Biden and Trump ready to debate in Atlanta

Tom Dempsey and Devan Markham

6 hours ago

WASHINGTON (NewsNation) — As the first presidential debate approaches, a poll from Decision Desk headquarters shows former President Donald Trump leading President Joe Biden by 1.2 percentage points.

Trump and Biden will face off in the debate Thursday in Atlanta, and both candidates are strategizing on how best to hit their opponent.

The former president will seek to attack areas where Biden is most vulnerable: his age, the economy and immigration. Biden will hit back at Trump’s weakest links: his ego, his criminal history and his intelligence.

In brief: Biden and Trump debate history

What people remember about the first debate between Biden and Trump in 2020 are probably the interruptions, the yelling, and the “Will you shut up, dude?” »

Then-President Trump arrived at that first showdown in Cleveland seemingly determined to crush Biden at every turn, leaving the Democratic candidate exasperated and moderator Chris Wallace scrambling to regain control.

Now, in 2024, many of the rules imposed this time by the Biden team — and accepted by the Trump campaign — are designed to minimize the risk of a chaotic reprise. Each candidate’s microphone will be muted, except when it is their turn to speak. There will be no studio audience to intervene with boos and jeers.

The second and final presidential debate of 2020, held in Nashville, Tennessee, was a much quieter event than the first, aided by a mute button and participants perhaps chastised by the dire criticism of the first clash, especially for Trump.

But if the Biden-Trump debate Thursday in Atlanta descends into chaos, consider that the past was only prologue.

Moreover, both men remain largely unpopular. They each enter the debate with low favorable ratings. About 6 in 10 American adults say they have a very or somewhat unfavorable view of Biden, and a similar number have a negative view of Trump.

RFK Jr. doesn’t back down

Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will answer questions in Thursday’s debate live from his own website, after failing to earn a spot on the CNN debate stage.

“More than 70 percent of Americans want a different choice than Presidents Biden or Trump,” Kennedy said in a video he posted on X. “They are tired of voting for the lesser of two evils.”

About 78% of voters say they plan to watch the debate, according to a recent NewsNation/Decision Desk HQ poll. The majority of voters (65%) believe independent and third-party candidates should be allowed to participate in debates.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.