despite having no context heading into it. Once you finish watching this video, be sure to check out Megan Thee Stallion’s interview about her connection to anime .

I haven’t run this part by my editor yet, but now would be a prime time to plug Lifehacker Editor-in-Chief Jordan Calhoun’s book, Piccolo Is Black: A Memoir of Race, Religion, and Pop Culture . Just saying.

Watch time : 18:34 (basically nothing in the world of video essays, especially compared to the five hours of Victorious content I binged earlier)

Efficiency in Comedy: The Office vs. Friends

I’m rounding out this list on a note of personal sentimentality. This is one of the first video essays that got me hooked on the format, mostly because I had followed creator Drew Gooden to YouTube after his stardom on Vine (RIP). This video is one of his most popular, combining comedy and math to pit two of the most popular sitcoms of all time in a joke-for-joke battle.

Gooden in particular stands out as someone who excels as both an earnest comic and a thoughtful critic of comedy. I appreciate his perspective as someone who knows what it’s like to work for a laugh and wants to get to the bottom of why something is or isn’t funny. This isn’t even one of Gooden’s best videos (I actually think his take on the parallels between Community and Arrested Development has a much stronger argument), but it’s a great example of the sort of perspective best situated to make video essays in the first place. Because what makes all these video essays so compelling is often the personality behind the argument. These aren’t investigative journalists or professional critics. They’re YouTubers. Really smart YouTubers, but still: These videos are born out of everyday people who simply have something to say.

I believe the modern YouTube video essay is uniquely situated to put cultural critique back into the hands of the average consumer—but only if that consumer is willing to put in the work to become a creator themselves.

Watch time : 17:36

Screen Rant

10 best youtubers for gaming video essays, according to reddit.

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Super Monkey Ball Banana Rumble Review: The Top Banana Of Monkey Ball

Still wakes the deep review: a strong, but not particularly creative horror title, luigi's mansion 2 hd review: a return worth waiting for.

Although video games can be mindless fun at times, some of the biggest releases of the later half of this year have included The Last of Us: Part 1 and the upcoming God of War: Ragnarök , titles that serve to highlight video games as an art form to rival traditional media. When it comes to what makes games like these work, YouTube has any gaming enthusiast covered.

From essayists who focus on the storytelling element of video games like Jacob Geller to ones that go in-depth to take apart the mechanical side of creating video games like Game Maker's Toolkit or even GDC, these are the channels that Reddit thinks fans should be checking out.

When most people think of video essays, they tend to think of channels where a single person presents their thoughts on a variety of topics but GDC is a little different. The name stands for Game Developers Conference and the YouTube channel presents clips and full talks from professionals.

Redditor rebilax13 comments that you can "never go wrong with GDC" as you get to "hear from the industry themselves." Whilst analysis from an outsider is always interesting, there's something about hearing developers, artists, and producers talk about their own methods of bringing video games to life that's uniquely insightful.

Writing On Games

Focusing on game design and what makes video game narratives so powerful , Writing on Games presents video game essays and reviews in a sharp and engaging style that has won the channel many fans over the years. That includes Redditor Party_McFly710 who rates them as a top channel when it comes to "general story analysis" for video games.

Whilst the channel isn't afraid to criticize games for their shortcomings, a lot of their videos involve going in-depth and taking apart exactly why highly-rated games like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild , Elden Ring , and The Last of Us are so effective. Even better, Writing on Games generally draws attention to small details and game elements that most people would never pick up on.

Matthewmatosis

Well-researched, well-edited, and interesting video essays often take a lot of time to put together, which is why they aren't always easy to find. For those who don't mind infrequent uploads, Matthewmatosis provides just that, presenting videos that very obviously have a ton of thought and time put into them.

Redditor GhettoRussianSpy says they "wholeheartedly recommend" the channel and calls it "thought-provoking." Whereas some channels attempt to make videos about the most relevant game to ensure views, it's obvious that Matthewmatosis simply pursues whatever interests him at that time, presenting a fascinating dissection of Death Stranding nearly a year after Hideo Kojima's divisive title was released.

For retrospectives on awesome older video games , there are few channels that do so as effectively and entertainingly as Raycevick. Redditor Malix82 recommends the channel for "lengthy deconstructions" of exactly how and why a game once "made waves" or came to be perceived the way it is.

With his "... x Years Later" series, which includes "Metro Exodus... 3 Years Later" and "Need for Speed: Most Wanted... 13 Years Later," Raycevick uses the advantage of hindsight to look at games from a different perspective to usual and sometimes even challenge people's perceptions. Along with covering a wide range of games from different periods, Raycevick offers something for everyone.

Noah Caldwell-Gervais

There are plenty of channels that offer extremely long-form and comprehensive video essays on games but very few go to the extremes of Noah Caldwell-Gervais whose "Thorough Look" series has episodes that break the 5-hour mark. It's not just quantity he provides though as, according to Redditor Frittenbudenpapst , "His analysis, critique and description of games is just stellar."

"Whilst his almost-exclusive use of gameplay footage might not appeal to those who like more flashy and visually engaging video essays, it helps him to effectively capture the feel of the games he talks about and that's something his fans appreciate. This is especially true as he often talks about games where the atmosphere is one of the most important elements.

Tongue-in-cheek humor and sharp critiques go hand-in-hand in Whitelight's video essays, which often take on critically-lauded or critically-panned games and offer an interesting take. Whilst it's not a channel for fans who like their video essays to be completely serious, there are good reasons why Redditors like BrandalfFTW consider him one of "the best."

For example, despite taking a more humorous approach to the YouTube format , Whitelight's critiques tend to be fairly balanced, taking into account arguments for and against the games he takes on. Whilst no viewer is likely to agree with all of his opinions, that's a part of the charm of Whitelight's channel.

Though Hbomberguy takes on everything from politics and conspiracy theories to TV shows, some of his most popular and most compelling videos are those where he simply discusses video games. Redditor AMtheVile is one fan who says they "really like" his video game content.

Though his approach to video games can be divisive, often taking extreme stances on beloved video game franchises like The Elder Scrolls and the Fallout series and presenting his views in an over-the-top, impassioned way, the level of effort he puts into making his videos well-researched and visually interesting is something anyone can appreciate.

With the description on YouTube reading simply "Insightful gaming videos," Ahoy manages to perfectly capture why fans love the channel's video essays so much. Although not exclusively about video games, with many historical videos as well, their visually striking and perfectly composed video game essays easily rival that of completely game-focused channels.

That's why Redditor GustavGarlicBread calls them "amazing" at what they do, adding that they have "extremely clean editing, and original music to top it all off." Whilst this means uploads are infrequent, each essay has so much originality that they're more than worth the wait.

Game Maker's Toolkit

Presented by British video game journalist and game developer Mark Brown, Game Maker's Toolkit aims to deliver exactly what the channel name promises which is to help with the viewer's understanding of how games are made. Though this technical approach of drawing attention to how games are crafted is great for budding game developers, it's also fascinating as a fan of games too.

One of those fans is Redditor nas1992 who comments that the channel is their "favorite" when it comes to gaming video essays. Rather than focusing on a specific game in each video, Brown nearly always dedicates each one to a particular, and usually small, aspect of game design, providing a much more technical perspective.

Jacob Geller

Though he does consider specific elements of game design in his gaming video essays, the unique appeal of Jacob Geller's YouTube channel is that they often provide deep and interesting reflections on the thematic story elements of great games. For fans of the story-telling side of video game creation, there are few better than Geller.

Redditor Frosch90 recommends the channel for anyone "into a more intellectual and "artsy" approach to games." Taking in a variety of sources that go far beyond what most YouTube video essays consider, Geller's approach is just as thorough as those on the more technical side of video games which helps make each one a treat to watch.

NEXT: 10 Best YouTube Channels For Film Video Essays, According To Reddit

The Best Video Essay Channels, Ranked

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Donald Sutherland and One of the Most Heartbreaking and Shocking Endings in Horror Film History

Donald sutherland deserved an oscar for this 1980 drama, dark matter season 2 is possible (but unlikely).

If you’re a die-hard movie fan, you don’t have to be a hardcore collector to know that you can find a lot of your special features free on YouTube – from movie trailers and top-ten lists to reaction videos and cast-and-crew interviews. But the crème de la crème for any budding cinephile is YouTube ’s subculture of video essayists.

The best of these content creators, particularly those focused on dissecting and analyzing film and television, give viewers a lot of food for thought, making them consider things they hadn’t before, even when it comes to movies they have watched 100 times. There is an embarrassment of content out there, but this article seeks to separate the wheat from the chaff – we are recommending only the channels with the best, most refreshing, and most original analysis. If you're a film lover or budding buff, you owe it to yourself to check out these great video essay channels.

What’s So Great About That?

UK creator and pop-culture academic Grace Lee makes video essays examining themes and form in both horror and animated media; she has an affinity for the deeper, more unexpected thoughts evoked by her favorite genres. Whereas many content creators are quippy or sarcastic, Lee’s voiceover narrative approach is one of measured thoughtfulness.

Related: Explained: How Twin Peaks Changed Television

While her output as What's So Great About That? is not as large as some other creators on this list, that is far from a bad thing as Lee seems to focus more on quality than quantity. Each video discusses fairly narrow topics within a given property – examples include the “treachery of language” in the work of David Lynch or the concept of the “unnatural” in the original Evil Dead film.

You might mistake Canadian vlogger Sarah Z (pronounced “Zed”) for your best friend. She sits on the couch with a cup of coffee and speaks directly to you, a monologuist spending hours on end about all of her opinions, from toxic fandoms to true-crime documentaries.

But these monologues are not the boring, meaningless yarns that you might expect. Rather, Sarah’s channel is an ever-deepening trove of incisive and engaging media analysis encased in a shell of light and fluffy entertainment. The whole thing is driven by Sarah’s palpable excitement and enthusiasm for the topics she is covering, and a penchant for long, detailed videos that are extensively researched. Some videos will even stretch far beyond the one-hour mark, including a 90-minute video on geek culture and a full two hours on Dear Evan Hansen .

Another Canadian creator steps up to the plate in the form of Sage Hyden , a fantasy novelist whose essay channel Just Write seems particularly preoccupied with film’s place in the cultural conversation. In particular, Hyden is fascinated with the messages that movies send us, what they are trying to communicate (consciously or subconsciously), and how they shape our perceptions and prejudices.

For topics that can sometimes land on the serious side, Hyden’s tone and writing style are conversational and often funny, and his insights are fairly eye-opening. Topics include Willy Wonka and its relationship to misconceptions about poverty, the importance of the original Mulan film, and the cinematic lineage of the modern murder mystery Knives Out .

If you consider yourself an outsider or find yourself disagreeing with most of your friends on their favorite movies, you might find a mutual kinship with creator Yhara Zayd , whose videos examine film and television through lenses both personal and political. Zayd’s is not the kind of detached analysis you can expect from many YouTubers; rather, though she is very well-researched, she is also full of unapologetic hot takes, and her videos are brimming with the caustic personality of a modern-day Pauline Kael.

Related: These Are the Best Marilyn Monroe Movies

In some ways, Zayd has crafted the perfect synergy between the highly-opinionated critic and the relentless deconstructionist, enthusiastically dissecting and questioning the images and media we regularly consume. She also has a distinct knack for self-awareness, gazing inward as she gazes outward, a quality which separates her content from that of many of her peers. Zayd covers such divergent subjects as the commodification of the great Marilyn Monroe, reflections of housing discrimination in 1980s horror films , and the under-appreciated legacy of Not Another Teen Movie .

For something a little less personal but no less fascinating, it is worth checking out the prolific Susannah McCullough and her channel The Take . McCullough and her extraordinary team make what are probably the best “Explained” videos you’ll be able to find, along with character breakdowns, deconstructions of tropes, and the lessons movies can teach us. They’ve got videos that deconstruct and explain Donnie Darko , The Sopranos , Get Out , and many, many more. They’ve also nerded out with full series on different franchises, including detailed character analyses in shows such as Friends and Breaking Bad .

The writing is smart but accessible, and the arguments are utterly convincing. The videos themselves are breezily edited and full of poppy visuals. The channel also covers many, many genres and types of movies, so you are sure to find something on a movie or TV show you love. The Take offers incisive film analysis in a context that is fun and completely unpretentious.

Maggie Mae Fish

Decadent, performance-driven vlogs like ContraPoints and Philosophy Tube are all the rage these days, and film buffs finally have their own version in the form of Maggie Mae Fish . Ms. Fish is a singular, idiosyncratic voice who pivots wildly from dedicated film scholar to sketch-comedy caricature and back again. She typically sits center-frame in a variety of ornately designed sets, dressed in colorful outfits, while she patiently spoons out detailed, thoughtful analysis over the course of long videos.

For any video-essay enthusiast, Fish is the real deal – wickedly entertaining, subversive, accessible, and always thought-provoking. Her recent two-video series on Twin Peaks is catnip for any fans seeking a new perspective on the show – and an excellent dressing-down of Twin Perfect’s infamous 4.5-hour breakdown. She also deconstructs auteur theory through the works of David Lynch and Stanley Kubrick, and spends two hours discussing Loki ’s debt to Andrei Tarkovsky’s Stalker .

Lindsay Ellis

When it comes to distinct personalities, no vlogger quite matches the likes of the controversial but brilliant Lindsay Ellis . She is a brand unto herself, with an over-the-top, self-deprecating style that can only be described as a hopped-up, sleep-deprived, but no less informed, Adam Curtis. She is often seen drinking wine in her videos, breaking down popular media like Disney movies, musical adaptations, and The Lord of the Rings franchise.

Ellis is one of the originals of the medium, and her work is so singular that her influence has likely extended to all the other creators who occupy this list. Some of her most brilliant work includes “The Whole Plate,” a nine-video series that completely deconstructs the first Transformers film through the lenses of gender, sexuality, and film studies. Her most iconic work includes 40-minute videos ranting about the film adaptations of Rent and The Phantom of the Opera . Due to recent Internet events, she has stopped making videos on YouTube, but her existing videos are still there for all to see and are absolutely worth checking out.

Every Frame A Painting

Sometimes the most obvious answer is still the best one. Taylor Ramos and Tony Zhou’s gorgeous video series Every Frame A Painting is still the benchmark against which all other video essayists are judged. You’ve probably seen their video on Edgar Wright and visual comedy, or the one on silence in the films of Martin Scorsese. The channel has been defunct for several years now, but the content still feels as fresh and original as it did when it was first published.

