Tracking the attacks during the first presidential debate

The New York Times tracked speaking time during the first debate of the year between President Biden and former President Donald J. Trump, analyzing how much time the candidates spent attacking and arguing with each other. The debate began at 9 p.m. Eastern time.

Time spent attacking the policies or character of your opponent

Presidential debates are a delicate balance between highlighting one candidate’s accomplishments while attacking his or her opponent, and The Times has been tracking how much time each candidate spends on their opponent versus their own record and policies.

How does tonight’s debate compare to the 2020 debate?

The percentage of time candidates spend attacking each other’s policies and character.

How much do candidates talk to each other?

The percentage of time Biden and Trump talk at the same time.

CNN, the debate’s moderator, announced that it would mute the microphones of candidates who were not yet up to speak to avoid interruptions and chatter. Each candidate was given two minutes to answer a question, followed by one minute for a rebuttal and a response to the rebuttal.

Candidates’ microphones were not muted during the first debate of 2020, but were muted at times during the last debate.

What issues are causing the most attacks?

The length of time candidates attack each other on key issues.

Experts say they are watching to see whether Trump will again resort to personal attacks and name-calling, and whether Biden will focus his attacks on Trump’s recent felony convictions.