Can Biden perform and can Trump be boring? Key questions ahead of high-stakes presidential debate

NEW YORK (AP) — For Mon PMs; WX507-508

___

Rarely, if ever, has one candidate in a presidential debate had so much material to use against the other.

Republican Donald Trump has been convicted of 34 felony counts with serious charges in three other indictments still pending. As president, Trump nominated three of the justices who voted to overturn Roe v. Wade and erode abortion access in America, creating a backlash even in conservative-led states. And his sweeping second-term plans include promises of retribution against political enemies in both parties.

Yet the big question for President Joe Biden — fairly or not — is whether he has the physical and mental capacity at 81 years old to press the case against Trump. Perhaps nothing matters more than the level of energy and strength the Democratic incumbent projects on stage.

Both men have glaring flaws that present their opponent with tremendous opportunity — and risk. They will face a huge national audience that will include many people tuning into their 2020 rematch for the first time and who won’t see another debate until September, magnifying each success or mistake.

Biden and Trump will face off Thursday at 9 p.m. for 90 minutes inside a CNN studio in Atlanta.

<bsp-list-loadmore data-module="" class=«PageListStandardB» data-gtm-region=«RELATED COVERAGE» data-gtm-topic=«No Value» data-show-loadmore=«true» data-gtm-modulestyle=«List B»> <bsp-custom-headline custom-headline=«div»> RELATED COVERAGE </bsp-custom-headline> <bsp-custom-headline custom-headline=«div»> ‘Everything is at stake’ for reproductive rights in 2024, Harris says as Biden-Trump debate nears </bsp-custom-headline> <bsp-custom-headline custom-headline=«div»> How Biden and Trump are taking very different