CNN —
The confrontation in Atlanta between Joe Biden and Donald Trump Thursday night has a good chance of becoming the most fateful presidential debate in US history.
For the first time, a sitting president and an ex-president will lock horns before millions of viewers, in an encounter taking place far earlier than normal — even before the party conventions. The CNN-hosted showdown is the most pivotal moment yet in a neck-and-neck election, and it’s Biden’s best chance to shake up a reelection bid that he is in deep danger of losing as he struggles to convince voters that he’s delivered the political and economic normality he promised in 2020.
The debate comes at a moment when many Americans are seeking relief from high prices that have made it harder to feed their families and afford rents, mortgages, and new cars. It is unfolding amid an intense national debate over access to abortion that was unleashed by the conservative Supreme Court majority built by Trump. Deep divides over immigration and foreign policy in a world filled with new challenges to US power will form a contentious backdrop to a clash between two candidates who openly disdain one another. 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.
But the momentous circ*mstances of the occasion can only be fully understood alongside the context of the unprecedented politics of the times. Since Sen. John F. Kennedy and Vice President Richard Nixon stagedthe first televised debatein the 1960 campaign, there have been agonizingly close elections that have set the country on a sharply different course. But the stakes in 2024 are greater than ever because of Trump’s attempt to disrupt the peaceful transfer of power based on false claims of fraud in the 2020 election and his promise to wage a never-before-seen presidency of personal vengeance if he wins in November.
Live Updates
Fact check: Trump on migrants and crime
CNN Flash Poll: Majority of debate watchers say Trump won debate over Biden
Fact check: Trump onPelosi and January 6
Fact Check: Trump falsely claims the Supreme Court “approved” the abortion pill
Fact check: Trump on his own comments on January 6
Fact Check: Trump again claims his tax cuts were the largest in history
Fact Check: Trump falsely claims there was “no terror” during his administration
Scalise says Trump won the debate and Biden is “not fit” for another term
Sen. Marco Rubio says he thinks more Americans feel they were better off when Trump was president
Fact check: Trump on the US trade deficit with China
Keeping Kamala Harris under wraps for 3 years was "political malpractice," CNN's John King says
Newsom: "I will never turn my back on President Biden"
Voters should focus on Biden's accomplishments, not his debate performance, vice president says
Harris admits Biden had "a slow start," but says he had "a strong finish" in debate
Here are some takeaways from tonight's CNN’s presidential debate between Biden and Trump
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Fact check: Trump on his own comments after 2017 Charlottesville march
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Biden campaign chair says the president provided a "positive and winning vision"
Fact check: Trump repeats lie about 2020 election
Analysis: Biden's inability to "shut down" Trump's lies was at heart of the problem, CNN's Abby Phillip says
Nancy Pelosi's office fires back against Trump's debate comments about January 6
Julián Castro says Biden "failed to clear" an already low bar set for his performance
In pictures: Biden and Trump face off in CNN presidential debate
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Biden's Friday: Campaigning in North Carolina before heading to New York
"The candidacy has fallen," analyst says on Biden's performance
Fact check: Biden on border crossings dropping during his administration
Trump advisers were celebrating Trump's performance
Fact check: Trump's false claim on tariffs
Fact check: Trump repeats frequent false claims about hiscriminal cases
Catch up on the key lines from the first presidential debate
Biden on Trump post-debate: "We need to beat this guy"
Fact check: Trump on Biden and a Ukrainian prosecutor
Fact check: Trump's claims on job growth during Biden’s presidency
Fact check: Trump on the Paris climate accord
Fact check: Biden's false statement on Black unemployment
Former aide, who believes Trump is a threat to democracy, says she's not confident Biden can beat him
"That was painful," Van Jones reacts to Biden's debate performance
2 Democratic Party officials express concerns about Biden’s performance
RFK Jr. slams Biden and Trump for answers on national debt and Covid
Trump campaign declaring victory before the end of the debate
Trump finishes ahead of Biden in speaking time at the close of the debate
Fact check: Trump falsely claims Biden has used the term “super predators”
Biden allies discouraged by president's response on immigration and border security
Fact check: Biden on drug prices
"We are f***ed": Democrats despair over Biden debate performance
Trump slams Biden in closing statement and pitches voters his record during his first term
In final pitch to voters, Biden focuses on taxes and economy
Biden to Trump: "You're such a whiner."
