Pen, Empty Notepad, and a Bottle of Water Only Required
Main Cognitive Tests for Two Candidates
NYT: "This Match Poses Great Risk to the Elderly Candidate"
Issues Include Inflation, Borders, War, and Abortion
Trump: "Vice Presidential Candidate's Flaws... Will Appear at Debate"
With the U.S. presidential election approaching this November, the first presidential TV debate between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump will be held on the 27th. Amid widespread assessments that this is one of the most disliked elections in history, there is speculation that this TV debate could be a turning point that shakes up the election landscape, where the two candidates' support rates are extremely close. Both candidates are struggling with controversies over their advanced age, and analysts suggest that any misstep could deal a fatal blow to their presidential campaigns.
According to U.S. local media on the 23rd (local time), the first TV debate between the two candidates will be held for 90 minutes at 9 p.m. Eastern Time on the 27th, hosted by CNN.
This will be the first time in four years that the two candidates face off in a TV debate since October 2020, a month before the last election. Typically, presidential TV debates are held in September or October after the party conventions, but this year, since the matchups were confirmed early, the debate has been moved up to June.
The two candidates are allowed to bring only a pen, a blank notepad, and a bottle of water into the debate hall. The debate will last 90 minutes, with two breaks for commercials, but the candidates will not be able to communicate with their campaign staff. Additionally, when one candidate is speaking, the other's microphone will be muted to prevent interruptions. Participating in the TV debate empty-handed, this will be a major test to assess the cognitive abilities of President Biden and former President Trump, who are 81 and 78 years old, respectively. In preparation, President Biden is dedicating himself to debate preparation at his presidential retreat, Camp David, while former President Trump is preparing with his aides at his Florida residence.
The New York Times (NYT) reported, "This earliest-ever U.S. presidential TV debate could bring greater risks and rewards to both elderly candidates, Biden and Trump. Since the second debate scheduled for September is still months away, any noticeable physical or mental mistakes in this debate could have significant repercussions and ripple effects for months."
The main points of focus in this TV debate are expected to be inflation and the economy, border issues, foreign policy, abortion, and judicial risks.
First, former President Trump is expected to directly attack President Biden on the issue of inflation. Under the Biden administration, the U.S. economy has maintained solid growth, breaking away from the global economic slowdown, and has attracted large-scale domestic investment through major legislative achievements such as the CHIPS and Science Act (CSA) and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). However, due to high prices caused by the pandemic and the Ukraine war, American public opinion on the Biden administration's economic policy, dubbed "Bidenomics," remains harsh. The two sides are also expected to clash over tax policies. President Biden is pushing for a "wealth tax," while former President Trump has proposed lowering corporate tax rates and reducing or abolishing income taxes.
Border issues are also a major point of contention. With growing American concerns over the surge in illegal immigration, former President Trump has launched attacks on President Biden's pro-immigration policies. Under pressure, President Biden issued an executive order earlier this month to strengthen border control. Subsequently, to prevent the defection of Hispanic voters, a traditional Democratic base, he also introduced measures to grant permanent residency to illegal immigrants married to U.S. citizens.
Foreign policy, influenced by the Ukraine war and Middle East conflicts, is also expected to be a topic of debate. President Biden is likely to emphasize the need to uphold the Western-led international order alongside allies by continuing support for Ukraine. In contrast, former President Trump is expected to criticize Biden's unstable leadership, accusing him of destabilizing global affairs by expanding U.S. involvement to two fronts.
Abortion is another key point to watch in this debate. The U.S. Supreme Court's 2022 decision to overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling, which guaranteed universal abortion rights for women, nullified constitutional protections related to abortion. President Biden, who is defending abortion rights, is expected to focus attacks on former President Trump, who opposes abortion, aiming to win over female voters.
Judicial risks cannot be overlooked either. President Biden is expected to attack former President Trump’s various legal risks, including his conviction related to hush money payments in a sexual misconduct case. Former President Trump is also likely to focus on the legal risks surrounding Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, including his conviction for illegal firearm possession.
Meanwhile, former President Trump announced that he has decided on his vice-presidential candidate and that this person will attend the presidential TV debate scheduled for the 27th. According to NBC, when asked about his vice-presidential pick in Philadelphia the day before, Trump replied, "It's already decided in my mind. Nobody knows." The leading candidates for Trump’s running mate include North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, Senator J.D. Vance, and Senator Marco Rubio.
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