Tonight’s presidential debate between Joe Biden and Trump in Atlanta on Thursday night has the potential to be one of the most significant in U.S. history.
Get this, we have never seen a debate between a sitting president and a former president. Hosted by CNN, this face-off is occurring much earlier than usual, even before the party conventions. It represents a critical moment in a tight election, offering Biden a crucial opportunity to revitalize his reelection campaign amidst struggles to demonstrate the political and economic stability he promised in 2020.
The debate arrives at a time when Americans are grappling with high prices affecting basic needs like food, housing, and transportation. Additionally, the nation is deeply divided over abortion rights, a contentious issue intensified by the conservative Supreme Court majority established by Trump. Immigration and foreign policy challenges also loom large, adding to the contentious backdrop between two candidates who openly disdain each other.
Millions of Americans are dissatisfied with the choice between two elderly candidates who often alienate more voters than they attract. The stakes in 2024 are particularly high due to Trump’s previous attempts to disrupt the peaceful transfer of power based on false claims of election fraud in 2020 and his pledge to enact an unprecedented presidency if he wins.
Biden plans to underscore what he views as Trump’s threat to the rule of law and democracy, focusing on the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol as a defining moment. “The embodiment of the threat is returning,” a Biden source told CNN.
The historical context of this debate is significant. While previous close elections like those in 2004 and 2012 brought political change, the current election could fundamentally alter the character of the republic and its global stance. Trump’s vision of near-limitless presidential power and hardline policies on immigration, the economy, and foreign policy could lead to massive disruption. “(It is) unbelievably historic. You cannot (over) hype up the importance of this,” presidential historian Douglas Brinkley told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer.
Democrats are eager for the 81-year-old Biden to demonstrate vigor and sharpness amid concerns about his age. Trump, at 78, faces the risk of a debate performance that could reinforce Biden’s portrayal of him as “unhinged.” Biden is expected to target Trump on issues like abortion and his admiration for foreign dictators, while Trump will likely depict Biden’s America as plagued by uncontrolled immigration, rampant crime, and economic woes.
Notably, this debate takes place less than a month after Trump was convicted in a criminal hush money case in New York, a fact Biden has highlighted in campaign events. Trump, however, claims to be a victim of a politically motivated legal system.
In preparation, Trump has suggested Biden will be “jacked up” on drugs, a tactic reflecting a presidency that has shattered norms. In any other era, such an accusation would be unthinkable.
Former Obama speechwriter Terry Szuplat emphasized that successful debates tell a coherent story about the candidates and the country’s future. “It’s a story about yourself. Why you’re the right candidate. Why the other candidate is the wrong candidate. And it’s a story about the future. Every election is about the future,” Szuplat told CNN.
So far, neither Trump nor Biden has fully achieved this goal, making Thursday’s debate a crucial opportunity for both.
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