How the Biden-Trump debate could change the trajectory of the 2024 campaign

The contenders hope to jolt a campaign that many voters are just beginning to watch.

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President Biden and former President Donald Trump will face off in Thursday night’s debate in Atlanta, the first-ever matchup between a sitting president and a former one. Associated Press ATLANTA — President Biden and his Republican rival, Donald Trump, will meet for a debate on Thursday that offers an unparalleled opportunity for both candidates to try to reshape the political narrative. Biden, the Democratic incumbent, gets the chance to reassure voters that, at 81, he’s capable of guiding the U.

S. through a range of challenges. The 78-year-old Trump, meanwhile, could use the moment to try to move past his felony conviction in New York and convince an audience of tens of millions that he’s temperamentally suited to return to the Oval Office.



Biden and Trump enter the night facing fierce headwinds, including a public weary of the tumult of partisan politics. Both candidates are disliked by majorities of Americans, according to polling, and offer sharply different visions on virtually every core issue. Trump has promised sweeping plans to remake the U.

S. government if he returns to the White House and Biden argues that his opponent would pose an existential threat to the nation’s democracy. With just over four months until Election Day, their performances have the rare potential to alter the trajectory of the race.

Every word and gesture will be parsed not just for what both men say but how they interact with each other and how they hold up under pressure. “Debat.