U.S. President Donald Trump and Democrat Joe Biden will have their microphones cut off while their rival delivers their opening two-minute answer to each of the topics presented at Thursday's debate.
The nonpartisan Commission on Presidential Debates announced the rule changes Monday, three weeks after a chaotic opening faceoff between the two presidential contenders that was marred by frequent interruptions, mostly by Trump.
The 90-minute televised event will be divided into six 15-minute segments, with each candidate granted two minutes to deliver uninterrupted remarks before proceeding to an open debate.
While the open discussion portion will not feature a mute button, interruptions by either candidate will count toward their time to speak.
The final debate is scheduled to take place Thursday, October 22 at 9 p.m. at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee.
Kristen Welker, co-anchor of the "Weekend TODAY" show and White House correspondent for NBC News, will moderate.
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