In an election that polls indicate has been evenly matched for months, Biden, 81, and Trump, 78, will be under pressure to demonstrate their mastery of the topics and avoid linguistic blunders as they try to seize the initiative.
In a debate on Thursday night, Democratic President Joe Biden and his Republican opponent Donald Trump will provide voters with a unique opportunity to view the two oldest presidential contenders in American history side by side.
In an election that polls indicate has been evenly matched for months, Biden, 81, and Trump, 78, will be under pressure to demonstrate their mastery of the topics and avoid linguistic blunders as they try to seize the initiative.
The first-ever 90-minute televised presidential debate between an incumbent and a former will appear on CNN on Friday at 9 p.m. ET (0100 GMT). This unusually early discussion will take place more than four months ahead of the election on November 5.
It occurs at a time when Americans are very anxious about the status of American politics and are deeply divided. In a May Reuters/Ipsos survey, almost four years after a Trump fan mob stormed the U.S. Capitol, two thirds of respondents expressed fear that violence might follow the election.
Trump, a felon who still faces three criminal prosecutions, including his attempt to rig the 2020 election, will take the stage. The former president will need to persuade those who are still on the fence about him that he does not represent a grave danger to democracy, contrary to what Biden claims. He has made statements suggesting that his loss was the consequence of fraud and that he would punish his political opponents if he is given back to power.
Arriving in Atlanta on Thursday afternoon, Biden faced tremendous pressure to make a strong impression after months of Republican claims that his intelligence had declined with age.
In a video distributed by the Biden campaign before of the debate, former Trump advisers said they would not be supporting Biden this time. "Take it from the people who know Donald Trump best - he is unfit to be president," Biden said on X.
According to Biden's advisors, he will draw attention to Trump's involvement in undermining access to abortion, present him as a threat to democratic values, and remind people of Trump's often turbulent 2017–2021 period in power.
According to Trump advisors, Biden's oversight of record numbers of illegal immigrants and high rates of inflation will be the main topics of discussion. Biden's global leadership during the conflict in Gaza and Ukraine will also be questioned.
After his jet touched down in Georgia around three and a half hours before the debate, Trump shared on social media what seemed to be a former administration official's advise on how to handle criticism of his environmental record. Trump was asked to declare that he will reduce carbon dioxide emissions and support domestic energy generation in the notes left by former head of the Environmental Protection Agency Andrew Wheeler.
According to a campaign spokeswoman, the tweet was intentional. Spokesman Stephen Cheung said, "The Biden team has been previewing their attacks -- albeit moronic attacks -- all week."
DISPLAYED PAIR
Although the election is close according to national polls, Biden has fallen behind Trump in the majority of battleground state surveys. Additionally, Biden's financial advantage was just eliminated after Trump was found guilty of attempting to conceal payments of hush money to porn actress Stormy Daniels.
"This debate presents Biden with his best chance to upset the status quo, which he sorely needs," said Jacob Rubashkin, an elections analyst for the nonpartisan website Inside Elections.
Both Biden and Trump are unpopular, and many Americans still have strong feelings of ambivalence around their decisions. According to the most recent Reuters/Ipsos survey, over 25% of voters indicate they haven't chosen a candidate, are leaning toward a third-party candidate, or may abstain from voting.
Kathy Elder, a 59-year-old sales manager who supported Trump in 2016 but switched to Biden in 2020, called the candidates "horrible."
For various reasons, the elder said that every time they converse, she cringes.
"Can he speed this up and actually talk?" she said of Biden. "What the hell is going to come out of his mouth?" she said in reference to Trump.
There's been no attempt on the part of Biden and Trump to hide their contempt for one other. In a harsh speech directed at Biden during their first 2020 debate, Trump alienated a lot of people.
When it is not the candidates' time, CNN will mute their microphones in an effort to prevent cross-talk. Both candidates will have pens and paper, but neither may bring notes or other props to the debate. It will be held in front of an empty room.
Following the debate, Biden's team will have Trump's niece Mary Trump, who has been dismissive of her uncle, in its media spin room, a campaign official said.
September is set aside for this year's campaign's second and final debate.
View a picture slide presentation of past debates from Reuters.
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