The topics covered are narrow and unexpected, but they all work extraordinarily well. The writing is tight and evocative, and Zhou’s voice is unforgettably soothing and inviting. The editing is also crisp and beautiful. Ramos and Zhou have become so renowned for their work that they were even invited to contribute to David Fincher’s Voir , a video essay project for Netflix.

The video essay boom

Hour-long YouTube videos are thriving in the TikTok era. Their popularity reflects our desire for more nuanced content online.

by Terry Nguyen

The video essay’s reintroduction into my adult life was, like many things, a side effect of the pandemic. On days when I couldn’t bring myself to read recreationally, I tried to unwind after work by watching hours and hours of YouTube.

My pseudo-intellectual superego, however, soon became dissatisfied with the brain-numbing monotony of “day in the life” vlogs, old Bon Appétit test kitchen videos, and makeup tutorials. I wanted content that was entertaining, but simultaneously informational, thoughtful, and analytical. In short, I wanted something that gave the impression thatI, the passive viewer, was smart. Enter: the video essay.

Video essays have been around for about a decade, if not more, on YouTube. There is some debate over how the form preceded the platform; some film scholars believe the video essay was born out of and remains heavily influenced by essay films , a type of nonfiction filmmaking. Regardless, YouTube has become the undisputed home of the contemporary video essay. Since 2012, when the platform began to prioritize watch-time over views , the genre flourished. These videos became a significant part of the 2010s YouTube landscape, and were popularized by creators across film, politics, and academic subcultures.

Today, there are video essays devoted to virtually any topic you can think of, ranging anywhere from about 10 minutes to upward of an hour. The video essay has been a means to entertain fan theories , explore the lore of a video game or a historical deep dive , explain or critique a social media trend , or like most written essays, expound upon an argument, hypothesis , or curiosity proposed by the creator.

Some of the best-known video essay creators — Lindsay Ellis, Natalie Wynn of ContraPoints, and Abigail Thorn of PhilosophyTube — are often associated with BreadTube , an umbrella term for a group of left-leaning, long-form YouTubers who provide intellectualized commentary on political and cultural topics.

It’s not an exaggeration to claim that I — and many of my fellow Gen Zers — were raised on video essays, academically and intellectually. They were helpful resources for late-night cramming sessions (thanks Crash Course), and responsible for introducing a generation to first-person commentary on all sorts of cultural and political phenomena. Now, the kids who grew up on this content are producing their own.

“Video essays are a form that has lent itself particularly well to pop culture because of its analytical nature,” Madeline Buxton, the culture and trends manager at YouTube, told me. “We are starting to see more creators using video essays to comment on growing trends across social media. They’re serving as sort of real-time internet historians by helping viewers understand not just what is a trend, but the larger cultural context of something.”

A lot has been said about the video essay and its ever-shifting parameters . What does seem newly relevant is how the video essay is becoming repackaged, as long-form video creators find a home on platforms besides YouTube. This has played out concurrently with the pandemic-era shift toward short-form video, with Instagram, Snapchat, and YouTube respectively launching Reels, Spotlight, and Shorts to compete against TikTok.

TikTok’s sudden, unwavering rise has proven the viability of bite-size content, and the app’s addictive nature has spawned fears about young people’s dwindling attention spans. Yet, the prevailing popularity of video essays, from new and old creators alike, suggests otherwise. Audiences have not been deterred from watching lengthy videos, nor has the short-form pivot significantly affected creators and their output. Emerging video essayists aren’t shying away from length or nuance, even while using TikTok or Reels as a supplement to grow their online following.

One can even argue that we are witnessing the video essay’s golden era . Run times are longer than ever, while more and more creators are producing long-form videos. The growth of “creator economy” crowdfunding tools, especially during the pandemic, has allowed video essayists to take longer breaks between uploads while retaining their production quality.

“I do feel some pressure to make my videos longer because my audience continues to ask for it,” said Tiffany Ferguson, a YouTube creator specializing in media criticism and pop culture commentary. “I’ve seen comments, both on my own videos and those I watch, where fans are like, ‘Yes, you’re feeding us,’ when it comes to longer videos, especially the hour to two-hour ones. In a way, the mentality seems to be: The longer the better.”

In a Medium post last April, the blogger A. Khaled remarked that viewers were “willing to indulge user-generated content that is as long as a multi-million dollar cinematic production by a major Hollywood studio” — a notion that seemed improbable just a few years ago, even to the most popular video essayists. To creators, this hunger for well-edited, long-form video is unprecedented and uniquely suitable for pandemic times.

The internet might’ve changed what we pay attention to, but it hasn’t entirely shortened our attention span, argued Jessica Maddox, an assistant professor of digital media technology at the University of Alabama. “It has made us more selective about the things we want to devote our attention to,” she told me. “People are willing to devote time to content they find interesting.”

“People are willing to devote time to content they find interesting”

Every viewer is different, of course. I find that my attention starts to wane around the 20-minute mark if I’m actively watching and doing nothing else — although I will admit to once spending a non-consecutive four hours on an epic Twin Peaks explainer . Last month, the channel Folding Ideas published a two-hour video essay on “the problem with NFTs,” which has garnered more than 6 million views so far.

Hour-plus-long videos can be hits, depending on the creator, the subject matter, the production quality, and the audience base that the content attracts. There will always be an early drop-off point with some viewers, according to Ferguson, who make it about two to five minutes into a video essay. Those numbers don’t often concern her; she trusts that her devoted subscribers will be interested enough to stick around.

“About half of my viewers watch up to the halfway point, and a smaller group finishes the entire video,” Ferguson said. “It’s just how YouTube is. If your video is longer than two minutes, I think you’re going to see that drop-off regardless if it’s for a video that’s 15 or 60 minutes long.”

Some video essayists have experimented with shorter content as a topic testing ground for longer videos or as a discovery tool to reach new audiences, whether it be on the same platform (like Shorts) or an entirely different one (like TikTok).

“Short-form video can expose people to topics or types of content they’re not super familiar with yet,” Maddox said. “Shorts are almost like a sampling of what you can get with long-form content.” The growth of Shorts, according to Buxton of YouTube, has given rise to this class of “hybrid creators,” who alternate between short- and long-form content. They can also be a starting point for new creators, who are not yet comfortable with scripting a 30-minute video.

Queline Meadows, a student in Ithaca College’s screen cultures program, became interested in how young people were using TikTok to casually talk about film, using editing techniques that borrowed heavily from video essays. She created her own YouTube video essay titled “The Rise of Film TikTok” to analyze the phenomenon, and produces both TikTok micro-essays and lengthy videos.

“I think people have a desire to understand things more deeply,” Meadows told me. “Even with TikTok, I find it hard to unfold an argument or explore multiple angles of a subject. Once people get tired of the hot takes, they want to sit with something that’s more nuanced and in-depth.”

It’s common for TikTokers to tease a multi-part video to gain followers. Many have attempted to direct viewers to their YouTube channel and other platforms for longer content. On the contrary, it’s in TikTok’s best interests to retain creators — and therefore viewers — on the app. In late February, TikTok announced plans to extend its maximum video length from three minutes to 10 minutes , more than tripling a video’s run-time possibility. This decision arrived months after TikTok’s move last July to start offering three-minute videos .

As TikTok inches into YouTube-length territory, Spotify, too, has introduced video on its platform, while YouTube has similarly signaled an interest in podcasting . In October, Spotify began introducing “video podcasts,” which allows listeners (or rather, viewers) to watch episodes. Users have the option to toggle between actively watching a podcast or traditionally listening to one.

What’s interesting about the video podcast is how Spotify is positioning it as an interchangeable, if not more intimate, alternative to a pure audio podcast. The video essay, then, appears to occupy a middle ground between podcast and traditional video by making use of these key elements. For creators, the boundaries are no longer so easy to define.

“Some video essay subcultures are more visual than others, while others are less so,” said Ferguson, who was approached by Spotify to upload her YouTube video essays onto the platform last year. “I was already in the process of trying to upload just the audio of my old videos since that’s more convenient for people to listen to and save on their podcast app. My reasoning has always been to make my content more accessible.”

To Ferguson, podcasts are a natural byproduct of the video essay. Many viewers are already consuming lengthy videos as ambient entertainment, as content to passively listen to while doing other tasks. The video essay is not a static format, and its development is heavily shaped by platforms, which play a crucial role in algorithmically determining how such content is received and promoted. Some of these changes are reflective of cultural shifts, too.

Maddox, who researches digital culture and media, has a theory that social media discourse is becoming less reactionary. She described it as a “simmering down” of the hot take, which is often associated with cancel culture . These days, more creators are approaching controversy from a removed, secondhand standpoint; they seem less interested in engendering drama for clicks. “People are still providing their opinions, but in conjunction with deep analysis,” Maddox said. “I think it says a lot about the state of the world and what holds people’s attention.”

That’s the power of the video essay. Its basic premise — whether the video is a mini-explainer or explores a 40-minute hypothesis — requires the creator to, at the very least, do their research. This often leads to personal disclaimers and summaries of alternative opinions or perspectives, which is very different from the more self-centered “reaction videos” and “story time” clickbait side of YouTube.

“The things I’m talking about are bigger than me. I recognize the limitations of my own experience,” Ferguson said. “Once I started talking about intersections of race, gender, sexuality — so many experiences that were different from my own — I couldn’t just share my own narrow, straight, white woman perspective. I have to provide context.”

This doesn’t change the solipsistic nature of the internet, but it is a positive gear shift, at least in the realm of social media discourse, that makes being chronically online a little less soul-crushing. The video essay, in a way, encourages us to engage in good faith with ideas that we might not typically entertain or think of ourselves. Video essays can’t solve the many problems of the internet (or the world, for that matter), but they can certainly make learning about them a little more bearable.

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The Best Movie Analysis YouTubers

Film buffs, here are the best film analysis YouTube channels. From video essays to commentaries on filmmaking techniques, these popular YouTube movie channels discuss screenplays, fan theories, and everything in between. What are the best film analysis channels on YouTube? 

When ranking the best movie analysis YouTubers, Every Frame a Painting is definitely at the top. Whether he is analyzing how Jackie Chan does action comedy or how David Fincher frames his shots, Every Frame's Tony Zhou consistently posts quality content on cinema. Other good YouTube movie analysis channels include Now You See It, FoundFlix, New Rockstars, The Film Theorists, and ScreenPrism.  

Vote up the best movie commentary channels on YouTube, and add your favorite film analysis YouTube channels missing from this list. 

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How to Watch and Stream 2024's First Presidential Debate on NBC

Presidents Biden and Trump will face off once again following 2020's election cycle.

Election season is officially underway as former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden face off in the first debate of the 2024 presidential election on Thursday, June 27. The eyes of the nation will be on the pair, as this rematch of the 2020 opponents could go either way. Here's how to tune in:

What time does the 2024 presidential debate come on?

Following NBC's  coverage of the Olympic trials at 8/7c , CNN will host the debate, but it will also be simulcast on NBC at 9/8c. However, Live coverage on the network starts well beforehand at 7/8c.

If you're at a computer, you will be able to watch a livestream of the event  on NBC News NOW, and see up-to-the-minute coverage from NBC .

About the new rules for the 2024 presidential debate between Biden and Trump

Dana Bash and Jake Tapper will co-moderate the 90-minute debate between Presidents Trump and Biden in Atlanta.

RELATED:  Where to Watch the U.S. Gymnastics Olympic Trials: "Got to See It to Believe It"

Two of the major changes for this debate versus the previous elections is that the microphones will be "off" by default, meaning that the candidates cannot interrupt one another, and there will be no live audience, so they won't be interrupted or encouraged by hecklers or applause, either.

Trump still hasn't announced a VP pick

Biden is once again running with current Vice President Kamala Harris, but former VP Mike Pence won't be on the ticket in November. Trump has teased that he may announce his running mate during the debate, but hasn't promised to do so. He also hinted that he may announce his pick at the Republican National Convention, which is in July, per NBC .

NBC N e ws re ported  that North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, Sen. JD Vance of Ohio and Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida are all high on the list of potential running mates, and all three are currently in Atlanta.

RELATED: Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Meyers Want to Sit in Trump's Trial A La SNL's Beavis and Butt-Head

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Watch replay: First presidential debate between Biden, Trump in 2024 election

President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump went head-to-head in the first presidential debate of 2024 on Thursday.

This marks the first time a presidential debate was held before the nominating conventions. You can watch the debate in the video player below.

More: 4 Michigan issues we're watching for in first Trump, Biden debate

What time is the presidential debate?

The first presidential debate, the "CNN Presidential Debate," took place Thursday, June 27 at 9 p.m. ET at CNN's studios in Georgia.

Where can I watch the presidential debate?

The debate aired on CNN, CNN International, CNN en Español and CNN Max. You can watch a replay in the video player above.

Where can I stream the presidential debate?

The debate streamed on CNN.com. The Detroit Free Press also streamed the debate via YouTube, in the video player above (or tap here ).

Who are the moderators for the first presidential debate between Trump and Biden?

CNN’s Jake Tapper and Dana Bash moderated the first presidential debate for 2024.

What are the rules for the CNN presidential debate?

Along with not having a studio audience, both campaigns agreed to have no interaction with campaign staff, no use of notes and not to interrupt each other during the debate, according to a release from CNN .

Microphones were muted except for that candidate's allotted time to speak.

The USA TODAY Network contributed to this report.

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WATCH: Biden and Trump debate — PBS News simulcast of CNN’s 2024 Presidential Debate

The first debate of 2024 between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump will be held Thursday in Atlanta, moderated by CNN anchors Jake Tapper and Dana Bash.

Watch in our player above.

PBS News special coverage will start with the 6 p.m. EDT News Hour broadcast, followed by digital special coverage at 8 p.m. After the debate ends, anchors Amna Nawaz and Geoff Bennett will host on-air special analysis.

Check your local listings to find the PBS station near you, or watch online here or in the player above.

READ MORE: How to watch the 1st Biden-Trump presidential debate

You can also follow PBS News coverage on YouTube , X , Facebook and TikTok , and see highlights on our Instagram .

The event is much earlier in the year than debates of the past — one of several ways it breaks with tradition. This debate will look and feel differently, thanks to new rules and conditions set by the candidates themselves, including no opening statements and a muting mechanism for the candidate who’s not supposed to be talking. Independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. failed to qualify for the CNN debate.

