The showdown — between the oldest-ever incumbent and a convicted felon — fires the starting gun on what promises to be a bruising summer of campaigning in a deeply polarised and tense United States still convulsed over the chaos and violence that accompanied the 2020 election.
With only two debates this election cycle, Thursday’s high-stakes event takes on heightened significance, and both candidates have stepped up their personal attacks, with national polls showing the pair neck and neck.
As the candidates applied finishing touches to their debate strategy, one critical question remained: Will Trump the political pugilist rein in his aggressive tendencies or unleash his unruliness, much as he did in their first chaotic debate four years ago?
“I think I have been preparing for it for my whole life… We’ll do very well,” Trump told right-wing network Newsmax in an interview on his debate preparation.
The president will be desperate to avoid any major gaffes. He meanwhile was pulling no punches Wednesday — at least on social media, where he said “Donald Trump is the greatest threat to our democracy,” a message he will almost certainly seek to hammer home on debate night.
The president arrives Thursday on Air Force One in Atlanta, capital of southeastern battleground Georgia, for the duel at CNN headquarters, while his challenger flies in on his private jet, nicknamed “Trump Force One.”
Trump enjoys a slight advantage in the all-important swing states but the overall polling looks extremely close in an election likely to be decided by a few photo finishes in a handful of battlegrounds.
The latest Quinnipiac University poll conducted Sunday shows Trump edging ahead of Biden nationally, 49 percent to 45 percent.
The rivals both step onstage for the 90-minute debate seeking to allay fears about serious political liabilities.
Biden, 81, faces the most concern about his mental sharpness, with voters much more likely to bring up his age than Trump’s, despite the Republican being just three years younger.
Ahead of the first ever debate between two candidates who have already served in the Oval Office, both Trump and Biden have had missteps that have raised questions over their age, occasionally stumbling over words or appearing muddled.
Trump is also engulfed in controversy over his inflammatory rhetoric, his recent conviction on 34 counts of falsifying business records, not to mention other criminal cases he faces, and fears he would weaponise the presidency to settle personal scores.