Speaker Johnson says Trump is the only candidate "qualified and capable"
Fact check: Trump falsely claims Iran “had no money for Hamas” during his presidency
After the second break, Trump was 5 minutes ahead on speaking time
Biden says the rich should pay more in taxes to keep Social Security solvent
Biden's camp feels buoyed by his answers on abortion, January 6th and Trump’s legal battles
Fact check: Trump on the European Union’s trade practices
Catch up on key moments from the debate so far
Candidates go back and forth about their golf games in response to questions about their age
Trump says he will accept election results "if it is fair"
Some Democratic lawmakers worried by Biden's performance tonight
Fact check: Trump on the National Guard in Minneapolis
Fact check: Biden on support from the Border Patrol union
Fact check: Biden falsely claims he’s the only president this decade who doesn’t have any "troops dying anywhere in the world"
Asked about age, Biden says Trump is "a lot less competent"
Trump on Biden: "He is the worst president in the history of our country"
Fact check: Trump falsely claims "everybody" wanted abortion to go back to the states
Trump says he saved America's steel industry with tariffs. US Steel is a shell of its former self
Biden says defeating Trump will keep Social Security solvent
Biden says he will "make the very wealthy begin to pay their fair share" to keep Social Security solvent
Neither Trump nor Biden have issued detailed proposals to shore up Social Security
Biden shoots back at Trump's claim about his actions to combat the climate crisis
Biden gets personal as he slams Trump's criminal conviction
Biden has been battling a cold in recent days, sources say
Trump attacks Biden: "He caused the inflation"
Fact check: Trump’s claims about his previous remarks about US military members killed in action
Unemployment among Black Americans hit a record low under Biden — but has since increased
Roughly 50 minutes into the debate, Trump leads in speaking time
Biden tiptoes toward staking out a position on abortion
Trump hits out at the state of Social Security and Medicare
Biden supporters in Phoenix play debate bingo during CNN debate
Trump says Putin's terms to end war in Ukraine war are "not acceptable"
Biden touts proposed ceasefire deal for Gaza
Here are some of the key lines from the debate so far
Fact check: Trump on immigrants and jobs
Biden jabs Trump's criminal conviction
Trump’s criminal cases are coming up in the debate. Here are key things to know about the 4 indictments
Trump denies responsibility for the January 6 attack on US Capitol
Trump doesn't say if he would support an independent Palestinian state
Trump blames Biden's immigration policies for violent crime in the US
Trump brings up Hunter Biden, drawing strong reaction from the president
Biden appears to struggle with his delivery
Israel’s war in Gaza is under focus at the debate right now. Here’s what to know
Fact check: Biden on Trump’s Covid-19 comments
"My son was not a loser, was not a sucker. You're the sucker, you're the loser," Biden tells Trump
Here's the state of the US economy on debate night
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Biden attacks Trump on immigration actions: "He was taking — separating — babies from their mothers"
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Biden calls the overturning of Roe v. Wade "a terrible thing"
Trump says he will not block abortion medication as president
Trump says Biden's jobs were all post-pandemic "bounceback" jobs. But that's not the full story
The candidates are being asked about abortion rights. Here’s how Biden and Trump’s stance on the topic varies
Trump and Biden trade blame over inflation
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The candidates are discussing the economy. Here are key things to know
Biden and Trump did not shake hands
The hosts are giving a rundown of the rules. Here's reminder
The CNN presidential debate has started
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Here's what to watch for during tonight's CNN presidential debate
Newsom argues young voters dissatisfied with 2024 candidates should focus on ideas, not age
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These are the rules for tonight's debate
Trump and his team are hyper-focused on performance and visuals
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Trump has landed in Atlanta for debate
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Arizona's Biden supporters express confidence that he will perform well
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Get ready for CNN's historic debate tonight with this list of resources
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See all updates (180+)
Biden plans to frame what he sees as Trump’s threat to the rule of law and democracy in the starkest terms, sources familiar with the matter told CNN’s Kayla Tausche. He will describe the mob attack by Trump’s supporters on the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, as a “seismic,” era-defining moment that must be a watershed for voters.