Find more of our coverage

• READ MORE: 3 key moments from CNN’s Biden-Trump debate
• READ MORE: At CNN debate, Biden tries to confront Trump, who responds with falsehoods
• ANALYSIS: Fact-checking the CNN Trump-Biden debate
• READ MORE: How the CNN debate could change the course of the presidential campaign
• WATCH: What happened in the first Biden-Trump debate of 2024

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Where can I watch, stream the CNN Presidential Debate? Watch it live here

Today is the first in-person CNN Presidential Debate between President Joe Biden and former  President Donald Trump and you can watch every minute right here.

You may have some 2020 deja vu today, but rest assured it is 2024. The two frontrunners for the White House are going head to head once again this year in a 90 minute debate hosted by CNN in Atlanta tonight starting at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT.

There are also some new rules in place for this debate , including no studio audience.

Here's everything you need to know ahead of the debate and where to watch for the latest information.

Debate bingo: Use our presidential debate bingo card to play during the Biden-Trump showdown

Where can I stream the CNN Presidential Debate?

The debate will be  streaming on CNN.com . USA TODAY will also stream the debate via YouTube, which takes place on Thursday, June 27, at 9 p.m. ET. Find the link  here .

ABC, NBC offer analysis of the presidential debate

ABC News, who will host  the second presidential debate  in September, will air the first debate with a pre-show and post-debate analysis. The network's coverage will be available to stream on Hulu Thursday from 7 p.m. to 12 a.m. ET.

NBC News, NBC News NOW and  NBCNews.com will also have ongoing coverage and analysis of the debate on their network and streaming platforms.

Who are the moderators for the CNN Presidential Debate between Trump and Biden?

CNN’s Jake Tapper and Dana Bash will moderate the first presidential debate for 2024, according to CNN's pressroom.

What are the rules for the CNN presidential debate?

Along with not having a studio audience, both campaigns have agreed to have no interaction with campaign staff, no use of notes and not to interrupt each other during the debate, according to a release from CNN .

Microphones will be muted except for that candidate's allotted time to speak. The moderators “will use all tools at their disposal to enforce timing and ensure a civilized discussion,” according to the network.

Will Trump announce his VP pick tonight?

In recent interviews, Trump has hinted that his potential running mate could make an appearance tonight in Georgia. But the former president has been tight-lipped on who that person may be.

Trump’s senior advisor, Brian Hughes, explained that the main qualifier for Trump’s VP pick is “a strong leader who will make a great president for eight years after his next four-year term concludes. But anyone telling you they know who or when President Trump will choose his VP is lying unless that person is named Donald J. Trump.”

When do we vote for president?

The General Election is on Tuesday, Nov. 5.

• How to watch in the US
• How to watch in the UK
• How to watch in Canada
• How to watch from anywhere
• When is the next debate?

How to watch the Presidential Debate: Live stream Biden vs. Trump free from anywhere

When you buy through our links, Business Insider may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more

The first general election presidential debate between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump airs tonight. We'll show you how to watch the presidential debate from anywhere, including free live streaming options.

The debate will be held in CNN's Atlanta, Georgia studios, a key battleground state for the two presidential candidates, and will be moderated by CNN anchors Jake Tapper and Dana Bash. Tapper and Bash are best known for co-anchoring CNN's State of the Union on Sundays. Although tonight's broadcast will be simulcast to other major news outlets, where viewers can tune in through TV or website live feeds, other networks aren't allowed to have on-air commentary or analysis during the breaks, per the terms of their simulcasting allowance.

This is the first debate that Biden and Trump have participated in since October 2020, when they last debated each other in Nashville, Tennessee, ahead of the general election that won Biden his presidency. This debate is notable for several reasons, including how early it's occurring, the lack of a live audience, and the two anticipated commercial breaks.

If you're hoping to tune in live, you've come to the right place. Keep reading to learn how to watch the Trump vs. Biden debate tonight. We've compiled live TV packages and highlighted some free options.

• See also: How to watch CNN | Where to watch House of the Dragon | Where to watch The Boys

How to watch the presidential debate in the US

The first presidential debate will air on CNN on Thursday at 9 p.m. ET in the US. If you don't have cable, there are a couple of options to explore, in addition to the free stream offered by CNN.com and CNN's YouTube channel . Max and Sling TV both carry live streams of the CNN channel. Max will be the cheaper option today, with subscriptions starting at $9.99 a month. Sling TV carries CNN and over 30 other channels for $40 a month (although you can get your first month for half-off).

Max is a premium service for fans of prestige television, iconic films, and unscripted programs. Prices start at $10 a month for ad-supported, $17 for ad-free, and $21 if you want to view in 4K.

For just the essentials without any extra fluff, Sling TV is the streaming service you're looking for. It's more customizable than other plans, with three options you can choose from, so you pay for only what you need. New members get their first month for $25 off.

CNN's coverage will also be available to other major news networks, like NBC, FOX, CBS, and ABC. However, CNN is the only channel that can have commentary and analysis during commercial breaks. If you'd rather watch the coverage on FOX, ABC, NBC, or CBS, you can try out the live TV package Fubo , which carries tons of channels (but not CNN). Subscriptions start at $79.99 a month, and new users can get a free one-week trial.

Fubo is the streaming service for sports fans. Its huge library of channels includes regional and international sports leagues, setting it apart from the competition. You can also tack on additional programming to your plan, but it'll cost you extra.

How to watch the presidential debate in the UK

The presidential debate will be available to watch on CNN Live in the UK, where subscriptions start at £1.99 a month. Viewers can also catch the debate on CNN International through Sky in the UK, where prices vary depending on the plan.

As things stand, we have not seen the debate in the free-to-air BBC News or Sky News listings for TV or live streaming. Despite the late 2 a.m. BST timing of the debate in the US, the UK is very close to its own election right now, which is dominating the news cycle around the clock.

How to watch the presidential debate in Canada

The CNN feed will be shown on CBC News Network and the CTV News Channel in Canada. You can live stream these options through CBC Gem and CTV accounts. Many Canadian cable TV packages also have CNN.

How to watch the presidential debate from anywhere

While CNN.com's live stream will only be available in certain regions like the US, CNN's YouTube channel should work in most areas. If you find that you're still unable to view these free options due to regional geo-blocking, or if you're traveling away from home and hoping to access your existing live TV subscriptions, you can keep up with everything via VPN. Short for virtual private networks, VPNs allow you to temporarily alter your device's virtual location to access your usual websites and apps from anywhere. Plus, they're solid ways to boost your online security. 

Our go-to recommendation is ExpressVPN , an easy-to-use option with a 30-day money-back guarantee. Check out our ExpressVPN review for additional details.

With its consistent performance, reliable security, and expansive global streaming features, ExpressVPN is the best VPN out there, excelling in every spec and offering many advanced features that makes it exceptional. Better yet, you can save up to 49% and get an extra three months for free today.

What time is the presidential debate?

The presidential debate starts at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT on Thursday, which will be very early Friday morning for UK viewers at 2 a.m. BST. 

How long is the presidential debate?

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The video essays that spawned an entire YouTube genre

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Polygon’s latest series, The Masterpieces of Streaming , looks at the new batch of classics that have emerged from an evolving era of entertainment.

Like every medium before it, “video essays” on YouTube had a long road of production before being taken seriously. Film was undervalued in favor of literature, TV was undervalued in favor of film, and YouTube was undervalued in favor of TV. In over 10 years of video essays, though, there are some that stand out as landmarks of the form, masterpieces to bring new audiences in.

In Polygon’s list of the best video essays of 2020 , we outlined a taxonomy of what a video essay is . But time should be given to explain what video essays have been and where they might be going.

Video essays can be broken into three eras: pre-BreadTube, the BreadTube era, and post-BreadTube. So, what the hell is BreadTube? BreadTube, sometimes also called “LeftTube,” can be defined as a core group of high production value, academically-minded YouTubers who rose to prominence at the same time.

A brief history of video essays on YouTube

On YouTube, video essays pre-BreadTube started in earnest just after something completely unrelated to YouTube: the adoption of the Common Core State Standards Initiative (or, colloquially, just the “Common Core”). The Common Core was highly political, a type of hotly-contested educational reform that hadn’t been rolled out in decades.

Meanwhile, YouTube was in one of its earliest golden eras in 2010. Four years prior, YouTube had been purchased by Google for $1.65 billion in stock, a number that is simultaneously bonkers high and bonkers low. Ad revenue for creators was flowing. Creators like PewDiePie and Shane Dawson were thriving (because time is a flat circle). With its 2012 Original Channel Initiative , Google invested $100 million, and later an additional $200 million, to both celebrity and independent creators for new, original content on YouTube in an early attempt to rival TV programming.

This was also incentivized by YouTube’s 2012 public change to their algorithm , favoring watch time over clicks.

But video essays still weren’t a major genre on YouTube until the educational turmoil and newfound funds collided, resulting in three major networks: Crash Course in 2011 and SourceFed and PBS Digital Studios in 2012.

The BreadTube Era

With Google’s AdSense making YouTube more and more profitable for some creators, production values rose, and longer videos rose in prominence in the algo. Key creators became household names, but there was a pattern: most were fairly left-leaning and white.

But in 2019, long-time YouTube creator Kat Blaque asked, “Why is ‘LeftTube’ so white?”

Blaque received massive backlash for her criticisms; however, many other nonwhite YouTubers took the opportunity to speak up. More examples include Cheyenne Lin’s “Why Is YouTube So White?” , Angie Speaks’ “Who Are Black Leftists Supposed to Be?” , and T1J’s “I’m Kinda Over This Whole ‘LeftTube’ Thing.”

Since the whiteness of video essays has been more clearly illuminated, terms like “BreadTube’’ and “LeftTube” are seldom used to describe the video essay space. Likewise, the importance of flashy production has been de-emphasized.

Post-BreadTube

Like most phenomena, BreadTube does not have a single moment one can point to as its end, but in 2020 and 2021, it became clear that the golden days of BreadTube were in the past.

And, notably, prominent BreadTube creators consistently found themselves in hot water on Twitter. If beauty YouTubers have mastered the art of the crying apology video, video essayists have begun the art of intellectualized, conceptualized, semi-apology video essays. Natalie Wynn’s “Canceling” and Lindsay Ellis’s “Mask Off” discuss the YouTubers’ experiences with backlash after some phenomenally yikes tweets. Similarly, Gita Jackson of Vice has reported on the racism of SocialismDoneLeft.

We’re now in post-BreadTube era. More Black creators, like Yhara Zayd and Khadija Mbowe, are valued as the important video essayists they are. Video essays and commentary channels are seeing more overlap, like the works of D’Angelo Wallace and Jarvis Johnson .

With a history of YouTube video essays out of the way, let’s discuss some of the best of the best, listed here in chronological order by release date, spanning all three eras of the genre. Only one video essay has been selected from each creator, and creators whose works have also been featured on our Best of 2020 list have different works selected here. If you like any of the following videos, we highly recommend checking out the creators’ backlogs; there are plenty of masterpieces in the mix.

PBS Idea Channel, “Can Dungeons & Dragons Make You A Confident & Successful Person?” (October 10, 2012)

Many of the conventions of modern video essays — a charismatic quick-talking host, eye-grabbing pop culture gifs accompanying narration, and sleek edits — began with PBS Idea Channel. Idea Channel, which ran from 2012 to 2017 and produced over 200 videos, laid many of the blueprints for video essays to come. In this episode, host Mike Rugnetta dissects the practical applications of tabletop roleplaying games like Dungeons & Dragons . The episode predates the tabletop renaissance, shepherded by Stranger Things and actual play podcasts , but gives the same level of love and appreciation the games would see in years to come.

Every Frame a Painting, “Edgar Wright - How to Do Visual Comedy” (May 26, 2014)

Like PBS Idea Channel, Every Frame a Painting was fundamental in setting the tone for video essays on YouTube. In this episode, the works of Edgar Wright (like Shaun of the Dead and Scott Pilgrim vs. The World ) are put in contrast with the trend of dialogue-based comedy films like The Hangover and Bridesmaids . The essay analyzes the lack of visual jokes in the American comedian style of comedy and shows the value of Wright’s mastery of physical comedy. The video winds up not just pointing out what makes Wright’s films so great, but also explaining the jokes in meticulous detail without ever ruining them.

Innuendo Studios, “This Is Phil Fish” (June 16, 2014)

As documented in the 2012 documentary Indie Game: The Movie and all over Twitter, game designer Phil Fish is a contentious figure, to say the least. Known for public meltdowns and abusive behavior, Phil Fish is easy to armchair diagnose, but Ian Danskin of Innuendo Studios uses this video to make something clear: We do not know Phil Fish. Before widespread discussions of parasocial relationships with online personalities, Innuendo Studios was pointing out the perils of treating semi-celebrities as anything other than strangers.

What’s So Great About That?, “Night In The Woods: Do You Always Have A Choice?” (April 20, 2017)

Player choice in video games is often emphasized as an integral facet of gameplay — but what if not having a real choice is the point? In this video, Grace Lee of What’s So Great About That? discusses how removing choice can add to a game’s narrative through the lens of sad, strange indie game Night in the Woods . What can a game with a mentally ill protagonist in a run-down post-industrial town teach us about what choices really mean, and how is a game the perfect way to depict that meaning? This video essay aims to make you see this game in a new light.

Pop Culture Detective, “Born Sexy Yesterday” (April 27, 2017)

One of the many “all killer no filler” channels on this list, Pop Culture Detective is best known as a trope namer. One of those tropes, “Born Sexy Yesterday,” encourages the audience to notice a specific, granular, but strangely prominent character trait in science fiction and fantasy: a female character who, through the conceit of the world and plot, has very little functional knowledge of the world around her, but is also a smoking hot adult. It’s sort of the reverse of the prominent anime trope of a grown woman, sometimes thousands of years old, inhabiting the body of a child. When broken down, the trope is not just a nightmare, it’s something you can’t unsee — and you start to see it everywhere .

Maggie Mae Fish, “Looking For Meaning in Tim Burton’s Movies” (April 24, 2018)

Tim Burton is an iconic example of an outsider making art for other outsiders who question and push the status quo ... right? In Maggie Mae Fish’s first video essay on her channel, she breaks down how Burton co-opts the anticapitalist aesthetics of German expressionism (most obviously, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari ) to give an outsider edge to films that consistently, aggressively enforce the status quo. If you’re a die-hard Burton fan, this one might sting, but Jack Skellington would be proud of you for seeking knowledge. Just kidding. He’d probably want you to take the aesthetic of the knowledge and put it on something completely unrelated, removing it of meaning.

hbomberguy, “CTRL+ALT+DEL | SLA:3” (April 26, 2018)

Are you looking for a video essay with a little more unhinged chaos energy? Prepare yourself for this video by Harry Brewis, aka hbomberguy, analyzing the webcomic CTRL+ALT+DEL, and ultimately, the infamous loss.jpg. But this essay’s also more than that; it’s a response to the criticisms of analyzing pop culture, saying that sometimes art isn’t that deep, or that works can exist outside of the perspective of the creator. This video is infamous for its climax, which we won’t spoil here, but go in knowing it’s, at the very least, adjacent to not safe for work.

