At 10 p.m. in Argentina, the first “face-to-face” meeting between the main candidates for the White House will begin. It is the first meeting that both politicians have held since 2020.
The presidential debate between American candidates Joe Biden and Donald Trump on June 27 will be the first of two scheduled before the November 5 elections. It has some elements that make it quite particular. It is the first time that both candidates are so old: Biden is 81 years old and Trump is 78. It is the first time that the same people from last elections are repeated. And, furthermore, it will be the first time that a president faces a former president. But there are more peculiarities.
The last meeting between the current outgoing Democratic president and the former Republican president was on October 22, 2020. It was the debate prior to the elections in which Biden defeated Trump. Since then, they have never seen each other again. This year, and for the first time since 1988, the discussion will not be broadcast by the Commission on Presidential Debates. The first debate will be in the hands of CNN while the second will be organized by ABC.
Experts observe that today’s debate will be decisive for two reasons. The first is that, according to polls, Biden and Trump are tied. Until recently, the Republican was leading in most polls, but after his conviction for 34 crimes in May, he lost many voters. The impact of that ruling remains to be seen, but observers predict that the race is still open. The second reason is that it is the first debate that will take place before the campaign formally begins: today neither of the two are formal candidates.
For all the reasons mentioned above, today’s head-to-head could be decisive. The impression left by the rivals will influence the rest of the race. Both are exposed to paying high costs if they fail to respond and react.
Here’s what we know about today’s debate:
-It will be held without an audience, thus fulfilling one of the demands of Biden’s team, who wanted to avoid an in-person audience that could encourage, boo and divert the conversation.
-It will begin at 9 p.m. in Miami, 10 p.m. in Argentina and will last 90 minutes, with two commercial breaks (it can be seen on CNN and there will be retransmissions on different streaming platforms).
– Candidates’ microphones will be muted when it is not their turn to speak. This was another demand from Biden’s team.
-Only Trump and Biden will be on stage. Robert F. Kennedy Jr, the independent candidate who has been showing up in polls among young voters, failed to qualify.
-By chance, Trump will have the last word during the closing statements.
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