We asked, you answered: The first presidential debate of 2024

Editors’ note: It seems the universal sentiment leading up to this first presidential debate can be summarized in one word: dread. “No matter how it plays out, I expect a horror show,” one Cog newsletter subscriber told us. “Like many Americans I am tired of all this. Our campaigning functionally starts a few minutes after the swearing-in ceremony; in other words it’s continuous. It shouldn’t be that way but I have no idea how to change it,” she continued.

Tonight’s debate, at 9 p.m. EST in Atlanta and hosted by CNN, is the first of two between Joe Biden and Donald Trump. It occurs before either candidate has been formally nominated by their respective political parties. And it is the earliest presidential debate in history — since 1960, all general election debates have taken place in late September or October. 

Four months before Election Day, the polls are tight. Trump was recently convicted of 34 felonies (with three more criminal indictments against him yet to be decided). On paper, Joe Biden has delivered on many of his policy promises from the 2020 campaign, but his approval numbers are stubbornly low. It’s a high-stakes, high-pressure moment for both campaigns.  

We asked our writers and readers to tell us what they’ll be looking for and hoping to see from the candidates tonight. Here’s what they told us. These submissions have been edited for length and clarity. — Cloe Axelson and Kate Neale Cooper

How Joe Biden should approach tonight’s debate

Energetically, can the State of the Union Joe show up? Despite Trump’s eleventh-hour efforts to walk back his criticism of Biden as doddering, that line of attack is right-wing dogma at this point. If Biden can speak with precision and urgency, as he did during the SOTU, voters concerned about his age will be reassured.

Contrast his record with Trump’s. It’s rare that two presidential candidates run who have each had a term in office. It gives voters a chance to compare records. Biden should embrace the contrast. The economy lost nearly 3 million jobs under Trump, Biden has added more than 15 million. The murder rate spiked during Trump’s term. Under Biden, violent crime has gone down.

Don’t let people forget Dobbs. Biden needs to remind people that Trump bragged about overturning Roe v. Wade, and wants to take away more women’s rights. He should stress that Trump has a long record of disrespecting women, including his own wives.

Remind moderates who Trump is. Biden should come prepared to cite Trump’s own words, about injecting bleach to cure COVID, referring to white supremacists as “very fine people,” grabbing women by their [expletives], and so on.

Trump knows how to dial down his rhetoric to pander to his audience. His best play will be to pound Biden on immigration and inflation, and to exploit anxieties about the economy. Look for him to finesse the abortion issue, by framing it as something for states to decide.  

– Steve Almond, writer, Arlington, Mass.

By the end of the night, we'll get see who these men really are 

At the start of Thursday night, I expect to see two men engaged in uncomfortable and ultimately unsuccessful impressions of one another. Biden, in an attempt to prove his vigor and land his punches early, will attack Trump for his many failures, both as a president and as a human being. Trump will try to demonstrate that he has policies – ideas, even! – that are meaningful to the American public and not just himself.

But I suspect that neither will be able to maintain those personas for the whole debate. Biden will want to remind viewers of his administration’s significant accomplishments, and of the risk his opponent poses to vast swaths of American society and to democracy itself.  Trump will uncontrollably spit up his usual stew of lies, braggadocio and demagogic incitements.

Ultimately, Biden — despite the fact that he is a whopping three years older than Trump –—will emerge with far more points in the Credible, Competent and, yes, Christian categories. Trump will wilt and wander, his mantras of grievance dribbling down his face under the hot studio lights almost as visibly as Rudy Giuliani’s hair dye.

And when Trump has exceeded his quotas of “rigged” and “weaponizing,” and Biden has exhausted his supply of “Here’s the deal” and “Listen, folks,” these men’s real selves will have fully reasserted themselves. Then the handful of wavering voters will have to decide not just who is the more authentic leader, but who they themselves aspire to be.

– Julie Wittes Schlack, writer, Northampton, Mass.

How did we fall so far? 

As a member of the first group of “under 21” folks allowed to vote (1976, and I’ve never missed an election since) as well as a 30-year public servant, I follow politics closely. My take on the upcoming debate is this: How did we fall so far that we can’t have a civilized debate for the highest office in the free world without muting the mics of the candidates, because one of them has the impulse control and behavior of a cranky toddler?

– Elaine Pressley, Clyde, North Carolina

Biden must draw a contrast with Trump on abortion rights and reproductive health

This debate is President Biden’s moment to directly tie Donald Trump to the dangerous and unjust stories that have played out across the country since millions of people were stripped of the right to access abortion care. I’ll be watching for Biden to plainly state that lives and futures are at risk because of Trump: that Trump is responsible for women nearly dying in the face of draconian abortion bans, that Trump is responsible for an increase in infant and newborn deaths because women are unable to access abortion care, and that Trump is responsible for putting IVF and birth control in jeopardy. The president can use Trump’s own words — “I was able to kill Roe v. Wade” — to make the point.

I’ll also be on the lookout for Biden to express his strong commitment to abortion rights and the full scope of reproductive health care. Standing firm on abortion — and drawing sharp contrasts with Trump — is smart politics across the nation. Since the fall of Roe, we have seen voters show up over and over to support abortion rights. On Thursday night President Biden should do everything in his power to rally those voters to show up for him.

– Jesse Mermell, political consultant, Brookline, Mass. 

What will the candidates say about climate change? 

I’ll be paying close attention to any discussion of climate change on Thursday night. The candidates differ starkly on climate and energy policy. It should be a winning issue for Biden.

