The first debate between Democrat Joe Biden and Republican Donald Trump in the race for the White House, scheduled for Thursday in Atlanta (south), could be summarized as follows: the first will try to demonstrate that he is not a senile old man and the second that he is not He is a temperamental despot.
CNN will broadcast this hour-and-a-half confrontation, unusually early, as presidential candidates typically wait to be nominated by their parties to debate.
But the November elections, which according to polls will be very close, are out of the ordinary.
They pit 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 what part of the public (beyond 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 beyond 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 surveys, is inflation, security on the border with Mexico and the influx of migrants, which Trump promises to nip in the bud if he returns to the White House with mass deportations because he believes that they “poison the blood” of the country.
The two men, who profess a strong political and personal animosity, prepare in different ways for this first confrontation.
The 81-year-old Democratic president left for the rural residence of Camp David to prepare for the debate, which will be held without an audience and within a strict framework. The candidate’s microphone will be cut off when it is not his or her turn to speak and interventions will be timed. Trump will shut it down.
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 with his rallies. His team maintains that he does not need to prepare.
Both politicians will try to convince undecided voters, whose votes will be decisive in some states.
– Weak points –
“Trump’s weak point is his extremist rhetoric,” emphasizes Kathleen Hall Jamieson, professor of communication at the University of Pennsylvania (east).
Biden claims to be the last bastion of American democracy, facing 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 in the event that win the elections.
The Democrat will try to touch on the issue of abortion rights, on which the Republican magnate has an ambiguous position.
But Biden will have to convince in form. At his rallies, Trump often makes fun of his gaffes and his clumsiness when walking.
“Biden’s weak point is whether he has the mental acuity necessary for the position,” says Kathleen Hall Jamieson.
Trump publicly hinted that his rival might be “doping” during their duel on Thursday. The Republican is only three years younger and engages in digressions that are difficult to understand, but, according to polls, Americans are more concerned about the physical and intellectual state of the Democrat.
“Trump would benefit by sticking to a script, highlighting Biden’s weaknesses on inflation and immigration and toning down the bombast,” Nieman said.
The Republican assures that he does not “underestimate” the Democrat. In 2020, the former real estate magnate’s extremely aggressive attitude turned against him.
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