Biden and Trump, face to face in a crucial presidential debate

Democratic President Joe Biden and his Republican predecessor Donald Trump, almost tied in the polls, face each other this Thursday in the first debate of the presidential elections in November USAafter months of verbal attacks.

American voters will be able to follow on television this face-to-face that is announced to be tense starting at 9:00 p.m. local time (01:00 GMT on Friday) in Georgia (east), one of the most disputed states in the elections.

The 81-year-old Democrat, who arrived in Atlanta, the capital of Georgia, six hours before the debate, and the 78-year-old Republican are neck and neck in the polls.

According to a survey published on Wednesday by Quinnipiac University, Trump leads Biden for the first time with 49% to 45% of voting intentions nationwide. Another broadcast on Sunday by the Fox network, on the contrary, benefited the Democrat (50% against 48%).

Both candidates hope that the hour and a half confrontation will allow them to win votes among the undecided, which could be key in November.

Democrats paid for billboards in Atlanta, where the debate will take place, welcoming Trump as “convicted felon” For justice.

Other ads warn of “extremist program” of the former president and describe him as a danger to democracy, with images of his supporters’ assault on Congress three and a half years ago.

On his Truth Social network, Trump returned the ball by accusing Biden of being “a threat to democracy and a threat to the survival and existence of the country”. And in a statement his campaign team accused him of lying to citizens about security on the border with Mexico and migration.

Biden He presents himself as a guarantor of democracy against a temperamental rival prone to false digressions who never acknowledged his defeat in 2020.

Strict rules

The debate will be moderated by two CNN journalists, Jake Tapper and Dana Bashfollowing strict rules.

In an attempt to avoid the cacophony of the first debate of 2020, during which Biden and Trump spent an hour and a half shouting and interrupting each other, the network will turn off each candidate’s microphone when the stipulated response time ends.

The programme will also be held without an audience or a teleprompter, a device that allows speakers to read texts without taking their eyes off the camera.

Bidenthe oldest president in the country’s history, spent days preparing for the debate with his advisers. He will have to reassure the country, which is more concerned about his obvious physical deterioration than that of his opponent, even though Trump is only three years younger.

“In the media, many are already willing to give a trophy to Joe Biden “if he can stand for 90 minutes,” estimated Jason Miller, a Republican campaign adviser.

The former president hints that his rival will be “doped” before appearing before the cameras.

Contrasting visions

This election pits two radically opposed visions of the United States against each other, revolving mainly around purchasing power and migration.

Biden is trying to distance himself from the rhetoric of his rival, who accuses migrants, many of them Latin Americans, of “poison the blood” from the country.

This Thursday’s debate will be exceptional in every sense.

Never before have Americans had to decide between such old candidates or weigh whether to entrust the keys to the White House to a former president convicted in a case of secret payments to a porn star and who faces a prison sentence.

They have another option: the independent candidate Robert Kennedy Jr, who denounces his exclusion from the debate.

The nephew of assassinated former President John Fitzgerald Kennedy, who has very little chance of winning, will hold an event on Thursday in Los Angeles, California, which will be broadcast live on the X platform.

A second debate is scheduled for September 10, two months before the election.

IT MAY INTEREST YOU