Trump will have to dial back his rally rhetoric on energy policy because a majority of Americans want more government action on climate change. Plus, the fact-checkers will be out in force. You can expect to hear the following:

This is what Biden should say to Trump:

– Frederick Hewett, writer, Cambridge, Mass.

Freedom of speech and Palestine 

Open debate and exchange of ideas are vital to a functioning democracy. But at universities and in workplaces across the country, there has been a long-standing, open secret: the Palestine exception. If you want to publish or to keep your job, better not publicly support Palestinian rights. But now that two out of three Americans support a ceasefire in Gaza, and a majority of Americans oppose additional military aid to Israel, the Palestine exception is on full display.

Universities across the country have declined to protect students from doxxing and harassment, censored events, suspended student groups and denied degrees to students for articulating the mainstream viewpoint of opposition to Israel’s violence against Palestinians.

Now, there’s also a new twist. Supporters of Israel have allied with conservative opponents of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, arguing that programs to increase representation of minorities promote antisemitism. Forces from Democratic and Republican camps have united in a bipartisan attack on academic freedom.  At least 20 U.S. state legislatures have considered proposals to restrict education about racism, and the U.S. House of Representatives just passed two bills to restrict speech critical of Israel. The ACLU has condemned the bills, noting that one bill could hand the executive branch “a tool perfectly designed to stifle free speech, target political opponents and punish disfavored groups.”

Should this pattern continue, we risk the erosion of our civil liberties and our democracy. How far will our elected leaders go to shield Israel from accountability and critique? As the November 2024 elections approach, we must stand up for our freedom of speech and demand elected leaders do so as well.

– Lara Jirmanus, clinical instructor, Harvard Medical School, and faculty affiliate, FXB Center for Health and Human Rights at Harvard University

Jobs & the economy, health care & reproductive rights, democracy & American institutions

I will be watching to see how they address three areas. First, jobs and the economy: With unemployment down 7% from where it was four years ago, inflation is steadily decreasing and more people working than ever before it is clear the economy is moving in the right direction.

Second, healthcare and reproductive rights: Biden joins with the 63% of Americans who support a woman’s right to choose, contrasting with Trump’s support of the Court’s decision to overturn Roe v Wade. Biden has also worked to cut prescription costs and defend the popular Affordable Care Act. A law that Trump has attempted to repeal and is often critical of.

Lastly, democracy and our institutions. Biden has pledged to accept the results of the election whereas Trump remains dodgy at best. Trump remains critical of the judicial system after his 34 felony convictions compared to Biden’s continued belief that nobody is above the law.

Trump often speaks in hyperbolic rhetoric shrouded in a pessimistic view of America with wisps of nationalism and contempt for those who do not share his position. He will be met not by a roaring crowd of believers, rather a strong and prepared Joe Biden.

-- Joe Caiazzo, political consultant, Danvers, Mass.

I want to hear a more hopeful future for immigrant communities 

This debate comes on the heels of two consequential immigration announcements from the Biden Administration — one that effectively ends asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border, and another that provides a pathway to legal status for up to 550,000 undocumented spouses of U.S. citizens. The former is a catastrophic blow to our legal and moral values, while the latter provides a much-needed benefit to hundreds of thousands of families and communities.

But tonight, I hope to hear President Biden speak of a future where some immigrant communities are not thrown under the bus for the ostensible benefit of others. There is nothing that requires us to further militarize the border, violate asylum seekers’ statutory right to protection and expand immigration detention in order to provide relief for undocumented immigrants already here.

What’s more, perpetuating the cynical belief that such crass political trade-offs are necessary is bad for all of us. There is a world in which we can provide safety and stability both to those already here, and those seeking protection; I hope that President Biden articulates that future.

-– Sarah Sherman-Stokes,  associate director and clinical associate professor, Immigrants' Rights and Human Trafficking Program, Boston University School of Law, Brookline, Mass.

I hope the 2024 cycle marks the end of the debates themselves 

I've long argued that presidential debates add little value in helping Americans decide which candidate is best suited to serve as their leader.  They tell us little about whether a candidate has the good judgment, soundness of mind, well-articulated policy or vision that are required of presidential leadership.

But even if you disagree with my negative assessment of presidential debates, it's hard to make an argument that they will serve much of a meaningful purpose in this year's cycle besides making for a suspenseful TV moment. A debate between two elderly men, both of whom have a sizable record as president, is unlikely to yield a meaningful new insight on either's character, vision, or ability to lead. Nor is a debate likely to sway the vast majority of voters. Supporters of Donald Trump seem ready to support him come what may, even if he were to shoot someone in broad daylight on 5th Avenue. Those supporting Biden are equally committed. For such voters, as long as Biden is alive, he is what stands between authoritarianism and democracy.

Yes, there is a small — and critical — cohort of undecided or swing voters. But I'm hard-pressed to think that a debate in late June is likely to get their attention or sway their vote at this point in the election cycle.

I have to be honest:  I hope that the 2024 cycle marks the death knell for the debates themselves. In all of the uniqueness of the 2024 election cycle, one positive change, in my view, has already been the almost-certain demise of the Commission on Presidential Debates. This year, the debates will be controlled and run solely by two networks — CNN in June and ABC in September.

My hope is that the ratings for each are lackluster and that they fail to move the needle for either candidate such that by 2028, there is a consensus that there needs to be some better way for the American people to assess whether the candidates are qualified and suited to be their leader.

In 2028, I'd love to see a format and forum for real policy discussion where citizens can actually get a better view of candidates, their vision, and their capacity to bring out the best in all of us.

– Robert C. Bordone, founder of the Cambridge Negotiation Institute and an expert in negotiation, mediation and conflict resolution, Cambridge, Mass.

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