The first debate between Democrat Joe Biden and Republican Donald Trump in the race for the White House, scheduled for Thursday (27) in Atlanta (south), can be summarized as follows: the first will try to prove that he is not a senile old man and the second that he is not a temperamental despot.
CNN will show the hour-and-a-half meeting, unusually early, as presidential candidates typically wait for their party’s nomination to debate.
But the November elections, which according to polls will be very close, are unusual.
The opponents are the two oldest candidates in history and a president against a predecessor who never acknowledged defeat in 2020 and was also found guilty in a case of hidden payments to a porn actress.
“The big question is which part of the public (other than political fans) will pay attention to a debate this early,” said Donald Nieman, a political analyst and history professor at Binghamton University in upstate New York.
Abortion, the state of democracy and conflicts across borders, such as the wars in Ukraine and between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas, are issues that concern voters.
– Strong animosity –
But what worries the electorate most, according to some polls, is inflation, security on the border with Mexico and the flow of migrants, which Trump promises to nip in the bud if he returns to the White House with mass deportations, because he believes they “ they poison the blood” of the country.
The two men, who express strong political and personal animosity, prepare in different ways for this first confrontation.
The 81-year-old Democratic president left for his rural Camp David residence to prepare for the debate, which will take place without an audience and with strict regulations. The candidate’s microphone will be cut off when it is not their turn to speak and responses will be timed. Trump will end the debate.
If the rules are respected, the tension of the last debate between them in 2020 will be avoided, when Biden blurted out: “Will you shut up, man?”, while Trump continually interrupted him.
The 78-year-old Republican millionaire continues his rallies. His team says he doesn’t need to prepare.
The two politicians will try to convince undecided voters, whose votes will be decisive in some states.
– Weak points –
“Trump’s weakness is his extremist rhetoric,” says Kathleen Hall Jamieson, professor of Communications at the University of Pennsylvania (East).
Biden says he is the last bastion of American democracy, against a rival accused in several criminal cases and who declared on the Fox News channel that he will act as a “dictator” for a day to “close the border” with Mexico if he wins the elections.
The Democrat will try to touch on the issue of abortion rights, on which the Republican tycoon has an ambiguous position.
But Biden will have to convince in form. At his rallies, Trump often mocks his gaffes and his clumsiness when walking.
“Biden’s weak point is whether he has the mental acuity necessary for the job,” says Kathleen Hall Jamieson.
Trump publicly suggested his rival may have been “doped up” during Thursday’s duel.
The Republican is only three years younger and makes speeches that are difficult to understand, but according to polls, Americans are more concerned about the Democrat’s physical and intellectual state.
“Trump would benefit from following a script, highlighting Biden’s weaknesses on inflation and immigration and toning down the emphatic language,” Nieman said.
The Republican guarantees that he does not “underestimate” the Democrat. In 2020, the former real estate mogul’s extremely aggressive attitude turned against him.
2024-06-24 14:51:48