Trump vs Biden 2.0: First US Presidential Debate At Atlanta; All You Need to Know

Washington: US President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump will lock horns in the first presidential debate today, marking the countdown for the ultimate showdown later this year. The CNN debate in Atlanta will start at 9 PM on Thursday (local time). In India, it is scheduled to air at 6:30 AM on Friday (Indian Standard Time).
This is the earliest debate ever in a presidential race. It is happening before the Republican and Democratic conventions in July and August, when both Trump and Biden will officially accept their party nominations. The showdown is scheduled to go 90 minutes with two commercial breaks. There will be no live studio audience: a major change from previous debates. Polling shows over 70 per cent of American voters plan to tune in to the high-stake debate.
Biden Vs Trump: First presidential debate today
In April 2023, President Joe Biden launched his re-election campaign wherein he described the contest between him and Trump as a “stark choice” for voters between the continuation of democracy in America and its possible “destruction” under Trump. Biden is set to be the oldest president to ever hold the office. He would be 86 at the end of a second term. Polls indicate that voters are more worried about Biden’s age compared to his opponent’s. However, if Trump wins, he would surpass Biden’s record as the oldest president before the end of his term.

Trump vs Biden 2.0: Presidential Election Debate 2024
In November 2022, Trump launched his bid to reclaim the White House. He aims to reclaim the White House after his bitter exit in 2020, as he looks forward to becoming only the second commander-in-chief to win two non-consecutive terms in office.

Trump continues to refuse to accept the results of the 2020 election. Additionally, he is currently facing criminal charges in four cases, two of which involve allegations of election interference and undermining the results of the 2020 election.
Earlier in May, Trump was found guilty of all charges at his New York hush money criminal trial. The debate comes at a time when many Americans are seeking relief from high prices and America’s foreign policy faces new challenges amid two ongoing conflicts in Europe and the Middle East.
Additionally, some deeply divisive issues like immigration, gun laws and abortion also have stark positions from both leaders. The debate in that sense personifies an election race that has left millions of Americans unsatisfied with the choice offered by two elderly candidates who alienate more voters than they attract, as per CNN. This will mark the third debate between the two men — after the two in the run-up to 2020 polls — but is likely to be more important than the first two because a larger share of the electorate is potentially up for grabs.
Biden has pitched his second term as a continuation of his first term with the phrase, “Let’s finish this job”.
He has vowed to defend rights such as abortion protections that some Republicans have threatened to erode. If re-elected, Biden has said he would also protect America’s image on the world stage, preserve democracy at home and deliver on climate benchmarks. Trump, on the other hand, has said he would overhaul key factions of the federal government and slash social safety net programs. He has also vowed retribution against his political opponents and has said he would appoint a special prosecutor to “go after” Biden and his family, ANI reported.
Trump is advocating strongly for border security, particularly along the southern border with Mexico. In a controversial statement, Trump said that the flow of migrants is “poisoning” the US blood. Additionally, he has pledged to reintroduce his travel ban targeting specific Muslim-majority countries. He has also claimed that he will end the Russia-Ukraine conflict in “one day.” Trump is also considered a strong supporter of Israel.
CNN Poll of Polls has found a tight race with no clear leader heading into the presidential debate. Nationwide, the current average stands at 49 per cent support for former President Donald Trump to 47 per cent supporting President Joe Biden. As per Politico, to win over real voters, both Biden and Trump have clear tasks: Biden needs to convince his haters he has a pulse. Trump must also be coherent and try to win back some of the moderates who defected from him to Nikki Haley in the late stages of the GOP primary.