US President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump will cross swords tonight in Atlanta, in the most crucial televised showdown in US history.

For the first time, a sitting president and a former president will face off in front of millions of television viewers in a televised showdown that will take place much earlier than usual. The CNN-hosted debate is the most pivotal moment in the upcoming electoral contest and it’s Biden’s best chance to shake up the electorate and convince voters that promises of economic smoothness in 2020 have come true.

The debate will be held amid difficult economic times for American citizens. At the same time, her issue remains in focus access to abortion which was suspended by the conservative majority of the Supreme Court appointed by Trump. The deep differences regarding the immigration and foreign policy in a world filled with new challenges to US power will also provide a contentious backdrop to the clash between the two candidates, who openly despise each other.

The debate in this sense personifies an election race in which millions of Americans express their displeasure at being asked to choose between two aging candidates.

Since Senator John F. Kennedy and Vice President Richard Nixon held the first televised campaign debate in 1960, the political landscape has changed. The stakes of the 2024 election are more critical than ever because of Trump’s attempt to disrupt the peaceful transition of power with false allegations of fraud in the 2020 election, while he has expressed a political revanchism if he is re-elected to the presidency of the country.

Biden plans to describe in starkest terms the threat Trump represents to the rule of law and democracy , CNN reports. He will describe the mob attack by Trump supporters on the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, as a watershed moment for the Republic. “The embodiment of menace is back,” says a Biden aide.

The Democrats’ bet is to overturn Trump’s image of the aging Biden. On the other hand, the Trump camp is eager for his performance to disprove Biden’s warnings that he is too “unfit” to be president.

Biden is expected to hit Trump on abortion — one of the few policy areas where he outperforms the former president in the polls — but also on his admiration for foreign dictators. Trump is expected to portray Biden’s America in dystopian terms, engulfed by uncontrolled immigration, rampant crime and economic distress. The debate comes less than a month after Trump was convicted of bribery. Biden has already highlighted the former president’s conviction at campaign events, but Trump insists he is the victim of the US president’s effort to meddle in the election.

Faced with extreme pressures

Both men hope to avoid the gaffes and odd personal quirks that have often gone viral and dominated criticism of their suitability.

The presidential debates are not the catalyst for the election winner.

Neither Trump nor Biden have been pitted against each other since their last clash in the 2020 campaign which took place in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. And their preparation for one of the most important nights of their lives reflects their character and political personalities.

The president has not made public appearances for days, as he is at Camp David with his advisers, planning his strategy.

The former president, on the other hand, participates in rallies and events. But he too has held preparatory meetings with aides and some potential vice-presidential candidates, including Ohio Sen. JD Vance and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio.

Preparation at Camp David

Biden’s debate team is led by former White House chief of staff Ron Klein, who has been preparing Democrats for the presidential debates for a generation. One of Klein’s rules is that “while you can lose a conversation at any time, you can only win it in the first 30 minutes.”

Biden’s team has been busy with Trump’s recent public interviews and speeches, so the president will be ready for any version of Trump, whether it’s an aggressive opponent who insulted him in their first face-off in 2020, or a more subdued one. interlocutor who seeks to project stability.

A Biden adviser told CNN that preparations for the debate included the president’s readiness to respond should Trump make personal comments about the US president’s son, Hunter, who was convicted of a felony.

Biden is gearing up, taking part in a mock debate inside a large shed at the Maryland retreat, where there are bright television lights. His personal attorney, Bob Bauer, has been impersonating Trump, and other aides have taken on the roles of CNN anchors Dana Bass and Jake Tapper.

Trump’s preparation is as unorthodox as he is

Trump’s disadvantage is his lack of experience, as he has refused to discuss with any of his rivals for the Republican nomination. However, his aggressive style doesn’t differ much from the bellicose, sharp attitude he exhibits at most public events.

Trump has launched attacks against Biden, saying Biden is so mentally impaired he can barely stand up or finish a sentence. In any other era, it would have been unthinkable for a candidate to accuse an opponent of doping. But Trump’s tactics are a reminder of a presidency and a political style that has shattered all previous standards.

Trump is expected to attack Biden on immigration and the economy. He boasts about polls his team says show the former president ahead in all key states.

Trump, whose administration has indulged in daily lies, accuses Biden of the same offense most associated with him, lying.

Trump’s unorthodox approach is reminiscent of his administration marked by chaos, discord and cacophony.

Trump’s previous tenure will be an argument for Biden, who will try to show voters the contrast between the 45th and 46th presidents.

“Debate is a story about yourself. Tell why you are the right candidate. Because the other is the wrong candidate. And it’s a story about the future. Every election is about the future. It’s an option for the future,” says a CNN analyst.

Neither Trump nor Biden has so far met that goal. On Thursday they will have their chance.