Folding Ideas, “A Lukewarm Defence of Fifty Shades of Grey” (August 31, 2018)

Speaking of not-safe-for-work, let’s talk about kink! Dan Olson of Folding Ideas has been creating phenomenal video essays for years. Highlighting “In Search of Flat Earth” as one of the best video essays in 2020 (and, honestly, ever) gives an opportunity to discuss his other masterpieces here: his three-part series dissecting the Fifty Shades of Grey franchise. This introduction to the series discusses specifically the first film, and it does so in a way that is refreshingly kink-positive while still condemning the ways Fifty Shades has promoted extremely unsafe kink practices and dynamics. It also analyzes the first film with a shockingly fair lens, giving accolades where they’re due (that cinematography!) and ripping the film to shreds when necessary (what the hell are these characters?).

ToonrificTariq, “How To BLACK: An Analysis of Black Cartoon Characters (feat. ReviewYaLife)” (January 13, 2019)

While ToonrificTariq’s channel usually focuses on fantastic, engaging reviews of off-kilter nostalgic cartoons — think Braceface and As Told By Ginger — takes this video to explain the importance of writing Black characters in cartoons for kids, and not just one token Black friend per show. Through the lens of shows like Craig of the Creek and Proud Family , ToonrificTariq and guest co-host ReviewYaLife explain the way Black characters have been written into the boxes and how those tropes can be overcome by writers in the future. The collaboration between the two YouTubers also allows a mix of scripted, analytical content and some goofy, fun back-and-forth and riffing.

Jacob Geller, “Games, Schools, and Worlds Designed for Violence” (October 1, 2019)

Jacob Geller ( who has written for Polygon ) has this way of baking sincerity, vulnerability, and so much care into his video essays. This episode is rough, digging into what level design in war games can tell us about the architecture of American schools following the tragic Sandy Hook shooting in 2012. It’s a video essay about video games, about violence, about safety, and about childhood. It’s a video essay about what we prioritize and how, and what that priority can look like. It’s a video essay that will leave you with deep contemplation, but a hungry contemplation, a need to learn and observe more.

Accented Cinema, “Parasite: Mastering the Basics of Cinema” (November 7, 2019)

2019 Bong Joon-ho cinematic masterpiece Parasite is filled to the brim with things to analyze, but Yang Zhang of Accented Cinema takes his discussion back to the basics. Focusing on how the film uses camera positions, light, and lines, the essay shows the mastery of details many viewers might not have noticed on first watch. But once you do notice them, they’re extremely, almost comically overt, while still being incredibly effective. The way the video conveys these ideas is simple, straightforward, and accessible while still illuminating so much about the film and remaining engaging and fun to watch. Accented Cinema turns this video into a 101 film studies crash course, showing how mastery of the basics can make a film such a standout.

Kat Blaque, “So... Let’s Talk About JK Rowling’s Tweet” (December 23, 2019)

In 2020, J. K. Rowling wrote her most infamous tweet about trans people, exemplifying a debate about trans rights and identities that is still becoming more and more intense today. Rowling’s tweet was not the first, or the most important, or even her first — but it was one of the tweets about the issue that gained the most attention. Kat Blaque’s video essay on the tweet isn’t really about the tweet itself. Instead, it’s a masterful course in transphobia, TERFs, and how people hide their prejudice against trans people in progressive language. In an especially memorable passage, Blaque breaks down the tweet, line by line, phrase by phrase, explaining how each of them convey a different aspect of transphobia.

Philosophy Tube, “Data” (January 31, 2020)

One of the most underrated essays in Philosophy Tube’s catalogue, “Data” explains the importance of data privacy. Data privacy is often easily written off; “I have nothing to hide,” and “It makes my ads better,” are both given as defenses against the importance of data privacy. In this essay, though, creator Abigail Thorn breaks traditional essay form to depict an almost Plato-like philosophical dialogue between two characters: a bar patron and the bar’s bouncer. It’s also somewhat of a choose-your-own-adventure game, a post- Bandersnatch improvement upon the Bandersnatch concept.

Intelexual Media, “A Short History of American Celebrity” (February 13, 2020)

Historian Elexus Jionde of Intelexual Media has one of the strongest and sharpest analytical voices when discussing celebrity, from gossip to idolization to the celebrity industrial complex to stan culture . Her history of American celebrity is filled to the brim with information, fact following fact at a pace that’s breakneck without ever leaving the audience behind. While the video initially seems like just a history, there’s a thesis baked into the content about what celebrity is, how it got to where it is today, and where it might be going—and what all of that means about the rest of us.

Princess Weekes, “Empire and Imperialism in Children’s Cartoons—a super light topic” (June 22, 2020)

This video by Princess Weekes (Melina Pendulum) starts with a bang — a quick, goofy song followed by a steep dive into imperialization and its effect on intergenerational trauma. And then, it connects those concepts to much-beloved cartoons for kids like Avatar: The Last Airbender , Steven Universe , and She-Ra and the Princesses of Power . Fans of shows like these may be burnt out on fandom discourse quickly saying, “thing bad!” because of how they view its stance on imperialization. Weekes, however, has always favored nuance and close reading. Her take on imperialization in cartoons offers a more complex method of analyzing these shows, and the cartoons that will certainly drum up the same conversations in the future.

Yhara Zayd, “Holes & The Prison-Industrial Complex” (July 7, 2020)

2003’s Holes absolutely rules, and Yhara Zayd’s video essay on the film shows why it isn’t just a fun classic with memorable characters. It’s also way, way more complex than most of us might remember. Like Dan Olson, Yhara Zayd appeared on our list of the best video essays of 2020, but frankly, any one of her videos could belong there or here. What makes this analysis of Holes stand out is the meticulous attention to detail Zayd has in her analysis, revealing the threads that connect the film’s commentary across its multiple interwoven plotlines. And, of course, there’s Zayd’s trademark quiet passion for the work she’s discussing, making this essay just as much of a close reading as it is a love letter to the film.

D’Angelo Wallace, “The Disappearance of Blaire White” (November 2, 2020)

D’Angelo Wallace is best known as a commentary YouTuber, someone who makes videos reacting to current events, pop culture, and, of course, other YouTubers. With his hour-long essay on YouTuber Blaire White, though, that commentary took a sharp turn into cultural analysis and introspection. For those unfamiliar with White’s work, she was once a prominent trans YouTuber known for her somewhat right-wing politics, including her discussion of other trans people. In Wallace’s video, her career is outlined — but so is the effect she had on her viewers. What is it about creators like White that makes them compelling? And what does it take for us to reevaluate what they’ve been saying?

Chromalore, “The Last Unicorn: Death and the Legacy of Fantasy” (December 3, 2020)

Chromalore is a baffling internet presence. With one video essay up, one single tweet, and a Twitter bio that simply reads, “just one (1) video essay, as a treat,” this channel feels like the analysis equivalent of seeing someone absolutely captivating at a party who you know you’ll never see again, and who you know you’ll never forget.

This video essay discusses themes of death, memory, identity, remorse, and humanity as seen through both the film and the novel The Last Unicorn . It weaves together art history and music, Christian iconography and anime-inspired character designs. It talks about why this film is so beloved and the effect it’s had on audiences today. It’s moving, deeply researched, brilliantly executed, and we will probably never see this creator again.

Khadija Mbowe, “Digital Blackface?” (December 23, 2020)

“Digital Blackface” is a term popularized by Lauren Michele Jackson’s 2017 Teen Vogue essay, “We Need to Talk About Digital Blackface in Reaction GIFs.” The piece explains the prominence of white people using the images of Black people without context to convey a reaction, and Khadija Mbowe’s deep dive on the subject expands on how, and why, blackface tropes have evolved in the digital sphere. Mbowe’s essay involves a great deal of history and analysis, all of which is deeply uncomfortable. Consider this a content warning for depictions of racism throughout the video. But that discomfort is key to explaining why digital blackface is such a problem and how nonblack people, especially white people, can be more cognizant about how they depict their reactions online.

CJ the X, “No Face Is An Incel” (April 4, 2021)

Rounding out this list is a 2021 newcomer to video essays with an endlessly enjoyable gremlin energy that still winds up being some of the smartest, sharpest, and funniest discussions about pop culture. CJ the X, a human sableye , breaks down one of the most iconic and merch-ified Studio Ghibli characters, No Face, who is an incel. This is a video essay best experienced with no knowledge except its main thesis—that No Face is an incel—so you can sit back, be beguiled, be enraptured, and then be convinced.

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The Masterpieces of Streaming

LIVE UPDATES

Presidential debate live updates: the Biden-Trump faceoff is over, but the wider debate is just beginning

This live blog is no longer being updated. The NPR Politics Podcast will be out with a new episode overnight. For more post-debate updates and analysis on Friday morning, check back on NPR.org, tune into NPR’s Morning Edition and subscribe to NPR’s Up First and Politics newsletters . 

Trump and Biden faced off in the first presidential debate of the 2024 election with new rules, high stakes and no live audience. The candidates traded insults, went down tangents and argued about golf .

Both candidates had shaky moments — Trump repeatedly dodged committing to accepting the election results , while Biden’s raspy voice and sometimes rambling answers likely did little to assuage critics’ concerns about his age.

• Immigration , the economy and foreign policy dominated the 90-minute debate. Other key topics, like abortion , young voters and climate change , got much less airtime.
• Interruptions were relatively few, thanks to the new rules around muting candidates’ mics . But moderators did little to fact check or follow up on what was said. 
• The insults got personal: Each candidate called the other the worst president in history. Trump insulted Biden’s cognitive abilities and golf game, while Biden went after his weight and appearance. 
• Trump’s campaign immediately declared victory , while the Biden campaign focused on substance over style. Biden himself gave a more upbeat report at a campaign event right after the debate. 
• The first debate may be over, but the political calendar is still chock-full for the summer .

The live blog is closing down, but NPR's coverage will continue bright and early

By Rachel Treisman

This live blog is wrapping up, but we'll have plenty more post-debate coverage and analysis for you early birds in the hours ahead — from a new overnight episode of the NPR Politics Podcast to Morning Edition to takeaways on NPR.org

Thanks for sticking with us, and see you back here soon!

NPR Special Coverage: Abortion a miss for both candidates

By Clayton Kincade

The issue of abortion was expected to be a big win of the night for President Biden, but neither candidate made cohesive arguments about their policy stances. NPR’s Steve Inskeep said that this portion of the debate was hard to follow, as each candidate failed to push forward their views in an appropriate manner.

NPR’s Elissa Nadworny said that Biden looked "uncomfortable” when talking about abortion, mentioning his stumbles when Trump asked him about his stance on late-term abortions. Nadworny attributed this fault to the fact that the issue has been more closely tied to Vice President Kamala Harris during his presidency, who has frequently spoken on the issue in recent months.

NPR’s Deepa Shivaram also noted that Biden did not mention Trump's relation to Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization , which overturned Roe v. Wade . Trump has campaigned on the Dobbs decision during this election cycle and takes credit for appointing three conservative-leaning justices to the court.

On the other hand, Trump repeated false claims about abortion and seemed hesitant to tie himself to the current Supreme Court.

Trump claimed that doctors have adopted the widespread practice of executing babies born alive after a failed abortion, but Nadworny said that it has only happened 143 times in 12 years, according to CDC data.

NPR Special Coverage: One of Biden's biggest vulnerabilities on full display — his age

By Jeongyoon Han

While Biden seemed to gain more energy throughout the course of the debate, one of Biden's biggest weaknesses with voters — his age — did not do him any favors tonight.

"He wasn't able to parry the attacks from former President Trump in the way that he would want to, wasn't able to deliver the attacks back on him to be able to pivot," NPR's Domenico Montanaro told host Steve Inskeep.

"There have to be a lot of Democrats wondering what it would be like to have a different candidate on that stage," Montanaro said.

White House correspondent Deepa Shivaram added that Biden's performance tonight stood in stark contrast to his State of the Union delivery.

"That's not really the Biden we saw tonight," Shivaram said.

Shivaram noted Biden was slower to respond to Trump and missed key opportunities to go on the offensive.

"He didn't really have the bandwidth to respond on the issues that he really needed to hammer home," she added, including on abortion, the economy, and democracy.

Biden gives supporters an upbeat recap after the debate

By Barbara Sprunt

Tamara Keith

Immediately after the debate, Biden made a stop at a nearby hotel ballroom where a few hundred supporters had watched his performance.

Entering the room to chants of “four more years,” Biden — more energetic than he had been on the debate stage — gave brief remarks.

"Look, folks: what's going to happen over the next couple of days is they're going to be out there fact-checking all the things he said. I can't think of one thing he said that was true," he said, referring to Trump.

"We're going to beat this guy. We need to beat this guy," he said.

Biden campaign focuses on substance of debate, sidestepping the performance problems

By Tamara Keith

After the debate, the Biden campaign didn't send out a statement instantly declaring victory, as Trump's did.

Given Biden’s cold-weakened voice, stumbles and at-times halting answers, the Biden campaign emphasized substance rather than style.

The campaign pointed to the fact that Trump refused to say he would accept the election results if he loses, his January 6th denialism and his promise of retribution for his political enemies.

“Trump’s performance tonight reminded the American people why they fired him four years ago, and reinforced just how high the stakes are this November for the future of our country,” said top campaign adviser Jen O’Malley Dillon.

But none of that stopped a full-fledged freak-out from Democrats who had been hoping to see a better performance from the president.

Speaking on CNN, Kate Bedingfield, a long-time Biden aide now working for the network, described Biden’s debate performance as “disappointing.”

“His biggest issue was to prove to the American people that he had the energy, the stamina — and he didn’t do that,” said Bedingfield.

But another Biden campaign official posted that despite it all, the president was having a record fundraising day.

