Biden Prepares for Debate, Trump Opts for Informal Prep

President Joe Biden is hunkered down with aides at Camp David for several days to get ready to debate rival Donald Trump, who is eschewing traditional preparation and instead holding informal policy discussions between campaign stops.

The face-off in Atlanta will be the earliest presidential debate in modern U.S. history and a critical event for both candidates. It will include two commercial breaks, no props and muted microphones when the other candidate is speaking to head off a repeat of their often raucous 2020 debates.

Biden, 81, and former president Trump, 78, are neck-and-neck in national opinion polls, with a considerable slice of the electorate still undecided five months before the Nov. 5 vote.

The debate will provide the starkest contrast yet of the two men, the oldest candidates ever to seek the U.S. presidency, as voters question their age and mental sharpness.

Biden's team will focus on refining the argument that Trump pursues extremist policies on abortion and other issues, is a danger to democracy, and is beholden to the rich donors writing him checks, a campaign official said.

The Trump camp, meanwhile, wants to make Biden defend his administration's record on immigration and inflation.

Trump has held a series of meetings in recent weeks with US senators and advisers at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida and elsewhere to review the kind of substantive policy points he would like to make on the debate stage.

While Biden will not shy away from attacking Trump for past actions, including his role in the US Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021, the president wants to project himself as a wise and steady leader in contrast to Trump's division and chaos, the official said.