When Is The Final Presidential Debate? After Town Halls, Trump And Biden May Have One Last Showdown

After an evening of dueling town halls on Thursday, Democratic nominee Joe Biden and President Donald Trump are expected to take part in a final debate next Thursday in Nashville, Tennessee.

There had been uncertainty over whether there would be more debates due to COVID-19 guidelines and after the raucous atmosphere of the first debate. The second debate had been canceled by the Commission on Presidential Debates after Trump declined to do a virtual debate.

The upcoming debate will take place in the Curb Event Center at Belmont University, and will be moderated by NBC journalist Kristen Welker. Metro Nashville Police on Friday announced that 700 officers would be involved in the debate.

The Oct. 22 event would be the last public showdown between Biden and Trump before Election Day on Nov. 3.

There will be six debate topics: "Fighting COVID-19," "American Families," "Race in America," "Climate Change," "National Security" and "Leadership."

The stakes are high for Trump in the final debate, with the Republican needing a breakthrough to improve his reelection chances. Recent polling shows Biden with a strong nationwide lead over Trump in the last stretch of the election season.

The RealClearPolitics polling average shows Biden leading Trump by 8.9 points in the general election. In addition, more than 22 million Americans have already voted, with the number being even higher by the final debate next week.

The first Biden-Trump debate on Sept. 29 was characterized by chaos and name-calling. Biden called Trump a “clown,” as the incumbent consistently interrupted the challenger. The event was widely panned by media commentators. CNN host Jake Tapper described the debate as a “dumpster fire,” while moderator Chris Wallace called the event a “terrible missed opportunity.”