Donald Trump and Joe Biden are due to face each other on the debate stage in Atlanta, Georgia, on Thursday evening in their first head-to-head of the 2024 election cycle.
The encounter will take place at 9pm ET and be broadcast live from CNN’s studios, with the network’s anchors Jake Tapper and Dana Bash serving as moderators.
The debate promises to be every bit as bad-tempered as their two face-offs in the run-up to the Covid-blighted 2020 election and the Republican has wasted no time in getting his blows in early, sneering on Wednesday that the president should be thrilled there will be no fact-checkers present because he is a “lying machine”.
Trump and his conservative media allies have also alleged in advance that the debate will not be a fair fight, arguing without evidence that the moderators will be biased and that Biden will be using performance-enhancing medication.
Meanwhile, new polling shows Trump up by just five points in a head-to-head matchup with Biden among likely voters in Texas. Trump received 48 percent to Biden’s 43 percent in the poll conducted between 11 and 20 June by the University of Texas at Tyler.
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Clinton warns debating Trump means facing a blizzard ‘nonsense’ and ‘blather’
Hillary Clinton, the former US first lady and secretary of state who has debated both of tonight’s combatants, took to the pages of The New York Times this week for an op-ed in which she advised Biden on what to watch out for from Trump.
Here’s Kelly Rissman on what she had to say.
Joe Sommerlad27 June 2024 16:45
Biden campaign tries to use Trump’s second-term blueprint against him as debate looms
The Biden campaign is rolling out a seven-figure paid digital and print-media campaign, which includes homepage takeovers at Buzzfeed, USA Today, CNN, El Tiempo Latino, Telemundo, theGrio, and the Atlanta Journal Constitution to highlight what they describe as “the dangers of electing Trump to a second term.”
The president’s campaign is also launching a new website that takes aim at Project 2025, the blueprint for a second Trump term that has been put forth by the right-wing Heritage Foundation think tank.
Andrew Feinberg in Atlanta, Georgia27 June 2024 16:21
Trump sees low poll numbers in Texas
In a head-to-head matchup, the poll of likely voters gave Trump 48 percent to Biden’s 43 percent.
Trump won Texas in 2020 by 5.58 percent, the lowest margin for a Republican candidate since 1996. The last Democrat to win the state on the presidential level was Jimmy Carter in 1976.
When other candidates were included in the question, the poll of likely voters conducted between 11 and 20 June gave independent candidate Robert F Kennedy Jr eight percent support, while Biden got 41 percent to Trump’s 47 percent.
A poll of registered voters found that 38 percent supported Biden while 46 percent backed Trump. Kennedy got 12 percent of registered voters.
In a head-to-head matchup of registered voters without third-party and independent candidates, 40 percent backed Biden and 46 percent supported Trump.
Gustaf Kilander27 June 2024 16:20
Voices: ‘Trump, Biden or anybody but them… who will America choose?’
The presidential debate will be the last chance for both men to make their case before party nominations are formalised, says Mary Dejevsky.
But after a campaign full of senior moments, voters may seize the opportunity to demand fresher faces.
Trump, Biden or anybody but them… who will America choose?
The presidential debate will be the last chance for both men to make their case before party nominations are formalised, writes Mary Dejevsky. But after a campaign full of senior moments, voters may seize the opportunity to demand fresher faces
Joe Sommerlad27 June 2024 16:15
Watch: The last time Trump and Biden faced off
Here’s a highlights package from IndyTV compiling the big moments from the last time the two men argued on television in the gloomy fall of 2020.
What happened the last time Trump and Biden faced off in 2020?
Donald Trump and Joe Biden are gearing up for their first 2024 Presidential Debate on Thursday 27th June. The last time the two ran against each other in 2020 their debates proved they would not be pulling any punches to get at their opponent. Some iconic quotes from 2020 debates will never be forgotten; such as Trump claiming he “knows more about wind’ than his opponent, and the moment Biden finally told Trump to “just shut up!”; this time around viewers are anxious to see what antics Thursday’s debate will have.
Joe Sommerlad27 June 2024 15:45
Kinzinger endorses Biden and says Trump ‘threatens America’s future’
The former Illinois Republican congressman has announced he is endorsing Joe Biden for the presidency in 2024 and attacked the incumbent’s Republican challenger Donald Trump as a threat to American democracy.
The news promises to provide some useful artillery for the president as he seeks to appeal to other conservatives dissatisfied with Trump’s chaotic tenure in the White House and uneasy about his near-total takeover of the Republican Party.
Joe Sommerlad27 June 2024 15:15
Most Americans say they can’t look away from Biden-Trump debate
Most American adults plan to watch at least some element of Thursday’s presidential debate and many think the event will be important for the campaigns of both Biden and Trump, according to a new poll from the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.
Both men remain broadly unpopular as they prepare to face off for the first time since 2020, although Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee, maintains a modest enthusiasm advantage with his base compared to Biden, the Democratic incumbent.
About six in 10 US adults say they are “extremely” or “very” likely to watch the debate live or in clips or read about or listen to commentary about the performance of the candidates in the news or social media.
The poll suggests tens of millions of Americans are likely to see or hear about at least part of Thursday’s debate despite how unusually early it comes in the campaign season.
Both Biden and Trump supporters view the debate as a major test for their candidate — or just a spectacle not to miss.
Joe Sommerlad27 June 2024 14:45
Georgia senator calls Trump ‘a plague on the American conscience’
Democrat Raphael Warnock made it clear the Republican should not expect to be welcomed in Atlanta today after attempting to overturn the Peach State’s election result in 2020 and getting indicted for his trouble.
The reverend also took aim at Trump’s claims to enjoy widespread Black support.
Speaking of which, here’s Katie Hawkinson on his declaration yesterday that his notorious mugshot had increased his support among minorities.
Joe Sommerlad27 June 2024 14:15
Trump airing two new Biden attack ads during debate
The Republican’s team informs us they will be airing two new attack ads on Biden during tonight’s CNN debate.
One, entitled “Promises”, attempts to critique the president’s record on the economy, immigration and crime.
The other, “Who is Laughing Now” (no question mark?), argues in jokier fashion that Biden “can’t ride a bicycle, climb a flight of stairs, or find his way off a stage” and that “Cackling Kamala Harris” is waiting in the wings to replace him.
You can see them here and here if you really can’t bear to wait.
Joe Sommerlad27 June 2024 13:45
Trump adviser hits out over Biden camp’s ‘debate bingo card’
Jason Miller is certainly not happy about this silly gimmick but I’m not entirely sure I understand his comeback – it’s surely Trump who’ll be yammering on about Hunter Biden all night, no?
Joe Sommerlad27 June 2024 13:15