Biden, Trump arrive in Georgia ahead of historic debate

US President Joe Biden and his predecessor former president Donald Trump arrived in Georgia on Thursday for their first debate of the 2024 election cycle, as the two White House hopefuls face a high-stakes test with potential voters.

Biden’s Air Force One touched down at a military base about an hour’s drive from the capital Atlanta, where the debate will take place at CNN’s headquarters beginning at 9:00 pm (0100 GMT Friday).

The Republican candidate trump touched down in his private jet, which he has dubbed “Trump Force One,” at the airport in Atlanta.

Millions of Americans will tune in to the highly anticipated clash — the opening salvo in what promises to be a bruising summer of campaigning in a deeply polarized country still scarred by the chaos and violence that accompanied the 2020 election.

With only two debates this election cycle and national polls showing the pair locked in the tightest of contests, Thursday’s event at CNN headquarters in Atlanta — starting at 9:00 pm (0100 GMT Friday) — takes on heightened significance.

For many voters, the choice between the 81-year-old Biden, the oldest ever incumbent, and the 78-year-old Trump, now a convicted felon, is an uninspiring one — a dynamic both candidates need to counter as they go head-to-head.

For Trump, an instinctive political pugilist, the challenge will be to rein in the aggressive tendencies he unleashed — to his detriment — in their first chaotic debate four years ago.

Biden will be desperate to avoid any major gaffes that could underline concerns about his age.

He also will focus on his key campaign message that Trump poses an existential threat to US democracy.

There is certainly no love lost between the two candidates, and both sides have agreed to a series of debate rules aimed at minimizing the prospect of a shouting match.

There will be no studio audience, depriving candidates of the momentum that comes from ginning up supporters, and microphones will cut out when a candidate’s speaking time is over.