Trump and Biden debate live updates: Follow all the action in real time from the first presidential showdown on CNN
The stage is set for one of the most consequential general election showdowns in decades.
Welcome to DailyMail.com's live blog of the first 2024 presidential debate between Donald Trump and Joe Biden.
Trump and Biden will go head-to-head at 9pm on CNN and the political stakes could not be higher.
In the hotly anticipated rematch Trump, 78, and Biden, 81, will be in the same room together for the first time since their debates in 2020.
The head-to-head is vital for each candidate to prove they are mentally and physically fit for office. Pre-debate attacks from both camps have been centered on age and allegations of cognitive decline.
Biden and Trump have 90 minutes in front of an audience of tens of millions to make their case.
Follow all the action from our reporters in Atlanta on a monumental night.
22:44
Trump and Biden debate: What time it starts, what network it's on and the rules...Everything you need to know
22:43
Welcome to DailyMail.com's live coverage of the first debate between Trump and Biden
Joe Biden and Donald Trump have both arrived in Atlanta for their crunch debate.
Trump gave a clenched fist sign as he disembarked his plane.
His allies have claimed Biden will be pumped full of performance-enhancing drugs so he can make it through the 90-minute debate.
Biden and Trump enter the night facing fierce political headwinds with both disliked by a majority of Americans, according to polling.
They offer sharply different visions on virtually every issue.
Trump has promised sweeping plans to remake the U.S. government if he returns to the White House.
Biden argues that his opponent would pose an existential threat to the nation's democracy if he wins.
00:01
Anything short of a 'game-changing moment' is a loss for Biden, GOP strategist warns ahead of debate
Republican strategist Scott Jennings said the stakes could not be higher for President Biden ahead of the debate.
‘We cannot understand the importance of this moment for one person, and that’s Joe Biden,’ said Jennings. ‘His campaign is teetering on the brink of going away right now.’
He pointed to the polling and said ‘the image is bad.’
‘Democrats are nervous. They know he is losing,’ Jennings said. ‘The reason we’re having this debate is the Biden campaign knows it must change the trajectory. Anything short of a game-changing moment for Biden tonight is a loss for him and a win for Donald Trump.’
Jennings said all Trump has to do is show up and look like a plausible president, and it’s a win for him.
23:58
Ex-Obama adviser predicts Biden will LOSE in 2024 if he spends first debate bragging about his record
David Axelrod predicted during a CNN panel ahead of Thursday's debate that if Joe Biden lingers on touting his record he will stunt momentum and liekly lose in November.
The former Obama advisor has been one of the Democrats who have been sceptical of Biden's reelection campaign.
Axelrod said on Thursday from the roundtable in Atlanta, Georgia:
I actually admire the president's record, but if he spends the whole night extolling his own record and it doesn't take the case to Trump, he will lose this debate and he may lose this election.
23:53
Joe Biden's popularity at lowest ebb in 17 years
Joe Biden was hit by a devastating new poll from Gallup on the day of the debate, showing his approval rating at 37 percent.
That is the lowest level Gallup has recorded for Biden since 2007 - when he was a U.S. Senator, and before he was president or vice president.
In a further blow a stunning 56 percent of Democrats told Gallup they would prefer another candidate to Biden.
There was also a massive 37-point 'enthusiasm gap' with only 42 percent of Democrats saying they were pleased with Biden as their nominee, while 79 percent of Republicans were pleased with having Trump as theirs.
Democrat enthusiasm for Biden is significantly less than it was for Hillary Clinton in 2016 when 64 percent were pleased with her as their candidate.
Gallup took its poll between June 3 and June 23, starting shortly after Trump was convicted of 34 counts of falsifying business records in his hush money trial in New York.
23:47
Muted mics could hurt Biden by protecting Trump from his own worst impulses
From Rob Crilly, Chief U.S. Political Correspondent
There's a new rule for this debate, muting microphones for each candidate when it is not their turn to speak.
The conventional thinking is that the new rule is good for Biden, protecting him from being steamrollered by Trump's heckles.
That's not how I see it. Biden won their first debate in 2020 largely by standing by as Trump ranted and raved, His best moment was when he spoke for much of the audience by interjecting: 'Will you shut up man.'
If Trump's microphone is shut off when it is not his turn to answer a question, there is less chance of him shooting himself in the foot.
23:17
Will the candidates shake hands before debate?
From Rob Crilly, Chief U.S. Political Correspondent
There is plenty to watch for tonight. But the first telltale sign of who's on top could come as the two candidates are introduced. Will they shake hands?
Both sides have been debating the best approach. Team Trump is focused on showing that their man has the physical edge over his opponent. So why not have him stride to Biden and grip his hand with presidential intent?
Former Trump strategist Steve Bannon and other hardliners don't like that idea. As he said on his show earlier:
Joe Biden is not the legitimate president of the United States. You should only shake hands with the legitimate president of the United States. He's not it.
There is a similar feeling in camp Biden. Why legitimize a man who tried to bend the Constitution to hang on to power after losing the 2020 election?
23:16
Jill Biden reassures top donors 'Joe's ready to go'
Emily Goodin, senior U.S. political reporter
First Lady Jill Biden reassured top Biden donors that her husband is ready for the debate.
'Joe’s ready to go. He’s prepared. He’s confident,' she told them on Thursday afternoon. 'You know what a great debater he is.'
After her arrival in Atlanta for the first presidential debate, the first lady stopped by the Biden Victory Fund, National Finance Committee Summer Retreat, which was taking place in the city.
She will watch the debate from a holding room at CNN – no audience is allowed in the auditorium.