Twitter: Doing twitter stuff. Biden supporters: Doing the work, powering us to our best grassroots fundraising day of the cycle by far. — Rob Flaherty (@Rob_Flaherty) June 28, 2024

Missing from the debate? A mention of young voters

By Elena Moore

President Biden has been struggling in the polls with younger voters — a key group that overwhelmingly backed him four years ago and one he is counting on again this year.

The president did not directly address young voters during the debate. However, he did mention his newly unveiled Climate Corps jobs and training program — which plans to offer thousands of climate and conservation jobs for young Americans.

Former President Donald Trump also did not address young Americans — but his campaign is not relying on massive youth support in the same way, given that younger voters typically vote for Democrats.

Trump's campaign is already declaring victory

Moments after the debate wrapped, the Trump campaign sent an email to supporters touting his "historic debate victory."

Co-campaign managers Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles said Trump delivered "the greatest debate performance and victory in history to the largest voter audience in history, making clear exactly how he will improve the lives of every American."

In contrast, they said, Biden "showed exactly why he deserves to be fired."

"Despite taking a week-long vacation at Camp David to prepare for the debate, Biden was unable to defend his disastrous record on the economy and the border," they added, accusing him of lying, inventing stories and not articulating "a single plan to make things less expensive and keep our people safe."

The debate had shaky moments for both candidates. Trump made outsized claims and again refused to commit to accepting the election results regardless of the winner, while Biden's visible stumbles likely did little to assuage critics' concerns about his age and mental fitness.

There's a lot on the political calendar before the next debate. See key dates here

Trump will likely announce his pick for vice president in the coming weeks. There will also be a vice presidential debate this summer. The date has not been finalized, but Vice President Harris agreed to one held either July 23 or Aug. 13.

On the legal front, Trump will appear for sentencing in his criminal trial on July 11, just days before the Republican National Convention, which begins on July 15 in Milwaukee. A month later, the Democratic National Convention will kick off on Aug. 19 in Chicago.

Trump and Biden will debate a second time on Sept. 10.

Fact check on addiction and the opioid crisis

By Brian Mann

CNN's Jake Tapper asked both candidates about the addiction and overdose crisis that worsened under the Trump and Biden administrations. More than 100,000 people in the U.S. are dying every year of drug overdoses.

“We were doing very well on addiction until the COVID came along,” Trump said during the debate. “We had two and a half, almost three years of like nobody’s ever had before any country in every way.”

In fact, drug deaths rose during the first two years of Trump’s term, declined slightly and then surged again during COVID.

The increase in fatal overdoses accelerated sharply during Biden’s first term. Public health experts blame the rise on the pandemic and on the spread of street fentanyl.

Biden answered the question by arguing that a bipartisan border deal opposed by Trump would have paid for better security and new high-tech surveillance equipment designed to detect smuggled fentanyl.

“I want to make sure we use the machinery that can detect fentanyl,” Biden said. “We need those machines.”

Critics have been skeptical of Biden’s border plan, saying it’s unlikely that it would significantly slow fentanyl trafficking into the U.S.

Debate moderators let whoppers and insults fly

At the start of the debate, CNN's Jake Tapper described how he and co-moderator Dana Bash would be approaching their roles: “Our job is to facilitate a debate between the two candidates tonight,” he said.

Throughout the debate, Bash and Tapper mainly opted not to follow up or fact-check, sticking to the allotted times and often moving on to another topic. Biden struggled with this format, while Trump often filled his speaking time with wide-ranging comments and accusations that were unrelated to the question he had been asked.

Whoppers and insults were often followed with a pause of the mics being cut and a “thank you, next question.”

Finally, 90 minutes into the debate, Bash followed up three times when Trump failed to answer a question about whether he would accept the results of the election in November, something he refused to do four years ago. Trump never did fully commit to accepting the 2024 election results.

Heading into the debate, CNN political director David Chalian told AP that fact-checking wasn’t the role of the moderators.

“They are not here to participate in this debate,” Chalian said. “They are here to facilitate a debate between Trump and Biden.”

The debate is done, but NPR's coverage is not

The debate is over, after much anticipation and 90 minutes of back and forth.

But our coverage is still going strong. Tune into NPR — online, on your local station or on the NPR app — for analysis from our political reporters until 11 p.m. ET. Click here to listen .

Trump says he'd be enjoying himself if Biden 'was a great president'

Towards the end of the debate, Trump suggested multiple times that he didn't necessarily want to be onstage — or in the presidential race at all.

Instead of answering the first (of three) questions about whether he would accept the election results regardless of the winner, Trump at one point returned to the topic of Biden.

"I'll tell you something, I wish he was a great president, because I wouldn't be here right now," he said. "I'd be at one of my many places, enjoying myself. I wouldn't be under indictment because I wouldn't have been his political ... opponent, because he indicted me, because I was his opponent."

He continued along those lines, adding at one point, "I would rather have that I wouldn't be here. I don't mind being here. The only reason I'm here is he's so bad at president."

Several minutes later, Trump — still dodging the election question — doubled down on that point.

"I wasn't really going to run until I saw the horrible job he did. He's destroying our country," he said. "I would be very happy to be someplace else, in a nice location."

Debate briefly derailed by golf as candidates spar over age

Age is one of the biggest issues in this campaign, with the oldest-ever president (Biden, 81) squaring off against the second-oldest (Trump, 78.)

Asked about his age, Trump bragged that he passed two cognitive tests and had recently won golf tournaments.

"To do that, you have to be quite smart, and you have to be able to hit the ball a long way," he said. Trump claimed that Biden "can't hit a ball 50 yards."

Biden quickly replied, "Take a look at what he is," a dig at Trump's weight and appearance.

Biden said he'd be willing to play golf against Trump, and bragged about the impressive golf handicap he had when he was vice president.

"I'd be happy to have a driving contest with him," Biden said.

Trump avoids committing to accepting the election results

Addressing one of voters' primary concerns about Trump, Bash asked him to pledge tonight "that once all legal challenges have been exhausted, that you will accept the results of this election, regardless of who wins, and you will say right now that political violence in any form is unacceptable?"

Trump didn't exactly do so.

"Well, I shouldn't have to say that," he said. "But of course, I believe that it's totally unacceptable. And if you would see my statements that I made on Twitter at the time, and also my statement that I made in the Rose Garden, you would say it's one of the strongest statements you've ever seen, in addition to the speech I made in front of, I believe, the largest crowd I've ever spoken to."

Trump then went on a tangent about Jan. 6 and foreign policy, before Bash returned with a follow up: Would he accept the election results regardless of the winner?

"Just to finish what I said, If I might, Russia, they took a lot of land from Bush," Trump answered. "They took a lot of land from Obama and Biden. They took no land, nothing from Trump, nothing."

Bash tried a third time: "The question was, will you accept the results of the election, regardless of who wins? Yes or No."

Trump answered with remarks similar to those he made on the debate stage in 2020 — before he was charged with working to overturn the election results and trying to stop the peaceful transfer of power.

"If it's a fair and legal and good election, absolutely," he said. "I would have much rather accepted these, but the fraud and everything else was ridiculous, and if you want, we'll have a news conference on it in a week, or we'll have another one of these on in a week. But I will absolutely, there's nothing I'd rather do."

What will the candidates do to slow the climate crisis?

By Ximena Bustillo

Neither candidate had direct answers to how they plan to slow the climate crisis in their second terms.

Trump boasted having the “best environmental numbers ever,” after at first avoiding the question. But Trump has a history of casting doubt on the scientific consensus that burning fossil fuels is the main cause of climate change.

“I want absolutely immaculate clean water, and I want absolutely clean air. And we had it,” Trump said. Still, Trump has campaigned on the promise to “drill, baby, drill” and ending various energy efficiency and rescinding foreign and domestic climate policies .

Biden used the question to boast about passing the “most extensive climate change legislation in history,” referencing the Inflation Reduction Act — which Trump and various Republicans have vowed to repeal — and criticizing Trump for pulling the U.S. out of the Paris Climate Accord, a decision Trump still stands by.

Biden directly addresses concerns about his age

When asked about voters' concerns about his age, Biden — who would be 86 at the end of his second term — said he spent half his career as the "youngest person in politics."

Biden was 29 when he was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 1972, making him the seventh-youngest person ever elected to be senator. "Now I'm the oldest," Biden said.

"This guy's three years younger and a lot less competent," Biden added.

One more commercial break and then it's almost over

We're now in the final commercial break, with minutes left in the debate.

Trump denies his Charlottesville, Va., comments 

About 40 minutes into the debate, Biden reiterated that he decided to run for president in 2020 in part because of former Trump’s response to the deadly violence at the 2017 white supremacist rally in Charlottesville.

Trump said at the time that there were “very fine people on both sides,” and Biden has likened that comment to Trump siding with white supremacists.

"What American president would ever say, Nazis coming out of fields, carrying torches, singing the same antisemitic bile, carrying swastikas, are fine people?" Biden said during the debate.

Trump, in response, argued that Biden "made up the Charlottesville story.”

Though Trump did not link the “fine people” to white supremacists, he did, in fact, say the statement.

Below is a quote from Trump’s press conference after the rally and subsequent violence between demonstrators and counter-protesters.

TRUMP: You had some very bad people in that group. But you also had people that were very fine people on both sides. You had people in that group, excuse me, excuse me, I saw the same pictures as you did. You had people in that group that were there to protest the taking down of, to them, a very, very important statue and the renaming of a park, from Robert E. Lee to another name.

Trump attacks Biden for not 'draining the swamp'

Trump claimed that Biden has not fired “enough” people as president, bragging about his own layered history of firing senior officials while as president.

Trump is notorious for running on the catchphrase of “draining the swamp” in 2016, which refers to the idea that Washington is inherently corrupt . Trump fired many officials during his time as president, such as terminating former Secretary of Defense Mark Esper and former Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman, who served on the National Security Council.

Trump also said that Biden “hasn’t fired anybody,” which is false. Biden fired former Architect of the Capitol J. Brett Blanton after bipartisan criticism that Blanton wasted taxpayer money, among other complaints.

Who are you calling the worst president in history?

Each candidate has now called the other "the worst president in history."

Trump has made the claim twice, both in the context of Biden's stance on immigration. Biden fired back later, saying "159 presidential scholars voted him the worst president in the history of United States of America."

He was mostly right, off by just a few numbers: As NPR reported back in February , 154 historians and presidential experts ranked Trump dead last of all U.S. presidents.

The 2024 edition of the Presidential Greatness Project Expert Survey has Biden in 14th place, just ahead of Woodrow Wilson and Ronald Reagan. Trump comes in 45th, behind fellow impeachee Andrew Johnson and James Buchanan, the perennial cellar-dweller in such ratings due to his pre-Civil War leadership.

Biden doubled down later, though he said "don't hold me to the exact number."

"They've had meetings, and they voted who was the worst president in American history," he added. "They said he was the worst in all of American history. That's a fact. That's not conjecture."

Trump shot back that "we have other things that they rate him the worst, because what he's done is so bad." Despite his muted mic, Biden can be seen — and heard slightly on Trump's mic — saying "show me."

Trump continued on that he was actually rated "one of the best," and said "if I'm given another four years, I will be the best."

Trump namedrops one VP contender: Tim Scott

While the moderators asked Trump what he would do about climate change, Trump pivoted back to the topic of Black voters and criminal justice to respond to Biden's answer on Black Americans.

In answering the question, Trump commended South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott for implementing opportunity zones in the state as an economic development initiative.

"Tim Scott was incredible. He did a great job. Great senator from South Carolina," Trump said of Scott.

Scott ran for the 2024 Republican nomination before dropping out in January. In recent weeks, he was one of eight people Trump requested financial documents from as he decides who his running mate will be. Scott has ardently supported Trump in his bid for the presidency and made numerous TV appearances to defend Trump's record.

Trump's criminal conviction and alleged affair

Trump was convicted of 34 felony counts — but he still says he did nothing wrong.

In May, Trump became the first former or sitting president to both be tried on criminal charges and to be found guilty. A 12-person New York jury convicted Trump of 34 counts of falsified business records.

Still, Trump has long argued without evidence that the trial, the prosecution and the verdict was politically motivated against him.

“We have a system that was rigged and disgusting. I did nothing wrong,” Trump said during the CNN presidential debate.

In a letter to Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), the Justice Department said it found no emails about the Trump probe between Justice Department leadership and the Manhattan District Attorney’s office who prosecuted him. The letter underscored that the District Attorney’s office is a separate entity from the DOJ.

Biden argued that Trump has also received multiple civil penalties — citing other New York trials Trump has been found liable in. These included when Trump was found liable of sexually assaulting columnist E. Jean Carroll. Biden also accused Trump of having the “morals of an alley cat” for allegedly having an affair with adult film star Stormy Daniels.

Trump denied the alleged affair, which was at the center of the criminal conviction. The falsified business records were the invoices, ledgers and checks used to pay his former lawyer Michael Cohen for originally paying Daniels to keep quiet about the alleged affair as Trump ran for president in 2016.

Here's what recent polling shows about Black voters' preferences

When asked about the climate crisis, Trump swiftly pivoted to other topics: police, criminal justice and Black voter support.

He said he has "the best numbers with them in maybe ever," based on his work in criminal justice and Historically Black Colleges and Universities. And he said the opposite of Biden: "He's lost much of the Black population because he's done a horrible job for Black people."

Black voters were critical to Biden's win in 2020. He has intensified his push to court them in recent months, with signs that support from people of color may be dropping this time around.

A Pew Research Center survey released last month shows early signs of where Black voters stand:

Black voters remain largely aligned with the Democratic Party (83% identify with or lean to the Democrats), and 77% of Black registered voters say they would prefer to vote for Biden over Trump in 2024.

Black voters are simultaneously critical of Trump, with 72% believing he was a poor or terrible president.

Even so, 49% of Black voters ay they would replace both Biden and Trump with different candidates if they had the ability to decide, which Pew notes is similar to the share of all voters who say this.

No, the Southwest border is not open

By Sergio Martínez-Beltrán

Trump has accused Biden of opening the U.S. borders to unauthorized migrants.

“He decided to open up our border, open up our country,” Trump said tonight.

While it is true that under President Biden unauthorized crossings hit an all-time high and, at times, the number of migrants overwhelmed certain border communities, the border is not open.

In fact, the border is arguably more reinforced than ever.

The federal government has added more sections of the U.S. Southern border walls, and there have been more military operations at the border. Biden has also severely restricted asylum claims between ports of entry, blocking most unauthorized migrants from attaining asylum.

The administration has also increased the number of expedited removals.

Biden has tried to work with Congress to overhaul the immigration system, but a majority of Republican lawmakers have not advanced the proposals.

