Previewing the First Presidential Debate

Next Tuesday, September 29 will feature the first of three presidential debates between current president Donald Trump and former vice president Joe Biden. Currently, according to RealClearPolitics, Biden holds an average lead nationally of 6.5 points, as both candidates look to make their pitch to the American people.

For the president, preparation will be a key difference from 2016, as a Fox News interview writes that President Trump intends to thoroughly prepare for this first debate, as opposed to 2016 when the president was said to have not prepared at all.

For the Biden campaign, many top aides believe that the debates will not have a profound impact on the general election and believe that Biden simply needs to avoid making any gaffes or mistakes (The Atlantic).

Topics likely to be featured Tuesday night include: Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s Supreme Court vacancy, the coronavirus, social unrest, climate change, and the economy. The debate will be moderated by Fox News anchor Chris Wallace and will be held at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, which is a bellwether state for both candidates. The debate itself will last ninety minutes, and begins at 8PM Central Time, and will be live on virtually every major cable news network.

Riley Dulin - Political Editor