“The embodiment of the threat is returning,” said one Biden source.
That backdrop means this presidential debate has a different cast than all its predecessors.
Had Sen. John Kerry beaten President George W. Bush in 2004 or ex-Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney made President Barack Obama a one-term president in 2012, there would have been significant political change. But the character of the republic and its global posture would not have fundamentally altered. That assurance cannot be applied with any confidence to the current election. Trump’s strongman impulse – epitomized by his claim before the Supreme Court that presidents have almost limitless power, as well as a blueprint for hardline new policies on immigration, the economy and foreign policy – means a second term could bring massive disruption.
“(It is) unbelievably historic. You cannot (over) hype up the importance of this,” presidential historian Douglas Brinkley told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer on Wednesday.
Democrats are desperate for the 81-year-old Biden to put on a show of vitality and sharpness amid concerns about his age. Seventy-eight-year-old Trump’s biggest liability might be himself and the possibility of a performance that could validate Biden’s warnings that he’s too “unhinged” to be president.
Biden is expected to hammer Trump over abortion — one of the few policy areas where he outpolls the former president — and his admiration of foreign dictators. Trump is already signaling he’ll portray Biden’s America in dystopian terms, beset by uncontrolled immigration, rampant crime and searing economic pain. The most extraordinary aspect of the debate is that it takes place less than a month after Trump was convicted in a criminal hush money case in New York. Biden has already highlighted the guilty verdict in campaign events, but Trump insists that he’s the victim of an attempt to weaponize the legal system to interfere in the election.
Both candidates are facing extreme pressure
Both men will hope to avoid the kind of debate night gaffes or odd personal quirks that have often gone viral and dominated critical post-debate media coverage that helps cement the perception of who won and who lost in voters’ minds. Vice President Al Gore’s theatrical sighs in 2000 and President George H.W. Bush’s unwise glance at his watch in 1992 both became emblems of losing campaigns. The risks are now much higher because of social media.
Presidential debates don’t always decide who wins in November. But the tension surrounding this year’s first debate in June, rather than in September or October as usual, is palpable.
“The closer the election, the greater the chance that a debate could influence it,” said Aaron Kall, director of debate at the University of Michigan, who has conducted an in-depth study of every presidential debate. “A lot of times these mistakes reaffirm a caricature of one of the particular candidates that existed before it happened.” For Biden, that means no senior moments, and Trump would be advised to avoid outbursts that confirm Biden’s characterization of a tyrant in waiting.
Neither Trump nor Biden has debated since their final clash in the pandemic-disrupted 2020 campaign. And their preparation for one of the most important nights of their lives has reflected their character and political personas.
The president has been out of sight for days, huddled below the oaks, poplars and maple trees at the Camp David retreat with advisers, strategizing how to handle the most challenging debate foe in history. Fueled by lasagna and tacos, he’s taken part in mock debates, immersed himself in briefing binders and tried to anticipate Trump’s wild twists and diversions. It’s a debate camp in keeping with Biden’s view that he’s locked in an existential election duel with the soul of the nation on the line.
The former president hates mock debates and has instead honed his preparation at rallies and events, trusting his instincts and intuition and a feral sense of an opponent’s political weakness. He has, however, had policy refresher sessions with aides and some potential vice-presidential picks including Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio.