And now back to the action

The first of two commercial breaks has ended. Over the next 30+ minutes we're expecting more questions, answers and closing statements.

It's time for a commercial break

We're now in a commercial break, the first of two planned for the evening. It's not clear when the next one will be, but the debate is slated to end at 10:30 p.m. EST.

Some of the topics covered so far include the economy, immigration, abortion and democracy. Stay tuned for more.

Biden asks Trump to disavow the Proud Boys, again

While talking about democracy and Jan. 6, Biden asked Trump point blank to denounce the Proud Boys — in a flashback to their first presidential debate in 2020 .

At that debate, moderator Chris Wallace asked whether Trump would denounce white supremacists, and Trump asked for a name. Both Wallace and Biden suggested the Proud Boys.

“Proud Boys, stand back and stand by,” Trump said, in what sounded more like a call to action, and quickly became part of the far-right extremist group’s new social media logo .

Biden recalled that moment onstage tonight, as Trump visibly rolled his eyes. Then Biden addressed him directly.

"Will you denounce these guys?" he asked, a few times.

Trump seemed momentarily at a loss for words. The moderators jumped in to change the subject, asking Trump instead about comments he made recently about going after his political opponents.

Trump falsely accuses Biden of orchestrating his prosecutions

By Shannon Bond

Asked about Trump supporters’ attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, Trump accused Biden of weaponizing the government to persecute a political opponent.

Trump and his supporters have repeatedly accused Biden of orchestrating his prosecutions.

That includes the false claim that the president was behind Trump’s historic conviction in New York on 34 counts of falsifying business records to influence the outcome of the 2016 presidential election. That case was brought by New York Attorney General Letitia James, who is an official of New York state, not the federal government .

Biden and Trump spar over 'suckers and losers' comment

Biden used a recent trip he made to the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery in France to call Trump a loser.

More than 2,200 Marines who died in the World War I battle at Bellau Wood in France are buried at Aisne-Marne. Trump was supposed to visit the cemetery in 2018, but bailed on the stop when rain prevented him from taking Marine One.

The White House at the time explained that it would have taken too long to motorcade. But it was later reported in the Atlantic and confirmed on the record by Trump’s then chief of staff that he didn’t want to go and described the war dead as “suckers” and “losers.”

Biden recounted this, landing the line: “You're the sucker. You're the loser.” Loser is an insult Biden has increasingly hurled at Trump. Trump said it was a “made up quote” published in a “third rate magazine that’s failing.”

Trump says he'll end the Russia-Ukraine war before he even takes office

Trump, like many Republicans , expressed discontent with how much money the U.S. is spending to support Ukraine defending itself against Russia.

Then he went a step further, saying he would be able to end the war himself.

"I will have that war settled between Putin and Zelenskyy as president-elect before I take office on January 20," Trump said. "I'll have that war settled. People being killed so needlessly, so stupidly, and I will get it settled. And I'll get it settled fast before I take office."

Trump has said before that he would end the conflict, but has not elaborated because, as he's put it, he doesn't want to reveal his hand before negotiations.

Trump blames Biden for enabling foreign wars, which Biden calls 'malarkey'

Trump blamed Biden for the wars in Europe and the Middle East, saying the U.S.' chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021 encouraged Russian President Vladimir Putin to invade Russia.

Thirteen U.S. service members and roughly 170 Afghan civilians were killed in the withdrawal, widely considered a low point in Biden's presidency. It was planned and announced by Trump before he left office, and the Biden administration officially blames the " conditions created by [Biden's] predecessor " for how it went.

Trump continued laying into Biden, at one point saying "the whole world is blowing up under him."

"The difference is he never would have invaded Ukraine, never, just like Israel would have never been invaded in a million years by Hamas," Trump said.

Biden, in response, said "I've never heard so much malarkey in my whole life."

Unauthorized crossings hit all-time high under Biden tenure. The numbers have also gone down

Immigration has been a big point of debate tonight for Trump and Biden.

Under President Biden’s tenure, unauthorized crossing hit a record-high. But over the last few months, Biden has implemented a handful of policies aimed at reducing the number of crossings, and asylum claims, at the Southern border.

One June 4, Biden severely restricted asylum, making it really difficult for migrants to successfully claim fear of persecution if turned back to their home countries.

The Biden administration has said that since the policy went into effect, there has been a 40% decrease in unauthorized crossings . But that’s not surprising — historically, these policies deter migrants for a short period of time. Eventually the numbers tend to go up.

Why Biden's voice is so raspy

President Biden’s voice is noticeably hoarse in tonight’s debate — the result of a cold, according to a source who spoke on condition of anonymity.

But a raspy voice is something that has vexed Biden throughout his presidency, particularly at the beginning of remarks, when he often has to clear his throat multiple times.

During his first year in office, Biden’s physician, Dr. Kevin O’Connor did an extensive work-up of what he described as the “increasing frequency and severity of ‘throat clearing’ and coughing during speaking engagements.”

He concluded , in consultation with multiple specialists, that the throat clearing was caused by gastrointestinal reflux.

Trump accuses Biden of opening the Southern border to migrants who commit crimes. Data shows otherwise

Throughout his reelection campaign, Trump has said that Biden has allowed criminals to come into the U.S. without authorization.

“They are killing our citizens at a level that we’ve never seen before,” Trump said tonight.

Republicans have been saying the same, particularly after two Venezuelan immigrants were charged with capital murder for killing a 12-year-old girl.

But data from Northwestern University shows immigrants are less likely to commit crimes than U.S. born people .

The muted mics were a big question heading into the debate. They seem to be working

We're more than 30 minutes into the debate, and both Trump and Biden's mics were muted at least once. Both have visibly talked over their allotted without being heard by the viewing public.

How immigration helps grow the economy

By Scott Horsley

Increased immigration – both legal and illegal – has helped to grow the labor force in recent years, allowing employers to keep adding jobs at a rapid clip without putting too much upward pressure on prices.

Over the last 12 months, for example, the foreign-born workforce has grown by 740,000 while the native-born workforce added just 134,000 people.

Trump jumps from topic to topic in answering question about the economy

Trump delivered an assortment of statements on several issues to the singular question, "Why does Trump believe top earners and corporations should pay even less in taxes than they do now?"

In answering the original question, Trump stated that tax cuts he implemented boosted the economy. But then he pivoted, stating that Biden implemented a COVID-19 vaccine mandate that was highly unpopular. He also alleged that Biden was bringing "illegal immigrants" into the country and that Biden has been weaponizing the electoral process to his own political benefit.

Medication abortions more than half of all abortions in U.S.

By Elissa Nadworny

Medication abortions make up more than half of all abortions in the U.S. Telehealth, where people can get abortion pills by mail, is a big factor in the fact that the number of abortions in the US has gone up nationwide , despite many state bans.

Earlier this month, the U.S. Supreme Court tossed out a challenge to the FDA’s rules for prescribing and dispensing abortion pills .

But lawyers who brought that case say they're working on strategies to bring additional legal challenges.

Biden appears to lose his train of thought

Early in the debate, Biden appeared to lose his train of thought while answering a question about tax cuts.

He accused Trump of implementing tax cuts to benefit the wealthy, and pledged he would fix the tax system by making them pay more. Then he stumbled, paused and trailed off.

"We'd be able to help make sure that all those things we need to do, child care, elder care, making sure that we continue to strengthen our health care system, making sure that we're able to make every single solitary person eligible for what I've been able to do with the COVID, excuse me, with dealing with everything we have to do with look, if we finally beat Medicare," he said.

Critics have often held up Biden's public pauses and gaffes to argue that the 81-year-old is too old for the job. His performance tonight is being closely watched by those eager to jump on his stumbles.

Fact-checking Trump's abortion claims

Trump has accused doctors of executing babies who are born alive after a failed abortion attempt many times.

Federal data suggests that very few U.S. babies are born alive as a result of a failed abortion. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recorded 143 deaths during a 12 year period ending in 2014 involving infants born alive during attempted abortions.

The majority of abortions in the U.S. happen in the first trimester (first 12 weeks of pregnancy). Only about 1.3% take place after 21 weeks, according to the CDC , and many are not viable or may endanger the mother.

Here's how long each candidate has to answer questions

Each candidate has two minutes to answer a question, plus one minute for responses and rebuttals. They may also get an additional minute for clarifications, at the discretion of the moderators.

At the end, each will have two minutes for closing statements. Trump will go last, as determined by a coin flip ahead of time — Biden won and chose his podium placement instead (on the right-hand side) of the viewers.

Biden and Trump disagree about extending 2017 tax cuts

According to the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center , more than half the savings from the 2017 tax cut went to the top 10% of earners, and more than a quarter went to the top 1%.

Large parts of the 2017 tax cut are due to expire next year. Trump has proposed extending all of them, and while also calling for additional, unspecified tax cuts.

Biden has proposed extending the tax cuts for everyone making less than $400,000 a year (97% of the population) while raising taxes on corporations and the wealthy.

Under Biden, the IRS has also beefed up tax enforcement to ensure that wealthier people and businesses pay what they owe. GOP lawmakers have criticized that effort, and it would likely be reversed in a second Trump administration.

First question at the debate: inflation

The debate kicked off with a question about why prices are so high — one of voters' top concerns.

Inflation soared to a four-decade high of 9.1% in 2022, according to the consumer price index. While inflation has since fallen to 3.3%, prices are still climbing faster than most people would like.

The pandemic roiled the economy, tangling supply chains. Government spending in the U.S. under both Biden and Trump also may have contributed, putting more money in people’s pockets and enabling them to keep spending in the face of high prices.

While high prices are a source of frustration for many Americans, the average worker has more buying power today than they did before the pandemic. Since February 2020 (just before the pandemic took hold in the U.S.) consumer prices have risen 21% while average wages have risen 22%.

Many prices were depressed early in the pandemic, however, so the comparison is less flattering if you start the clock when Biden took office. Since early 2021, consumer prices have risen 19% while average wages have risen 16%. Wage gains have been outpacing price increases for the last year, so that gap should eventually close.

The federal debt has grown under both Trump and Biden

The federal debt grew substantially under both Trump and Biden. While the pandemic accounts for much of that red ink, both presidents have overseen large deficits, including periods before and after the pandemic when the economy was in good shape.

According to the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget , the federal debt grew by $7.2 trillion during Trump’s time in office, while another $6 trillion has been added so far on Biden’s watch.

Thanks to rising interest rates, the cost of carrying that debt has soared in recent years. This year, the government will pay an estimated $892 billion in interest on the debt – more than it spends on national defense.

Where the candidates stand on tariffs

Donald Trump raised tariffs sharply while he was in office, and he’s pledged to go further if he returns to the White House. During his first term, Trump imposed tariffs on imported steel and aluminum, washing machines, solar panels and numerous products from China. Many trading partners retaliated, slapping tariffs of their own on U.S. exports. Farmers and manufacturers suffered as a result .

Despite the fallout, Biden has left most of the Trump tariffs in place, while adding his own, additional levies on targeted goods from China such as electric vehicles.

In a second term, Trump has proposed adding a 10% tariff on all imports, with a much higher levy on all Chinese goods. Researchers at the Peterson Institute for International Economics estimate such import taxes would cost the average family $1700 a year .

Biden and Trump are both taking credit for creating jobs. Here are the numbers

Trump had a solid record of job growth during his first three years in office, when employers added 6.6 million jobs.

Unfortunately, those gains and more were wiped out by the pandemic, which briefly drove the unemployment rate up to 14.8%.

Although employment began to rebound by the summer of 2020, there were still 2.7 million fewer jobs when Trump left office than when he entered the White House four years earlier.

The United States has continued to add jobs since then – a whopping 15.6 million jobs since Joe Biden was sworn in as president. The unemployment rate has been at or below 4% for the last two and a half years.

The debate is officially underway

The moderators are onstage, the candidates are behind the lecterns, and the debate is officially underway.

A reminder: It's set to run for 90 minutes, with two commercial breaks. We'll bring you updates and context here on this live blog, and you can also tune into your NPR station (or stream us live on the NPR app) to hear the CNN debate live, followed by analysis from NPR political reporters.

Biden mocks Trump claim that he's on performance-enhancing drugs

President Biden is poking fun at a conspiracy theory that Former President Donald Trump and his allies have been pushing ahead of the debate: that Biden is using performance-enhancing drugs.

In a post on the social media site X in the moments before the debate began, Biden posed with a can of Biden-branded water.

I don't know what they've got in these performance enhancers, but I'm feeling pretty jacked up. Try it yourselves, folks. See you in a bit: https://t.co/vD3mL9slj1 pic.twitter.com/Li4EM9mzve — Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) June 28, 2024

Trump has increasingly turned to the false claim that Biden is using performance-enhancing drugs before events like this debate so that people don't realize how old he is.

A Biden campaign spokesperson said Trump was resorting to "desperate, obviously false lies" to distract from his positions on abortion rights and other issues.

The drugs line has become something of a go-to explanation anytime Biden exceeds the very low bar Trump sets for him.

“Many media outlets on the right suggested stridently that President Biden’s only chance for winning tonight's debate with Donald Trump was for his doctors to inject him with some type of magical chemical concoction that would make him peppy and vigorous,” said Howard Polskin, who monitors conservative media for his newsletter and website TheRighting .

Trump started talking about drug testing after Biden’s State of the Union address earlier this year, saying he was “high as a kite.”

But you can go even further back to September 2020 , before his debates with Biden that fall, to find Trump demanding his opponent take a drug test.

Trump also used the line against Hillary Clinton after a 2016 debate.

Debate prep: Where the candidates stand on foreign policy

When it comes to foreign policy, a lot has changed since Trump and Biden last took the debate stage — and there's a lot on the table for them to discuss tonight.

Morning Edition spoke with NPR White House correspondents Franco Ordoñez and Asma Khalid about some of the hot-button global issues that could come up tonight, and what viewers should keep in mind going into the debate.

Trump argues that the world is a more dangerous place since he was in office. He says Biden allowed Russia to attack Ukraine, and blames him for Hamas' Oct. 7 attack on Israel.

Trump also blames Biden for the chaotic withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan in August 2021, in which 13 U.S. service members and some 170 Afghan civilians were killed — even though that was a plan Trump himself put in motion.

That was also the moment when Biden's approval rating "first began to dip underwater," Khalid notes.

"I think that's worth keeping in mind because Biden really came into office as the adult in the room — the man who could provide stability, both here at home, globally, after some of the more chaotic moments under the Trump presidency," she adds.

