NEW YORK (AP) — It's rare for a presidential election to have just one candidate. Discussion There was a lot of material to counter the enemy.
Republican Donald Trump Trump has been convicted of 34 felony counts and has serious charges still pending in three other indictments. As president, he has appointed three judges who voted to overturn Roe v. Wade and infringe on abortion rights in the United States, sparking a backlash even in conservative-led states. Trump's comprehensive plan for a second term also includes promises of retaliation against political opponents in both parties.
But the big question for the president is Joe BidenFair or not, the question is whether, at 81, he has the physical and mental capacity to continue to challenge Trump, perhaps none more important than the energy and verve the Democratic incumbent brings to the stage.
Both men have clear weaknesses that present enormous opportunities and risks to their opponents, and their successes and failures will be magnified as they face off in front of a massive national audience that will include some who tuned in to the 2020 rematch for the first time and others who won't watch the next debate until September.
Biden and Trump are scheduled to face off for 90 minutes at 9pm on Thursday at CNN's studios in Atlanta.
The key questions we look at are:
Can Biden deliver?
What you need to know about the 2024 election
The bar for Biden to succeed appears low at least in part because Trump, 78, and his Republican allies have spent years relentlessly mocking the Democratic president's apparent age-related failings. Trump's allies even questioned whether Biden could stay awake and stand for the entire 90 minutes.
Democrats are hoping Biden will bring the same energy to the presidency that he brought to his State of the Union address earlier this year, but facing off against a pugnacious opponent on live television will be very different from a scripted speech on Capitol Hill.
Biden's team knows they can't afford to have a bad night with the nation watching.
Is Trump boring?
With his support already firmly in place, Trump has the chance to win over some persuadable swing voters as well as the moderates who helped Biden win four years ago and who now express reservations about both candidates.
But to win over the so-called “double-dealers,” Trump will need to do more than simply rely on the hot-button talking points, personal insults and conspiracy theories he regularly uses in public. Instead of talking about retaliation and lies about the U.S. electoral system, he will need to offer an optimistic vision for the future and a clear contrast with Biden on traditional domestic issues like health care and education.
There was him His outburst was widely condemned In the first debate of 2020, he relentlessly hounded then-Democratic candidate Biden, interrupting him multiple times. In the second debate, became more gentle in tone It highlighted the two men's vastly different visions for governance.
That means Trump will have to be a little boring on Thursday night. Will he be able to maintain discipline? Some allies hope so, but history may suggest otherwise.
Check criminal records
Trump's extraordinary legal burden presents opportunities and risks for both candidates on stage.
Biden's campaign has stepped up efforts to highlight Trump's criminal record in recent days, but Biden himself has largely distanced himself from any prosecution of Trump, apart from some criticism, to avoid the appearance of political interference.
Trump has for years maintained, without evidence, that Biden was responsible for indicting him, and the president will not make it easy to toe that line.
Recent Opinion Polls Polls show that roughly half of American adults support Trump's conviction in New York state, and if voters don't care about the specific conviction, his attempt to cover up an alleged affair with a porn star isn't bumper sticker worthy.
Biden, meanwhile, is aware that Trump may attack his son, Hunter, as the then-president did in a debate four years ago. Hunter Biden recently Convicted of three felonies “The president has also questioned Hunter Biden's overseas business dealings while his father was vice president.
Muted microphone and moderator
As is often the case, the moderator and ground rules will determine the outcome of a debate. And the ground rules for this first of two scheduled debates are unusual.
Notably, the candidates are eschewing the traditional structure determined by the Commission on Presidential Debates, relying instead on a mutually agreed-upon set of rules and terms.
Biden and Trump will debate behind closed doors at CNN's studios in Atlanta. There will be no opening statements. Each candidate's microphone will be muted except when it is their turn to speak. No props or pre-written notes will be allowed on stage. Candidates will be provided with only pens, notepads, and bottles of water.
A coin toss determined that Trump would make the final statement.
The event will be hosted by two prominent CNN anchors, Dana Bash and Jake Tapper, who have not been shy about criticizing Trump's lies and conspiracy theories.
While Bash and Tapper have led critical coverage of Biden in the past, the Biden campaign will no doubt expect them to play an active role in disproving Trump's potential falsehoods in real time. For example, Biden's microphone will be muted while Trump is speaking, but the moderator's microphone will not.
Abortion and immigration
While style can sometimes be more important than substance in a debate, both candidates have serious policy challenges to overcome.
No issue is bigger than abortion for Trump. His Supreme Court appointments helped lead the court to overturn Roe v. Wade, which sparked a wave of abortion restrictions across the country. Trump has repeatedly said he was proud to have played a role in overturning Roe, and Biden will likely be keen to highlight Trump's role.
Trump, of course, has said he wouldn't support a nationwide abortion ban if re-elected, but given his track record on Roe, he may still have some work to do if he wants to convince women that he can be trusted on important health issues.
Biden's biggest political liability, meanwhile, may be immigration, as Democratic administrations struggle to limit the number of migrants entering the U.S.-Mexico border. Biden's allies privately acknowledge that the issue will be a major political liability heading into the fall.
Trump loves to highlight the issue of illegal immigration, so he is expected to attack Biden hard on the issue.
At the same time, Biden will likely face tough questions about his leadership in Israel's war with Hamas, and the president's staunch support for and at times criticism of Israel has alienated potential allies on both sides.
On Thursday night, he will have a key opportunity to defend his record on this complicated issue. It won't be easy.
