On Thursday night in Atlanta, Georgia, President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump will face off in the first presidential debate of the 2024 general election.
Trump and Biden debated twice leading up to the 2020 election. NPR’s Domenico Montanaro called the first one, in September of that year, “maybe the worst presidential debate in American history.” The two then debated again on Oct. 22, 2020, in Nashville, Tennessee.
Of note, Trump hasn't announced his running mate yet, but says that his pick will be in attendance in Atlanta.
This debate is scheduled to begin at 9 p.m. EST and last 90 minutes. CNN's Jake Tapper and Dana Bash are moderating.
WUNC will carry NPR's coverage on our airwaves, while CNN's live feed can be viewed below.
After the debate, Biden will head to North Carolina, making his first post-debate campaign stop in Raleigh. Biden and the First Lady will host a rally the state capital on Friday.
Meredith College Political Science Professor and poll director David McLennan told WUNC's Rusty Jacobs that the campaign swing is symbolic and shows real determination by Democrats to put North Carolina in play.
"They announced the opening of six additional field offices in North Carolina, and these are spread across state and even including rural areas," McLennan said.
McLennan says the Trump campaign will surely counter with state visits and TV ads. Since 1980, Republican presidential candidates have won every race in North Carolina except for Barack Obama's victory in 2008.
Independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will not appear in Thursday's debate, failing to meet the threshold that required candidates to poll at 15% or higher in four national surveys and appear on enough state ballots that could theoretically push them past the needed 270 Electoral College votes to secure the presidency. This week, a divided North Carolina election board blocked — for now — official recognition of political groups that collected signatures and want Kennedy and Cornel West on the ballot.
From inside the state capitol building to your inbox every Friday morning, the WUNC Politics Newsletter offers free, quick, concise catchups and context you can discuss with friends this weekend. No fees, no paywalls, no nonsense — just the news you need heading into the 2024 election.