Can Biden still make the case for himself as the adult in the room?

Biden has helped defend Ukraine — and by extension, Europe — without committing any U.S. troops on the ground, and worked to strengthen NATO and rebuild alliances in the continent that were broken under Trump.

"There's no question that Europe sees the United States as being more dependable," Ordoñez says. "That said, what Trump is saying about too much war is resonating with a lot of the American public, and that has been an effective message for him."

Biden's response to the Israel-Hamas war, in particular, has cost him some support — at least during the primary season — among people of color and young voters , who were key to his win in 2020.

Ordoñez says Trump has said in interviews he has a plan to resolve those issues quickly, but can't say what they are because that would "reveal his hand and he wouldn't be able to negotiate once he's in power."

For more context, check out these stories:

• Trump could — and wants to — shake up U.S. foreign policy even more in a second term
• Will the generational divide on support for Israel impact the presidential election?
• How 2 unexpected wars are defining Biden's presidency
• What a second Biden or Trump presidency could mean for American allies and foes

As Trump takes to the stage, his signature style may be muted

By Franco Ordoñez

When President Biden and former President Donald Trump face off Thursday , it will mark the first time a sitting president and a former president have ever debated.

The Trump campaign has been trying to frame this election as a contest between strength and weakness.

Those efforts could be undercut by a new format designed to avoid the chaos that marked their first faceoff.

Trump has given little indication that he plans to play along.

"How should I handle him?" Trump asked supporters this weekend in Philadelphia. "Should I be tough and nasty? ... Or should I be nice and calm and let him speak?"

Their first debate four years ago quickly unraveled into a mess of angry insults and personal attacks as Trump sought to bulldoze over Biden, questioning what he said.

It’s largely because of those interruptions that this debate switches up that format. There will be no audience. And host broadcaster CNN will mute microphones.

The change is largely expected to hurt Trump.

Here's why .

How Trump and Biden were greeted by their supporters in Atlanta

Biden arrived in Atlanta just after 3 p.m. As he made his way downtown, he was greeted by supporters downtown holding "Biden Harris" and " Dark Brandon " signs.

Atlanta, it’s good to be back! I met some incredible supporters who are fired up ahead of tonight’s debate. Let’s finish the job. pic.twitter.com/hGDGtuvnC8 — Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) June 27, 2024

The president then entered a nearby hotel for a closed-door meeting, according to White House pool reporters.

Trump landed in Atlanta a few hours later, around 5:30 p.m. Georgia Public Broadcasting reports that he "descended the stairs alone and waved to supporters without speaking and got into his awaiting vehicle."

GPB reports that around 7 p.m., Trump supporters gathered on an overpass in Midtown Atlanta, waving flags and chanting at the cars driving below them on the interstate.

. @realDonaldTrump en route to @CNN Debate in Atlanta, Georgia… pic.twitter.com/HfxKv5B4su — Dan Scavino Jr.🇺🇸🦅 (@DanScavino) June 27, 2024

Follow GPB's debate live blog here .

When and how to watch tonight's debate

The CNN presidential debate starts at 9 p.m. ET and will run for 90 minutes. It will be moderated by CNN’s Jake Tapper and Dana Bash at the network’s studios in Atlanta.

The debate will be available on CNN and the streaming platform Max, formerly known as HBO. Viewers without a cable login can also watch on CNN’s website .

You can follow NPR's live blog for updates during the debate and watch the livestream that CNN is making available to other media organizations. That stream will include CNN's commercials and branding; NPR.org will carry that livestream as a public service.

Plus, tune into your NPR station, our online radio player or the NPR app to catch live radio coverage of the debate starting at 9:00 p.m. ET, followed by analysis from NPR reporters.

5 big questions ahead of the debate

By Domenico Montanaro

Tonight’s debate between President Biden and former President Trump is the first major moment of the general election with only one other debate scheduled. Here are 5 questions to think about ahead of tonight’s debate:

It’s getting old to talk about Biden’s age, but will he show vigor and be on top of the job to reassure voters he is up to the job?

If you watch conservative media, Biden is often described as senile, which has lowered the bar for him at every other major public event, like State of the Union addresses. He’ll have to do it again, but Trump and conservatives have lowered the bar to the point that Biden might only need to step over it. Because of it, Trump has resorted to baselessly alleging that Biden uses performance-enhancing agents. This will likely be the largest single audience of any day in this campaign yet, so Biden having a good, energetic performance would likely do a lot to reassure his base, which he desperately needs. 

Can Trump look like he has a coherent grasp of the issues – or will he be unhinged, as he has in past debates?

Trump has said in recent days that he has been preparing his whole life and doesn’t need to hunker down for a week or two to prepare, which is what Biden has been doing. Often a president is the one who stumbles in the first debate in a reelect, but Trump also may be rusty, considering he chose not to participate in any primary debates. He’s never been a policy wonk, and his conspiracy theories, like about the legitimacy of the 2020 election, are rabbit holes that have turned off swing voters in recent elections.

What issues will the moderators focus on?

Expect inflation, abortion, foreign policy, immigration and Trump’s conduct, including his felony conviction and promise to pardon Jan. 6ers to be a major part of the debate. But what gets more time and focus? Polling shows Trump is currently trusted more on inflation, foreign policy and immigration, but Biden gets higher marks on handling abortion rights, and majorities think the investigations into Trump have been fair – despite his cries of political targeting. And how will the moderators handle fact checking? CNN has indicated it would be leaving that to the candidates.

Who will control the debate?

The moderators? Biden? Trump? Someone will affect the flow and that could show which candidate is more of the alpha. Trump has often run over moderators and candidates in past debates. Will new rules rein him in?

Who will the new rules benefit?

There won’t be a studio audience and candidates will be muted when the other candidate is talking. In theory, that should help Biden get his point across without the rampant interruptions of the 2020 debates when Biden told Trump to “shut up, man.” Or will it have an inverse effect by helping Trump look more sedate? 

Debate prep: What to know about abortion and the election

Earlier today, the Supreme Court ruled 6-3 in favor of temporarily allowing abortions in medical emergencies in the state of Idaho.

The decision shines an even brighter spotlight on the issue of abortion, a key issue for many voters, especially in the two years since the Supreme Court overturned federal abortion protections.

White House correspondents Franco Ordoñez and Asma Khalid appeared on Morning Edition to talk about the candidates' positions on abortion ahead of the CNN presidential debate.

Khalid says the Biden campaign makes two central arguments.

They tie the fall of Roe v. Wade to Trump, saying he hand-picked the three Supreme Court justices who helped overturn that decision. And they argue that Trump would further restrict access to reproductive rights, like IVF and contraception.

"I was out covering Kamala Harris, the vice president, at a campaign rally in Maryland this week," Khalid adds. "She said explicitly that Donald Trump, if he gets the chance, would sign a national ban on abortion that could outlaw abortion in every single state in the country."

Trump, for his part, insists he wants to keep the issue of abortion with states.

"This is an issue that Trump does not really want to talk about," Ordoñez says. "I mean, this is an issue that's been very difficult for him and very difficult for Republicans. He knows, politically, that extremely well."

At the same time, Biden and the Democrats broadly see abortion as one of their biggest strengths. Abortion has been a winning issue for the party since 2022.

"The question here is whether Biden on the debate stage can connect himself directly to that issue," Khalid adds. "So does it mean that voters who support abortion will also come out and support the Democratic candidate for president?"

Check out these stories for more:

• 6 key facts about abortion laws and the 2024 election
• As abortion looks like a key issue in 2024, voters more divided by party than ever
• How political stances on abortion have shifted — for Biden, Trump and voters
• Trump's anti-abortion stance helped him win in 2016. Will it hurt him in 2024?
• Most Americans say criminalizing abortion is wrong — and are divided on deportation

Biden hopes to draw a contrast with Trump in 3 main areas

By Asma Khalid

President Biden has said that his aim with the debate is to draw a contrast with Donald Trump.

“Say what I think. Let him say what he thinks,” Biden told ABC News anchor David Muir in a recent interview. “Remind people what he says, and what I believe and what he believes.”

A Biden campaign official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss debate plans, said the president will be focused on drawing distinctions with Trump in three main areas of focus for his campaign:

• Abortion — the campaign has sought to  pin the blame for the loss of abortion rights  on Trump, who named conservative justices to the Supreme Court, which overturned  Roe v. Wade  two years ago.
• Democracy — Biden has argued Trump is a threat to democracy, focusing on the Jan. 6 riot of Trump supporters at the Capitol, where lawmakers were formalizing the 2020 election results.
• Economy — Biden wants to raise taxes on billionaires, and says his opponent would give tax breaks to the wealthy and corporations.

Read more here on Biden's debate prep.

Debate prep: What the economy has — and could — look like under Biden and Trump

One of the topics likely to get a lot of attention tonight is the economy, a consistently key concern for many voters.

Morning Edition 's Steve Inskeep spoke this week with economic correspondent Scott Horsley and political correspondent Danielle Kurtzleben to get a sense of what the candidates might say — and what viewers should keep in mind.

Horsley puts it this way:

"Presidents always get more credit and blame for economic conditions than they should. But Trump had a pretty good track record during his first three years in office. His trade war did some damage. Exports suffered, but the economy did add 6.6 million jobs in those three years. Of course, then the pandemic hit, unemployment soared, and Trump was the first president since Herbert Hoover to leave office with fewer jobs in the country than when he came in."

"Now, under Biden, the economy's added more than 15 million jobs. Unemployment's been at or below 4% for the last two and a half years. It's a record that would be the envy of almost any president. But of course, it's been marred by high inflation."

Inflation hit a four-decade high of 9.1% in 2022 and has since come down by some two-thirds, though people still feel squeezed by the prices of everyday goods, especially groceries .

Kurtzleben says that high inflation helps explain the steady stream of polls showing Americans' negative economic outlook — including the most recent NPR/PBS News/Marist poll that shows a majority of Americans saying Trump (54%) would tackle the economy better than Biden (45%).

"The curious thing is, Trump kind of gets a pass on pandemic job losses because voters say, hey, he didn't cause the pandemic," Horsley adds. "Voters don't give Biden the same kind of pass on inflation, even though it's also at least partly the byproduct of the pandemic and the war in Ukraine."

So how would another Trump or Biden presidency change things?

As far as Trump:

• Horsley says some of his proposed economic policies would "probably make inflation worse," like the blanket 10% tariff and mass deportations he's called for while campaigning.
• Trump is also regularly calling to "drill, baby drill" — increase U.S. oil and gas production to lower their costs, but Kurtzleben says it's not clear that would work.
• Many of the Trump-era 2017 tax cuts are set to expire at the end of 2025. Trump wants to extend them for everyone and cut taxes even further.

As far as Biden:

• Biden has made systematic proposals for saving ordinary people money, as Kurtzleben puts it, like cutting insulin prices for seniors and eliminating " junk fees ."
• Biden wants to extend the 2017 tax cuts for people earning under $400,000 while raising taxes on corporations and the wealthy.

Here's some more background reading to whet your appetite:

• Four 'American Indicators' share their view of the U.S. economy — and their politics
• Biden has taken more action on climate than any president. His pitch? It creates jobs
• As the election nears, an analysis of Donald Trump’s economic proposals
• What Would The Economy Look Like If Donald Trump Gets A Second Term?
• Voters in this 'boomerang' county say they're nostalgic for the Trump economy
• Biden touts economic 'comeback' in election-year pitch to skeptical voters

Why did Biden and Trump break up with the group that plans debates?

For more than three decades, the nonpartisan Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD) ran the debate process, scheduling the events and setting the ground rules.

But not this year. President Biden and former President Donald Trump parted ways with the CPD this spring.

Both campaigns complained the CPD was planning debates for too late in the season, well after many Americans vote in early voting.

Biden campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillon also pushed for a simplified format, with no live audience and muted microphones unless candidates are directed to speak –- choices she said allow voters to focus on the subject matter. The CPD typically holds debates at a college or university in front of a packed crowd.

“The Commission’s model of building huge spectacles with large audiences at great expense simply isn’t necessary or conducive to good debates,” O’Malley Dillon wrote to the CPD.

The Trump campaign agreed to the switch in rules. Leading up to the decision to debate on CNN, Trump had vowed to faceoff against Biden "anytime, anywhere, anyplace."

There have also been feuds with CPD in the past. Both campaigns criticized the CPD’s handling of the 2020 debates. Plus, in the spring of 2022, the Republican National Committee announced it would be leaving the CPD, accusing the organization of bias .

In an  interview with NPR , Frank Fahrenkopf, the co-chair of the commission, said that it was created as a neutral body "to avoid the haggling over key issues like the number of debates, schedule, format and moderators," he said. "The debates belong to the American public, not to the campaign or the parties."

RFK Jr. didn't make the debate stage, but plans to participate in his own way

By Stephen Fowler

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s longshot presidential bid has hit several roadblocks in recent days: After not hitting polling thresholds and not being on enough state ballots, he will not be on this week’s presidential debate stage .

The latest fundraising reports show the campaign does not have much money in the bank, but Kennedy’s campaign manager and daughter-in-law Amaryllis Fox Kennedy is not worried about the prospects for the future of the campaign.

In an interview with NPR’s Morning Edition, she insists there will be a “three-way debate” Thursday, falsely claiming that the independent presidential candidate met the criteria published by CNN to appear on the debate stage alongside President Biden and former President Donald Trump.

Later Tuesday afternoon, the campaign announced "The Real Debate" counter-programming, in which Kennedy will "answer the same debate questions live" on a website and streaming on the X social media site.

"I'm going to be on that debate stage with or without their permission," RFK said in a video.

When asked what Kennedy would do on Thursday instead of attending the debate, his campaign manager teased the debate counter-programming announced Tuesday.

“Well, look, I think that the American people want leaders who believe in their ability to make up their own mind, and one way or another, there will be a three-way debate on Thursday,” Amaryllis Fox Kennedy said.

Read more here about the debate qualifications and ensuing drama.

This debate will be different from those in the past. Here are the new rules

Typically, presidential debates occur in front of a live audience, often in an event space on a college or university campus, and are coordinated by the bipartisan Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD.)

But not this year. Both candidates have said they will not participate in the CPD’s previously scheduled and announced debates, lobbying for earlier matchups .

Instead, Biden and Trump will take part in Thursday’s debate on CNN and then a second in September hosted by ABC News.

