Biden and Trump prepare for their first televised debate! Trump changes his rhetoric, calling Biden a "valuable opponent"

With one week to go until the first televised debate between US President Biden and Republican presidential candidate Trump in 2024, the host of this debate, CNN, announced on the 20th that details such as the podium positions and the order of closing remarks were decided by flipping a coin. CNN stated that in order to "control the time and ensure civilized discussion," there will be no audience in the studio during the debate, and the microphones of the debaters will be muted except when speaking. The New York Times revealed that these were both requests made by the Biden team.

Reportedly, Biden attaches great importance to this debate. He went to the presidential retreat at Camp David on the 20th to prepare, while Trump was busy in meetings, discussing strategies. ABC reported that on the 20th, Trump changed his rhetoric from calling Biden "mentally unfit" for the first time in months, referring to him as "a valuable opponent, I don't want to underestimate him."

Standing to speak, no audience, no interruptions allowed

The debate will take place on Thursday, June 27th at 9 p.m. Eastern Time at CNN's headquarters in Atlanta. CNN's senior anchors Jack Tapper and Dana Bash will host the debate. The network stated that the entire debate will last 90 minutes with two commercial breaks. Based on the coin toss result, Biden chose the podium on the right side of the screen, while Trump will be on the left. Biden will deliver the closing remarks first, and Trump will speak last.

Both will be standing during the debate. Biden's campaign team stated that reports about Biden requesting to "sit during the debate" were inaccurate. According to the rules, during the debate, campaign staff from both sides are not allowed to interact with the debaters, including during breaks. The debaters cannot use any props or notes, and each podium will only have a pen, a piece of paper, and a bottle of water. The New York Times reported that the debate will take place without an audience, meeting the Biden team's request to avoid live audience cheers and jeers disrupting the debate.

Agence France-Presse stated that the atmosphere of the 2020 debates between the two was very tense, with Trump interrupting Biden's speech multiple times, and Biden sternly saying at one point, "Will you shut up?" This time, the host CNN will have more "tools" than usual to maintain decorum. If someone exceeds the allotted speaking time, the host can mute their microphone.

The BBC reported that this is the earliest televised debate in a US election cycle since 1960. It is also the first time since then that a debate is not organized by the traditional host, the Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD). The reason for this is that Biden and Trump clashed in two debates before the 2020 election, both of which were ugly and intense, receiving widespread criticism from viewers. In May of this year, Biden challenged Trump to a debate and also criticized the CPD's organization of the 2020 debates, calling their outdated practices focused on creating a "spectacle" rather than a "good debate." The Biden camp also believes that CPD-hosted debates are too late in the election cycle, with voters in some states already casting early votes "The New York Times" reported that this debate also broke a tradition. Typically, the major party candidates in the U.S. presidential election hold televised debates in late September and October, close to the election day. Biden and Trump are still only presumed nominees of their respective parties, as neither the Democratic nor Republican Party has held their formal nominating conventions yet. It is expected that Trump will be nominated at the Republican National Convention in July, while Biden will be nominated at the Democratic National Convention in August.

Biden is rehearsing, Trump is in meetings

"Marathon rehearsals, informal consultations, campaign rallies... Biden and Trump are preparing for next Thursday's televised debate in their own ways," AFP reported. Biden has gone to Davie Camp to refine his attack lines and rebuttal strategies. Details about his preparation are scarce at the moment, but it is known that his former chief of staff, Klain, will be involved, and an aide will play the role of Trump in mock debates.

According to AFP, the Trump camp has downplayed the need for rehearsals. He will continue campaigning and discuss foreign policy, immigration, and other issues with influential senators during the debate. Trump's senior advisor Miller said, "Former President Trump undergoes multiple difficult interviews every week, stands and delivers long rally speeches, demonstrating elite endurance." "He doesn't need staff scripting or chemical injections like Joe Biden." Reports indicate that Trump was convicted of 34 counts of commercial fraud in New York in May, and the debate is inevitably going to focus on his legal issues, with him devising possible responses.

Regarding their debate strategies, the Financial Times stated that Biden's main task is to prove that at 81 years old, he is still capable of being president, while emphasizing the differences in style and policies between himself and Trump, "emphasizing the dangers Trump poses to the rule of law and American democracy." AFP reported that Biden's campaign team members stated that the president will criticize him on abortion rights, threats to democracy, and Trump's "billionaire tax cut" plan.

AFP mentioned that this debate is a "test of endurance" for Biden. He must convince skeptics and strongly respond to attacks on his intellectual acuity by the Trump team. Biden hasn't stood in front of a live TV audience for 90 minutes in a long time, sometimes appearing stiff in his movements and unclear in his speech. The Financial Times noted that while Biden has been sharp on certain occasions, such as his State of the Union address in March this year, he has been incoherent on other occasions. Despite Trump's sometimes more chaotic and extreme remarks, Biden's mistakes have always been a focus of attention.

Election "potential turning point"?

BBC reported that in addition to the debate organized by CNN, Biden and Trump have agreed to participate in a televised debate organized by ABC on September 10 this year. "There are not many known potential turning points in the U.S. presidential election, but televised debates are certainly a possibility," said veteran U.S. political analyst Charlie Cook to the Financial Times. Trump said at his 78th birthday party last week, "This should be an important night." The Los Angeles Times reported that this presidential debate is novel. It will be the first debate between the current and former presidents of the United States, the first debate where a major criminal is the protagonist, and the first debate before the major parties officially nominate their candidates. The newspaper also questioned Biden and Trump for bypassing the bipartisan Presidential Debate Commission and holding an early debate in their own way. The Commission plans to hold three presidential candidate debates and one vice presidential candidate debate in the fall.

"Our view is that this should be a debate," said Frank Fahrenkopf, co-chair of the bipartisan Presidential Debate Commission, "It's not just about candidates answering important questions ... TV viewers can also understand the candidates' characters, how they behave, whether they follow the rules, and whether they are polite." Fahrenkopf stated that he is taking a wait-and-see approach to the debate arrangement reached by Biden and Trump, and is ready to organize the remaining debates at any time