Joe Biden and Donald Trump prepare for the biggest moment yet in the US election on Wednesday — the first of two high-stakes debates that could turn the race around.
Thursday’s contest will bring the election campaign to a boiling point, as both camps have recently stepped up their personal attacks.
“I think I’ve been preparing for this my whole life… We’re going to do great,” Trump said in an interview with right-wing network Newsmax about his debate preparations.
The 2024 election looks close, with Trump enjoying a slight polling advantage in all but the most important swing states, an election likely to be decided by a few hundred thousand votes in a handful of battleground states.
The two rivals take stage in the southern city of Atlanta for a 90-minute confrontation hosted by CNN aimed at allaying fears about serious political liabilities.
Biden, 81, faces the most concerns about his mental acuity, as voters are more inclined to raise his age than Trump, who is only three years younger than him.
‘For yourself’
Both have appeared stuttering and indecisive during public events, though Trump in particular has stunned people with his vague and sometimes bizarre campaign speeches.
Trump is surrounded by controversies due to his inflammatory statements and ongoing criminal cases against him, and there are also fears that he will use the presidency as a weapon to settle personal scores.
Biden spent the week off the radar, at Camp David’s hilltop retreat near Washington, preparing for the mock debate.
Trump’s preparation has been fairly relaxed, forgoing rehearsals in favor of informal policy roundtables and workshops on debate strategy with crowds at rallies.
His aides have encouraged him to focus on his perceived strengths on the economy and crime, while Biden will attempt to paint Trump as unstable and unfit for office.
The Biden campaign released an ad saying Trump was busy seeking “revenge” instead of helping voters, and the Democratic National Committee placed billboards in Atlanta reminding voters that the Republican is a convicted felon.
“The people of Georgia will go to the polls in November and they will remember that President Biden takes care of them, while white-collar crook Donald Trump only takes care of himself,” DNC spokeswoman Jackie Bush said.
‘Ready for this’?
The Trump campaign has repeatedly described Biden as weak and incompetent, but shifted its stance in recent days after warnings that setting low expectations for the Democratic president would only help him.
“We know Joe Biden will be ready for this after taking a full week off,” Trump senior campaign adviser Jason Miller told reporters.
Trump and his team, with support from right-wing media figures, are pushing the baseless theory that Biden will be boosted by performance-enhancing drugs.
The former president and his people have also been accused of “working in concert with the referee” and laying the groundwork for Trump’s poor performance by repeatedly alleging bias on the part of CNN.
Miller said Trump would emerge as the clear choice if he were allowed to present his vision for America without the overt interference of CNN or the two moderators at the debate — the first time the debate has been held between two candidates who have already served in the Oval Office.
One of Biden’s biggest weaknesses is border security; Trump has promised mass deportations to tackle the problem of illegal migrants crossing from Mexico and has repeatedly raised the issue of killings by migrants.
Trump is expected to invite family members of victims of anti-migrant violence to Atlanta, although the debate will have no spectators, US media reported.
The Biden administration announced Wednesday that new restrictions have brought the entry of illegal immigrants to the lowest level in more than three years, easing the possibility of an immigration surge.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)