Biden and Trump have agreed to the following rules :

• Microphones will be muted unless a candidate is directed to speak.
• Candidates are not allowed to bring prewritten notes or props. They will receive a pen and paper and a bottle of water.
• A coin toss determined podium positions and the order of closing statements. According to CNN, Biden’s campaign won the coin toss and chose the podium to the viewers' right. As a result, the Trump team chose to deliver the final closing statement of the evening.

Frat boys and RFK supporters are partying near the debate site

ATLANTA — The debate is being held in CNN's Techwood Studios in midtown Atlanta.

Much of the surrounding area is closed and Atlanta's notoriously bad traffic was a little worse as the two presidential candidates arrived. The studio is adjacent to the campus of Georgia Tech, with the school's basketball arena serving as spin room and media work area for hundreds of reporters.

Even inside the security perimeter, life goes on. Supporters of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. — who did not qualify for the debate — put up a lemonade stand, while nearby, fraternity members engaged in a little day drinking.

Happy presidential debate day. Most of midtown ATL is locked down as Biden and Trump arrive, but the men of Georgia Tech’s Kappa Sigma chapter darty on undeterred. They’re near the media rideshare drop off, as what appears to be RFK supporters have a setup as well. pic.twitter.com/vP5Vi9mLXi — stephen fowler (@stphnfwlr) June 27, 2024

The debate will be a politics-themed social event at these D.C. bars

Food and drink establishments across the nation's capital are gearing up for a night of watch parties, four years after the height of the COVID-19 pandemic forced people to tune in from home.

Mexican restaurant Johnny Pistolas will hold a watch party with aptly named $10 drink specials: the Filibuster Buzz, the Bipartisan Breeze and Swing State Sangria.

At Union Pub in Capitol Hill, attendees can partake in a "red vs blue" drink poll: They can order a vodka-based drink with either red grenadine or blue curacao. The most popular one wins.

"Yes, there will be a drinking game companion!" it wrote on Instagram.

Elsewhere, Shaw's Tavern plans to air the debate inside and on the patio, with half-priced bottles of wine available all night.

The restaurant and bookstore chain Busboys and Poets will hold parties at all of its locations to watch the debate and celebrate the release of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange .

It says the event is free and open to all, and co-hosted by Make All Votes Count DC , a local group promoting a ranked choice voting ballot initiative.

"This event is your chance to engage in thought-provoking discussions, soak in the intensity of the debate, and be a part of history in the making," the chain advertises on its website.

Other local watering holes are offering happy hour pricing and drink specials, as The Hill , the Washingtonian and Washington Post report.

Biden's debate prep involved catching up on Trump's recent remarks

Last Thursday, President Biden arrived at the presidential retreat in the woods of Maryland, known as Camp David , to prepare for the debate.

It’s a secluded site other recent presidents have also used to get ready during their reelection campaigns.

“Biden’s a really big homework guy,” said Jim Messina, who ran former President Barack Obama’s reelection bid in 2012.

But one big challenge for Biden is that he has had less time to do the homework than he did four years ago.

This month alone, he has made two diplomatic trips to Europe, for the G7 summit and for the anniversary of D-Day. And his family has been focused on the trial and conviction of his son Hunter Biden on gun charges.

Biden prepared for the debate in part by catching up on what Trump has been saying in his rallies and interviews — events that Biden has been too busy to watch in real time, a second person involved in debate planning told NPR, also speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss strategy.

Read the full story here .

Georgia, where the debate is happening, could decide the election

By Sam Gringlas

Just under 12,000 votes separated Joe Biden and Donald Trump when they last appeared on the ballot in Georgia.

Four years later, the rivals are sharing the debate stage in Atlanta as they fight for the slice of Georgia voters who could swing the presidential election.

Some of those voters with outsize influence live in Alpharetta, a suburb of Atlanta where new subdivisions keep sprouting and have helped turn this formerly Republican stronghold purple.

Reading a novel on a lounge chair in the sun at Alpharetta’s Wills Park Pool, Kerry Webster is the kind of voter Biden and Trump need to persuade.

Webster says she is unhappy with her choices for president. And though she voted for Trump in 2020, he has since been convicted on 34 felony counts and faces more charges, including in Georgia.

A grand jury indicted Trump just a few miles from the debate stage on charges that he attempted to overturn Georgia's 2020 presidential election result.

"He's a conniver. He's not really a good person — he's really not," Webster said. "But the economy was better, and Biden, I don't know if he does a lot for us, hate to say."

But Webster does not plan to watch Thursday's debate. Despite living in a state and a suburban community that helped decide the presidency in 2020, she says she feels unmotivated about her options and has wondered whether her vote matters much.

Prasad and Mansi Vichare are watching their kids splashing nearby as a DJ bumps Taylor Swift on repeat and older kids leap from a tall diving board for prizes. The Vichares identify as political independents. And though they plan to vote, they think debates are mostly a useless exercise.

"To be honest, they're a waste, but that's just my opinion," Prasad said. "I'm indifferent," added Mansi, who believes the candidates just tell people what they think they want to hear. "I feel like it's somewhat fake, and so I don't know if it's really that helpful."

Read more here about what the Biden and Trump camps are doing to try to win over Georgia voters.

A Trump will be spinning for Biden tonight

Campaigns bring people into their debate “spin rooms” to send a signal about who their candidates have in their corners.

Tonight, President Biden’s campaign will have Mary Trump, the former president’s outspoken niece, on hand in Atlanta to offer her analysis to reporters there.

A psychologist by training, Mary Trump wrote a book , published in 2020, that aired her family’s dirty laundry. Now the Biden campaign is giving her a big platform to share her concerns about her uncle.

“For my whole life I have witnessed my uncle’s narcissism and cruelty,” said Mary Trump in a statement released by the campaign. "His sense of inferiority has always driven his jealousy and his pathological need to dominate others and this is information that is crucially important for the American people to have in advance of the most important election of our lifetimes.”

Trump is no stranger to inviting splashy guests to debate spin rooms. In 2016, immediately following the release of the Access Hollywood video , he attempted to create a distraction by inviting women who had accused former president Bill Clinton of sexual assault.

Tonight, there’s widespread speculation that Trump’s spin room operation may also be the ultimate vice presidential audition , as he's said his pick for a running mate will be there.

There are no reporters in the room. That's a break with precedent

There will be plenty of cameras in the debate room tonight, but in a break with precedent, no independent reporters will be there to bear witness.

Going back decades, a pool of 13 journalists travel with the president wherever he goes, and have eyes on him whenever he is in public. It includes a television crew, print and wire reporters and photographers, and a radio reporter.

The White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) spent weeks advocating for the pool to be allowed into the CNN studio where the debate is happening. CNN and the campaigns agreed to allow still photographers in. But as for the rest of the pool, CNN ultimately decided to only permit a single print reporter to enter “during a commercial break to briefly observe the setting," the WHCA said in a statement.

WHCA respectfully requests that CNN grant access to the WH print pool reporter for the duration of the debate. Access matters. Independent observation matters. Precedent matters. pic.twitter.com/wNxf8du4t1 — Kelly O'Donnell (@KellyO) June 27, 2024

However, while the two men are actually debating, the print pool reporter won’t be there to note off-camera or off-mic interactions for the rest of the press corps.

“We don’t know how this will play out in real time,” said WHCA president Kelly O’Donnell, noting that there is no audience and that CNN will mute the candidates’ microphones when it isn’t their turn to speak.

COVID tests and crosstalk: What happened the last time Trump and Biden debated

Biden and Trump are set to go one-on-one on the debate stage Thursday for the first time in four years.

It's likely to be a memorable night if 2020 is any indication. Here’s a look at what happened last time the two took the stage together.

Trump derailed the first debate

The first round of debates in September 2020 was, by many accounts, a disaster. NPR’s Domenico Montanaro called it “maybe the worst presidential debate in American history.”

Trump arrived on the debate stage trailing in the polls and, apparently, jonesing for drama. He interrupted Biden constantly, peppering him with questions and personal slights despite moderator Chris Wallace’s pleas for order.

Biden tried to ignore Trump talking over him throughout — but called him a “clown” more than once. At one point he had clearly had enough.

“Will you shut up, man?” he said exasperatedly, as Trump continued accusing him of wanting to pack the Supreme Court. “This is so unpresidential.”

Trump even bulldozed over Wallace, prompting the then-Fox News anchor to declare, “Mr. President, I am the moderator of this debate and I would like you to let me ask my question and then you can answer.”

Still, a few substantive moments stood out amidst the chaos and crosstalk. When asked to disavow white supremacist groups, Trump told the Proud Boys to "stand back and stand by,” and he refused to commit to urging his supporters to stay peaceful during the counting of votes.

The second debate was scrapped over COVID concerns

Their next debate, scheduled for Oct. 15 in Miami, was scrapped altogether due to disagreement between the campaigns and the Commission on Presidential Debates over COVID-19 protocols .

Trump refused to debate virtually after he was diagnosed with the virus himself.

At the time, questions were mounting about whether Trump had taken a test — and gotten a positive result — before his first debate with Biden. It later became apparent that he had.

On Oct. 8, the commission announced it would shift to a virtual debate due to health and safety concerns. Trump’s team countered that he would be cleared for public events by then, saying there was “ no medical reason ” why the debate couldn’t be held in person.

Trump ultimately pulled out of the virtual debate, calling it “a waste of time.”

Each candidate ended up holding individual town halls — Trump on NBC News, Biden on ABC News — on Oct. 15, both airing at the same time.

The final debate was a little less dramatic

Trump and Biden returned to the debate stage in Nashville on Oct. 22, less than two weeks from Election Day.

By that point, more than 40 million Americans had already cast their votes by mail, Biden held a 10-point lead in an average of national polls, and only a small sliver of voters appeared willing to be persuaded .

The debate proved much less dramatic than the first round, partly due to new rules that kept each candidate’s microphone muted during the first two minutes of their opponent’s speaking time, and the no-nonsense approach of moderator Kristen Welker of NBC News.

Montanaro wrote, “Even Biden appeared bored, and near the end of the debate checked his watch.”

Both candidates were relatively restrained when talking about issues — COVID, healthcare and the economy dominated the conversation — though things got more personal as the night went on.

Read the full recap here .

Trump hasn't announced who it is, but says his VP pick will be in attendance

Trump has been hinting for months that he knows who his running mate will be, fueling speculation and (ever-shrinking) shortlists.

The former president even told NBC News over the weekend that the person he has in mind will "most likely" be in attendance, although there will be no studio audience.

"They’ll be there,” he said. “I think we have a lot of people coming.”

Trump has previously said he'll announce his VP pick during the Republican National Convention in mid-July.

Some of the top contenders, as NPR has reported , include South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, New York Rep. Elise Stefanik, Ohio Sen. JD Vance and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio. Other possible picks include some of Trump's former primary rivals, like South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum.

Many of those elected officials have made the cable TV rounds in recent weeks to sing Trump's praises.

It's a fitting form of vetting for a presidential candidate who rose to fame in part as the host of a reality show competition — and for a VP who will likely get a lot of airtime.

The stakes for the VP slot are high, especially since Trump has been the de-facto Republican nominee since the race started. His second-in-command will shape the future of the MAGA movement and potentially woo harder-to-reach voting blocs, like moderates.

Choosing a vice president generally comes down to strategy. NPR's Ron Elving says Trump's likely priorities should be doing no harm, followed by creating some form of unity in the Republican Party.

"Trump doesn't need any more controversy," Elving adds. "He doesn't need anybody who carries any baggage of his own or her own."

Read more from Elving about the stakes of VP selection over the decades — and how Trump is putting his spin on a familiar storyline.

Who's watching this debate anyway? Recent polling holds some clues

If you're planning on watching tonight's debate, you're not alone.

A NPR/PBS News/Marist National Poll released last week found that a majority of Americans — 61% — plan to watch most or all of the debate.

Another 24% say they will not be watching the debate, but plan to pay close attention to the news coverage of it. If that's you, hi and thanks for being here!

A smaller sliver, 14%, have no plans to watch or pay attention to the debate.

The survey found that independents (56%) are less likely than Republicans (70%) or Democrats (67%) to tune in.

And that's notable, since independents could play a major role in deciding the election. The Marist poll has Biden and Trump tied evenly at 49% among registered voters nationwide.

Who will be on stage?

Biden and Trump are the only presidential candidates who qualified for the debate stage.

Independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. failed to meet the threshold , which required candidates to poll at 15% or higher in four national surveys and appear on enough state ballots that could theoretically push them past the needed 270 Electoral College votes to secure the presidency.

Legal dramas, policy questions and undecided voters: What we're watching for

Candidates will likely speak to recent respective legal dramas.

The debate comes about a month after Trump was found guilty of 34 criminal charges in New York, becoming the first U.S. president in history to be convicted of felony crimes.

On a less historic note, Biden’s son, Hunter, who is not running for office, was convicted on felony gun charges in Delaware in mid-June and faces a second federal trial in September over failing to pay his taxes.

Biden will also likely address concerns over his age and ability to serve a second term. At 81, he is the oldest sitting president in U.S. history, and if elected for a second term, he would exit office at 86.

While the president has had public slipups throughout his first term, Trump, who is 78, has repeatedly criticized Biden’s mental ability , most recently speculating he should take a cognitive test. In that same speech, Trump incorrectly named the doctor who conducted his own cognitive exam while president.

On the issues, the candidates are expected to discuss the state of the economy and immigration policy, as both are consistently top issues for voters in national polling. It’s also possible the candidates will weigh in on international politics, given voters remain divided on whether the U.S. should be sending military aid to Ukraine and Israel in their respective wars.

The debate may also be an opportunity for Biden to address his decreasing support, when compared to 2020, among key parts of his base, notably Blacks , Latinos and young voters .

Trump is losing some ground among older voters, and the Biden campaign is trying to capitalize on that . Plus, the former president may still need to repair relations with Nikki Haley supporters who remain uncertain about backing him again.

Welcome to presidential debate night. Here's how to follow along

Got your popcorn ready?

Tonight's presidential debate kicks off at 9 p.m. ET and will run for 90 minutes. Expect two commercial breaks, no live audience and at least a little tension.

The debate is hosted by CNN at its midtown Atlanta studios, and moderated by Jake Tapper and Dana Bash.

NPR will carry a livestream from CNN here and broadcast it alongside our radio special coverage — with commentary from NPR political journalists — from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. ET. You can hear that online , on your local NPR station and on the NPR app .

Plus, this blog will be updated regularly with updates, fact-checks, context and color — so keep this tab open and stick with us as the night unfolds.

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