“Are you going to shut up, man?” current US President Joe Biden said in the middle of a debate in September 2020, annoyed by the incessant interruptions of his then rival, Donald Trump. Four years later, the same two men, 81 and 78, face each other again on Thursday June 27 during the first televised debate ahead of the American presidential election in November.
The news channel CNN, which is hosting the duel, has planned special arrangements which should avoid the cacophony of four years ago. The two oldest candidates in American history are preparing behind the scenes.
A debate without an audience
In the CNN premises in Atlanta, the debate, which begins at 9 p.m., will take place without an audience, while the 2020 debates took place in front of an audience ready to react to attacks or laugh at one or the other candidates. The two men will stand behind a lectern for ninety minutes, the location of which – right or left – was determined by a coin toss won by Joe Biden. The latter therefore chose to stand on the right on the screen, and left Donald Trump to close the debate.
Jake Tapper and Dana Bash, the two CNN moderators, “will use all the tools at their disposal to enforce speaking times and ensure a civilized debate,” the channel told the American press. Two advertising breaks will take place, according to the rules of the debate consulted by the New York Timesbut Trump and Biden will not be allowed to speak with their advisers during this time.
Microphones cut, no files prepared
Another measure that should be radical: the microphone of the Democratic candidate, Joe Biden, will be cut off when the Republican candidate, Donald Trump, speaks – and vice versa. If they interrupt each other or insult each other, no one should hear them. Biden and Trump will each have two minutes to answer questions, followed by one-minute rebuttals and responses to the rebuttals. Flashing red lights will indicate to candidates that they have five seconds remaining, and will turn solid when the time is up.
The two White House contenders will be given a pen, paper and water, but will not be allowed to use prompters or bring small prepared cards. While CNN does not plan a real-time fact-check, according to AFP, the New York Times for example, planned to mobilize 60 journalists to cover the debate, including 29 fact-checkers focused on verifying the statements of Biden and Trump.
Two different preparations for two opposing candidates
Different candidates, different preparation styles. Between meetings, rehearsals, and killer one-liners against the competition, the two campaign teams are preparing Joe Biden and Donald Trump for this unmissable event in the American presidential election. This first debate is being held earlier than usual (normally in September) due to a challenge launched by the Democratic candidate, accepted by the Republican.
President Biden has been locked up for a week at Camp David, a country residence of American leaders near Washington, to prepare for his confrontation, where he had already trained for his acclaimed “State of the Union address” Of March. His former chief of staff at the White House, Ron Klain, is participating in the sessions, according to the American press. Joe Biden revealed part of his debate strategy during an interview in early June on ABC.
“I want to go in a direction where it [NDLR : Donald Trump] talks about, you know, suspending the Constitution. All I have to do is listen to what he says, remind people what he says and what I believe, what he believes. He cares about himself. I care about the country.” The president of his campaign team, Jen O’Malley Dillon, also indicated in an interview reported by the Washington Post that the campaign aimed to “remind” voters of “things they hoped to forget – the chaos and pain that followed Trump’s leadership.”
In the Trump camp, no repetition. The former president surrounded himself with senators and vice-presidential candidates to discuss issues likely to be addressed during the debate, foreign policy or immigration, according to media reports, and probably also prepare to undergo attacks concerning his recent criminal conviction in the Stormy Daniels affair, a first for a former American president. “Unlike Joe Biden, [Donald Trump] does not need to be prepared by his collaborators, nor to be doped with chemicals”, criticized his advisor Jason Miller. According to him Donald Trump, although only three years Joe Biden’s junior, is demonstrating ” of extraordinary endurance.
A duel over form more than substance?
Precisely, it is also on the form that Joe Biden must convince, while the two candidates are neck and neck in the polls: Donald Trump and his supporters regularly accuse the president of being doped or senile, as desired.
Just recently, Donald Trump at a meeting in Philadelphia accused the president of being “sleeping, because they want him to be in good shape. And a little before the debate, he will receive a shot in the ass.” For its part, Biden’s campaign team portrays Donald Trump as “a habitual criminal” who “leads a deranged campaign” fueled by the obsession with “revenge”. “It’s an incredible test of their cognitive skills,” told Reuters Patrick Stewart, professor of political science at the University of Arkansas. “This is an opportunity to see how far these have declined or if they have declined.”
Several other major national channels will broadcast the debate, with a CNN logo and without external comments. 84 million viewers – out of more than 330 million inhabitants in the United States – followed the first duel between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, 73 million for the first Biden-Trump debate in 2020, all channels combined. A second presidential debate is scheduled on ABC on September 10.