Congressional allies to both candidates brace for test of mental fitness to overshadow presidential debate

CNN —

Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle on Capitol Hill say that one looming question will be hanging over Thursday night’s presidential debate – how both President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump address concerns over their age and mental acuity.

Democrats want the president’s performance to dispel the GOP-propelled narrative that the 81-year-old president lacks the fitness to hold the nation’s highest office, and by extension prove that Trump, who was found guilty in one criminal trial and faces three more, is the one who is unfit to serve.

Republicans, meanwhile, are engineering a double-edged expectations game that seemingly raises the stakes on Biden, while lowering them for Trump.

Beyond that, Democrats say they want Biden to clarify what he can and cannot do to help the economy while Republicans implore Trump to stay on message and not resort to personal attacks.

In conversations with over a dozen lawmakers, both sides acknowledged that a debate performance four months out from election day is unlikely to make or break either candidate, but each side said they had high expectations for the rematch that presents a unique opportunity for both men to outline what they accomplished in four years as president.

The chair of the House GOP campaign arm, Rep. Richard Hudson, wants Trump to focus on his record and not go after Biden for his age, telling CNN he doesn’t think that should be a political issue.

“I think the American people will get a clear choice between two visions for America,” Hudson said. “It’s a unique situation when you got two people who have already been president, so you’re not talking about their hopes and dreams, you’re talking about their records.”

Trump, who often