72 percent in new poll say it’s likely they’ll watch first presidential debate

Most Americans say they will likely tune in to the first presidential debate next month, according to a survey released Wednesday.

Former President Trump accepted President Biden’s offer to debate each other ahead of the November election. The first debate has been set for Thursday, June 27.

According to the Quinnipiac University survey, 72 percent of voters say it is likely that they will watch the first debate, which CNN will host. 

Twenty-seven percent of voters say it’s unlikely that they will watch.

Last week, Biden said he had accepted CNN’s offer to debate and challenged Trump to take the stage. The 45th president notably skipped all of the GOP primary debates and instead held campaign events.

The meeting in June will be each of their first debates since meeting in the fall of 2020. The June debate is much earlier in the calendar year and campaign cycle than in the past.

Trump, who has a fairly consistent lead in national polls despite his ongoing legal battles, said he was “ready and willing” to debate Biden.

The two presumptive nominees agreed to the June debate, and a second one Sept. 10 hosted by ABC.

Since then, Trump has demanded Biden take a drug test ahead of the first debate. The former president has insisted Biden was “all jacked up” during his energetic State of the Union address in March.

He also has consistently slammed the president for his age, even though the June debate will take place after Trump’s 78th birthday, when they will only be three years apart.

The Quinnipiac survey was conducted May 16-20 among 1,374 voters and has a margin of error of 2.6 percentage points.