We’ve been gearing up for several days now for the first presidential election debate between former President Donald Trump and current President Joe Biden, which takes place today (June 27)!
CNN’s Jake Tapper and Dana Bash will host the debate in Atlanta. It will last 90 minutes and will be divided by two commercial breaks. This is the first of two debates scheduled, the second being hosted by ABC News in September.
After a hectic few weeks marked by foreign travel, major fund-raising and dealing with his son Hunter’s legal problems, President Biden chose to prepare for the debates at Camp David. Surrounded by the Maryland mountains and isolated from major centers, Camp David has served as a debate training camp for many years.
Ron Klain, Joe Biden’s former chief of staff, helped the president prepare for his debate. Bringing a wealth of experience from presidential campaigns he ran with Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and John Kerry, Klain will likely follow the same approach as in 2020. He will scrutinize Mr. Trump’s lies and statements to develop a solid line of attack. Mr. Klain is backed by other long-time campaign advisors, including Cedric Richmond, a former White House adviser.
Trump, meanwhile, has employed a less conventional but equally vigorous strategy. He wants to use this debate to convince voters that his leadership is more stable and effective. He plans to address his legal problems, such as his recent conviction on 34 counts of fraud. To prepare for the debate, Trump preferred to hold informal discussions with potential vice-presidential candidates, policy experts, outside allies and senators. These sessions focused on important issues, such as crime, the economy, border security and foreign policy, particularly in the Middle East.
Both candidates are juggling important issues. Biden’s advisors see the debate as an opportunity to sway undecided votes and potentially turn some key states blue.
Biden’s goal is to emphasize Trump’s legal problems and present himself as a president who “fights for your family” while Trump is portrayed as a convicted felon. Trump’s campaign team, meanwhile, wants to put forward the idea that Biden has declining cognitive abilities and present the former president as a stronger candidate, both mentally and physically.
Both camps are aware that the stakes are high and that this debate could determine the course of the November 2024 election. Each is meticulously preparing its strategies for what will be one of the most important debates in what promises to be a very close race.