Biden has raised the stakes for himself heading into the debate higher than those any modern president faced. He argues Trump is a criminal in whom something has “snapped” and who is too dangerous and reckless to be let back into the White House. He’s also rebuked Trump for using Nazi-style language and warned democracy and freedom are on the ballot along with the capacity of ‘We the People’ to shape America’s destiny.
Preparing for anything at Camp David
Biden’s debate team is led by former White House chief of staff Ron Klain, who has been prepping Democrats for presidential debates for a generation. One of Klain’s mantras is “while you can lose a debate any time, you can only win it in the first 30 minutes.” Biden is therefore expected to front-load the most important points to appeal to the likely highest rated part of the primetime event.
The Biden team has been poring over Trump’s recent public interviews and speeches while workshopping responses to whatever he and the moderators may throw Biden’s way. The president will be ready for whichever version of Trump shows up – whether it’s the bombastic opponent who talked over and insulted him in their first clash in 2020, or a more restrained challenger seeking to project stability. If Trump aims for a presidential bearing, Biden has a locker full of practiced attacks and rebuttals designed to provoke him into making the outbursts that could turn voters off.
A Biden adviser told CNN that debate preparations have included getting the president ready to respond should Trump get personal — weeks after his son Hunter was convicted of felony gun charges. Biden’s love and protective instinct for his family is always close to the surface, and he reacted furiously when the then-president brought up Hunter during their first debate in 2020.
Biden has been running through his paces inside a large hangar at the Maryland retreat, where there’s a mock debate stage complete with bright television lights. His personal attorney, Bob Bauer, is playing Trump and other aides have sat in as CNN moderators Dana Bash and Jake Tapper.
But sources told CNN that the debate practice was about more than feeling comfortable. It’s also about answering the age question. Aides and allies of the president alike have frequently pointed to his State of the Union address in March as a model example of Biden at his best. He was energetic, focused and nimble, they’ve argued, over the course of his 67-minute prime-time speech.
Trump’s debate prep is as unorthodox as he is
Sitting presidents often have a rude awakening at first presidential debates, since they are unused to anyone getting in their grill and contradicting them. But Trump’s advantage on this score may be compromised since he refused to debate any of his GOP primary rivals this year. Still, his aggressive debate style isn’t much different from the belligerent, spiky attitude he displays in most public events.
Trump has warmed up for the debate by suggesting that Biden will be “jacked up” on drugs, as his aides frantically have tried to dismantle the expectations trap that the ex-president constructed for himself by suggesting that Biden is so mentally diminished that he can barely stand up or finish a sentence. In any other era, the idea of a candidate accusing an opponent of doping would be unthinkable. But Trump’s tactic is a reminder of a presidency and a political style that has shattered all previous norms.
In a new memo on Wednesday, Trump’s campaign signaled that the ex-president would assail Biden over immigration and the economy. It boasted about polling averages that his team says show the former president up in all the key states.
And Trump, whose administration created a gale of daily falsehoods, characteristically worked to accuse Biden of the very transgression that is most associated with him — lying. “The man is a walking lying machine and a fact-checker’s dream,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, while accusing Biden, one of the best presidential golfers, of being unable to hit a ball 10 yards.
Trump’s unorthodox approach means that the country may get another reminder of the chaos, discord and cacophony that it experienced in his four years in office — and that his supporters love and want to restore.
But it’s also a risk that could play into Biden’s desire to get voters to see the contrast between the 45th and 46th presidents that he believes could deliver him the election.
Former Obama speechwriter Terry Szuplat said successful debate performances tell a coherent story of where the country is and where it is going.
“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. It’s a choice about the future,” Szuplat told CNN’s Kasie Hunt.
Neither Trump nor Biden has so far fulfilled that goal. Thursday is the best chance to do so.