Joe Biden And Donald Trump Arrive In Atlanta For CNN Presidential Debate
Joe Biden getting off Air Force One this afternoon. Photo by Kyle Mazza/Anadolu via Getty Images
President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump have each arrived in Atlanta for this evening’s CNN debate, an event that many predicted would unravel when it was first announced last month.
Biden arrived at about 3:15 p.m. ET, and greeted an entourage that included former UN ambassador Andrew Young and Stacy Abrams. Also spotted, per a pool report: Jeffrey Katzenberg, who is serving as campaign co-chair.
Later, Biden greeted supporters in downtown Atlanta, hugging Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA), who is serving as one of the campaign surrogates.
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Trump’s plane landed at about 5:30 p.m. ET, and he waved and gave a fist sign to cheering supporters.
Both Trump and Biden carefully descended the steps from their respective aircraft — as any kind of slip or fall would quickly overshadow the vigorous images they are trying to convey in the lead up to the event.
CNN’s spin room was set up in McCamish Pavilion, a Georgia Tech arena near the network’s studios, where the debate will take place. Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
The candidates will face each other at 9 p.m. ET, for a 90-minute debate that is hosted by CNN at their Atlanta studios. But the network also is making its feed available to other broadcast, cable and streaming outlets, meaning that the event will have the similar wall-to-wall reach of past general election matchups.
Most media will be reporting on the debate in and near McCamish Pavilion, where CNN has set up a press filing center and a red carpeted spin room, with the network’s logo plastered throughout the facility.