SILENCE: Commission on Presidential Debates to mute mics during final face-off 

President Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden will participate in the second – and final – presidential debate this Thursday at Belmont University in Nashville, TN.  

But, this time, it’s ‘quiet on set.’ 

The Commission on Presidential Debates announced Monday that both candidates will have their microphones muted when it’s not their turn to speak, a rule created to avoid the interruptions and crosstalk seen during the first face-off, according to the New York Times. 

The commission noted that both campaigns may not be thrilled with the new format. 

“We realize, after discussions with both campaigns, that neither campaign may be totally satisfied with the measures announced today,” the commission said in a statement, the Daily Caller reports. 

“One may think they go too far, and one may think they do not go far enough. We are comfortable that these actions strike the right balance and that they are in the interest of the American people, for whom these debates are held,” the statement continued. 

Like previous debates, each candidate will have two minutes to answer the moderator’s questions, but this time, the opponent’s microphone will be muted, according to the Daily Caller. After each have responded, both microphones will be unmuted so the candidates can engage in free debate. 

But, this new change raises some red flags. 

Granting someone the ability to shut off microphones during the debate is a clear demonstration of the commission’s partiality to the Biden campaign in a ploy to protect the vice president – who can’t seem to handle being interrupted.

The change in format also comes after the debate moderator, Kristen Welker, released the topics: fighting COVID-19, American Families, Race in America, Climate Change, National Security and Leadership. 

Though all worthy of discussion, only a few of them touch on foreign policy, which has always been the main focus of the final debate. 

Did the commission recalibrate the topics to protect Joe Biden amidst the fresh scandal involving him and his son, Hunter? 

It seems that way. 

In a letter to the commission, Bill Stepien – Trump’s campaign manager – expressed his utmost concern regarding these seemingly biased changes. 

Our letter to the BDC (Biden Debate Commission) pic.twitter.com/ZsY5JfMbT7

— BillStepien (@BillStepien) October 19, 2020

“We understand that Joe Biden is desperate to avoid conversations about his own foreign policy record…New information recently revealed indicates that Biden himself was mentioned as a financial beneficiary of a deal arranged by his son Hunter and a communist Chinese-related energy company,” he said. 

“If a major party candidate for President of the United States is compromised by the Communist Party of China, that is something Americans deserve to hear about, but it is not surprising that Biden would want to avoid it,” he said.  

“Sadly, this is not the first time the Commission has ceded to the wishes of the Biden campaign,” he added.

Stepien also said in a statement that the president will question Biden about his son Hunter and his business dealings with Ukraine and China. 

“If the media won’t ask Joe Biden these questions, the President will, and there will be no escape for Biden,” Stepien said.

So, let’s get this straight. 

The commission first switched the topics to stray away from foreign policy and now will mute the mics – both of which will ultimately benefit one candidate and one candidate only: Joe Biden. 

On the topic of silence, let’s discuss just how silenced President Trump actually is. 

According to a study by the Media Research Center, President Trump has been censored by Facebook and Twitter a whopping 65 times since May of 2018. 

To no surprise, Joe Biden has free reign. 

“Big tech has caused serious damage to President Donald Trump’s ability to be heard on social media, MCR analysts Corinne Weaver and Alec Schemmel wrote. 

“Twitter and Facebook have censored the president’s social media accounts and the accounts belonging to his re-election campaign at least 65 times,” they added. “In contrast, the companies have not censored…Joe Biden and his campaign accounts at all.” 

One question remains, how far will the silencing go until it’s deemed too far?