23:11
Biden has had a huge ad advantage leading up to the first debate of the 2024 general election
President Biden has had a huge ad spending advantage ahead of first general election presidential debate when millions are expected to tune in for the primetime showdown.
Biden has seen nearly $150 million in ad support between Super Tuesday and the first debate night according to tracking by Ad Impact.
At the same time, Trump has seen $36.5 million during that same timeframe.
Biden has had a massive cash advantage over Trump for months leading up to them officially clinching the necessary delegates to be the nominees, but in recent months Trump has seen a fundraising surge that has helped him erase Biden's cash advantage.
23:09
Chris Wallace says he'd be open to moderating a future debate after refereeing 2020 chaotic Cleveland showdown
By Nikki Schwab, Senior U.s. Political Reporter in Atlanta, Georgia
CNN anchor Chris Wallace answered 'sure' when asked by DailyMail.com in the spin room if he'd be open to moderating a future presidential debate.
Wallace famously had to referee the chaotic 2020 Cleveland debate between President Donald Trump and then Democratic nominee Joe Biden that was mired by interruptions and insults.
The longtime Fox News Sunday host repeatedly had to scold Trump and Biden to stop going after each other and answer his questions.
It was the first of two times Trump and Biden met on the debate stage four years ago - as a second debate was cancelled in the aftermath of the Republican contracting COVID-19.
Asked if he was happy he didn't have to moderate tonight's affair - CNN's Jake Tapper and Dana Bash are handling that task - Wallace answered, 'No, not particuarly,' and then laughed.
23:07
Exclusive: Gov. Gavin Newsom shoots down rumors he could fill-in for Biden on 2024 Democratic ticket in interview with DailyMail.com
By Katelyn Caralle, Senior U.S. Political Reporter in Atlanta, Georgia and Jon Michael Raasch, Political Reporter in Atlanta, Georgia
California Gov. Gavin Newsom told DailyMail.com that suggestions President Joe Biden won't be the Democratic nominee in 2024 is an effort from the pro-MAGA world to 'distract' from real issues.
The Biden surrogate told DailyMail.com ahead of Thursday's debate in the CNN spin room in Atlanta, Georgia, of the premise that he could be swapped in as the Democratic nominee in November:
It’s a non sequitur. I don’t even understand the context of that. This is a President of the United States running for reelection. He’s our guy.
And that’s part of the diversion tactic of the right – to continue to sort of muddy the waters on all of that and that nonsensical speculation. It’s just like the absurdity of who’s going to get an injection shot. I mean this is farcical.
It’s serious stuff – democracy, freedom, liberty, rights. And to see it trivialized as we’re trivializing it even having these conversations is really distressing to me as an American citizen, not just as a Democrat.
23:07
James Carville suggests 'zinger' for Biden to bat away age issue
Democratic strategist James Carville was Bill Clinton’s campaign guru in 1992, and famously popularized the prhase 'It's the economy, stupid'.
Carville has a suggestion for how Joe biden, 81, should deal with the issue of his age in the debate.
According to Carville, now 79, the president should say:
It’s no doubt that I’ll be 82. By the way, I want to wish my opponent Happy Birthday. He recently made 78!
Carville also told NBC News:
There are certain rules that they always forget. The camera is always f***ing on you. Don’t grimace, don’t wince, don’t shake your head.
23:02
Voters in one of Georgia's wealthiest suburbs don't want Trump OR Biden as their candidate... and reveal the surprising choices for replacements
Donald Trump and Joe Biden are not popular in one of Georgia's richest suburbs heading into the first presidential debate.
Buckhead, a ritzy neighborhood in north Atlanta, is full of expensive shopping malls and glassy high-rise apartments humming with locals.
Atlanta is set to host the first presidential debate Thursday evening at 9 p.m. ET, but Buckhead residents tell DailyMail.com they don't care about the event - or the candidates.
'I hate to say it, but I don't think I'm on either side,' Kira told DailyMail.com when asked about who she was backing before the debate. 'I think they just forgot about the people, and we're just really struggling out here.'
22:59
What the Biden campaign wants from tonight
From Rob Crilly, Chief U.S. Political Correspondent
Senior Biden officials are convinced that the American public has yet to get its head around one simple fact: Donald Trump could return to the White House.
They believe most voters haven't been paying attention to the election and have yet to register the choice they'll face in November. And when they do, the 'don't knows' and the RFK Jr supporters will come back to the coalition that won them victory in 2020.
That's why they were so keen for a June debate, the earliest in history.
So in a sense they already have what they need from the debate: 90 minutes of prime time to remind voters of the chaos and upheaval of the Trump years, and to make clear that he is really, actually, definitely going to be on the ballot in November.
22:55
Trump heads to CNN headquarters for debate
Donald Trump's motorcade is on its way to CNN for the first presidential debate having arrived earlier in Atlanta.
22:45
Play Biden and Trump debate BINGO: Will Joe glitch? Will he call Trump 'unhinged?' Will Hunter be mentioned? Fill in YOUR card for the primetime showdown
Tonight marks the first time President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump will be in the same room in nearly four years.
The Democrat and Republican will participate in the first general election debate at CNN's headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia.
It could get heated.
DailyMail.com has put together a BINGO card using some of the insults the two candidates have flung at each other in recent weeks on the campaign trail.
Biden has repeatedly said Trump became 'unhinged' after losing the 2020 election, while Trump has hinted that he believes Biden will be on 'cocaine' during the 90-minute-long showdown.
A free space is reserved for when either candidate makes a gaffe.
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- Play Biden and Trump debate BINGO: Will Joe glitch? Will he call Trump 'unhinged?' Will Hunter be mentioned? Fill in YOUR card for the primetime showdown
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