Trump and Biden have agreed to two debates. There will be no audience, and each candidate’s microphone will apparently be turned off automatically if he exceeds the limits on response time. These rules have been described as a win for Biden; they certainly will make the experience more comfortable for him. But will they help him win votes?
Biden has two objectives at the debates: to show the American public, since it appears they forgot, how unhinged Trump can be; and to prove that Trump has no plausible ideas, and does not even care, about policy. The rules help with the latter, but not the former; in a sense, the more obnoxious Trump is, the better. As a result, the rules should be described as a mixed bag, not a clear win for Biden.