Trump and Biden prepare for a key debate in Atlanta ahead of the elections

 Joe Biden and Donald Trump prepare debate in Atlanta

The main topics that would be discussed in the debates would be economic growth, migration and management of foreign policy.

President Joe Biden and his challenger Donald Trump face the same problem in their first debate: how to influence voters in a tight race where most Americans say they have already made up their minds.

The candidates are already at work, consulting with close advisers ahead of the first head-to-head matchup of 2024 on June 27 in Atlanta. That forum offers a high-stakes opportunity to break the deadlock, but with clear dangers in a setting where one-liners or jokes may be ineffective but where any gaffe or misstep threatens to be politically fatal.

The president brought briefing books on the debates with him on his recent trip to France, according to people familiar with the matter who requested anonymity to detail preparations. Biden's team blocked off an extended stretch at Camp David starting Wednesday to work on preparation for his debate, which former chief of staff Ron Klain will lead, according to the people. Klain declined to comment.

Biden will also be joined by trusted political advisors, including Anita Dunn, Mike Donilon, Cedric Richmond, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, Steve Ricchetti and Deputy Chief of Staff Bruce Reed.

It's unclear whether the team will hold mock debates, as they did in 2020, when Biden's personal attorney, Bob Bauer, played the role of Trump and relentlessly pursued the candidate to prepare him for an expected onslaught of personal attacks.

“In the month leading up to that first debate, the Biden-Harris campaign will focus on Trump's dangerous campaign promises and unhinged rhetoric,” Jen O'Malley Dillon, a top Biden campaign aide, wrote in a memo. at the end of May. "We will make sure the voters who will decide this election remember the chaos and damage Trump caused as president."

inner circle

Trump's grooming is also being handled by a small circle of aides, including Susie Wiles, Chris LaCivita and Jason Miller, as well as political advisers and speechwriters Vince Haley and Russ Worthington. Kellyanne Conway, a former senior White House official, is also helping Trump. The former president has always disdained formal preparation and mock debates, his allies say, preferring to work informally on answers and rebuttals with his assistants.

Two prominent figures who helped Trump in 2020 are missing: Rudy Giuliani, who handled much of that preparation from the White House during the height of the coronavirus pandemic, and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie. Giuliani faces his own legal and financial challenges over efforts to undo the 2020 election result, while Christie broke with Trump after the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol.

Miller said Trump's debate preparation comes naturally from his numerous media appearances and rallies. “President Trump conducts numerous difficult interviews each week and delivers long speeches while on his feet, demonstrating elite resilience,” Miller said in a statement. "It doesn't need to be programmed by staff."

Debate strategy

The first of two debates between the two candidates in 2020 was a chaotic affair , with Trump repeatedly interrupting Biden, prompting the Democratic candidate to respond "will you shut up?" and the Republican increasingly angry over criticism of his handling of the pandemic. During their second debate, the microphones were muted so that the candidates could be isolated. Trump, who appeared ill in the first debate, would announce shortly after that he had tested positive for Covid.

The logistics of the next debate may play more to Biden's strengths. There will be no live audience, something Trump draws energy from, and the moderators have the ability to cut off both microphones, so the former president cannot continue speaking over Biden.

Biden's advisers are determined to use the debate to contrast the candidates' temperaments and policies, said a person familiar with their planning. A key part of that strategy is giving Trump ample opportunities to make angry or outlandish comments, the person said.

A Trump ally said the presumptive Republican nominee's team was told to encourage him to remain as low-key as possible and give Biden room to make verbal gaffes, as the president is prone to do. Biden, 81, is the oldest president in US history and voters have expressed concern about his fitness to serve another four years . Trump, who turned 78 on Friday, also has a tendency to trash talk.

One Democrat said the candidate who talks the least will likely win the debate by giving his opponent time and space to make a mistake.

Economy, Immigration

Trump is expected to hit Biden on immigration and the economy, people say, exploiting two of the president's biggest political vulnerabilities. Polls show voters see the surge in migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border as a deal-breaker and rate Biden's handling of the economy poorly as persistently high inflation has hit American households.

And Trump will target Biden on foreign policy, according to people familiar with the matter, citing the disorderly withdrawal from Afghanistan and his handling of the war between Israel and Hamas, which has inflamed divisions within the Democratic Party.

Biden is expected to attack Trump for his role in rolling back federal abortion protections, as well as for comments criticizing NATO allies and praising Russian President Vladimir Putin, the people say, part of a broad strategy to present to the Republican as a danger to democracy at home. and abroad.

For both, the debate stage will be one of their best opportunities to reach voters before November. The first debate in 2020 had 73.1 million viewers and the second debate attracted 63 million.

The candidates agreed to participate in a second debate on September 10. That clash will take place after Trump's sentencing hearing on July 11 for his conviction in the silence trial and after both parties have held their conventions.