The upcoming presidential debate will mark the first time a current president will debate a former one, and the earliest general-election presidential debate in history. The Biden campaign called for changes in May, arguing that increased early voting warranted a debate sooner than September and that the commission had not enforced rules in 2020. Trump had also voiced support for an earlier debate, and the Republican National Committee threatened to fire the commission.
The candidates agreed to hold two debates, with the first hosted by CNN in Atlanta. The 90-minute event begins at 9 p.m. Eastern and will be simulcast and streamed by several other networks, including Spectrum News. Notable debate rules include no live audience and muted microphones when it's not their turn to speak.
Biden has been at Camp David since last Thursday preparing for the showdown, holding mock debates and not holding any campaign events or public White House appearances over the past week. Biden could also try to attack Trump for his claims about the 2020 election, the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, and Trump's criminal conviction last month for falsifying business records, but Trump supporters will definitely be online correcting the current Oval Office occupant.
Trump has taken a different approach in his debate prep, reportedly leaning more on meetings with advisers. The former president held a campaign rally last weekend in Philadelphia and has continued to do media interviews. Trump has repeatedly attacked Biden over inflation, immigration, and the wars in Ukraine and the Gaza Strip while blaming the current president of steering the four criminal cases against him. Biden has denied having any involvement.
Trump and his allies have spent recent days preemptively attacking Biden and CNN, making baseless claims that the president will likely take performance-enhancing drugs before the debate and suggesting moderators Jake Tapper and Dana Bash will not be fair to Trump. Trump and his advisers said they are not underestimating Biden, despite often claiming he lacks the mental acuity to "string two sentences together."