Washington DC, June 28: US President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump will lock horns in the first presidential debate today, marking the countdown for the ultimate showdown later this year.

The debate hosted by CNN in Atlanta will take place at 9 pm on Thursday (local time) and 6:30 am on Friday in Indian Standard Time (IST).

It's the earliest ever in a presidential race, taking place before the Republican and Democratic conventions in July and August when both Trump and Biden will officially accept their party's nominations.

The showdown is scheduled to go 90 minutes with two commercial breaks. There will be no live studio audience: a major change from previous debates.

Polling shows over 70 per cent of American voters plan to tune in to the high-stake debate.

Notably, this is the first time, a sitting president and an ex-president will lock horns before millions of viewers, in an encounter taking place far earlier than normal.

President Joe Biden launched his re-election campaign in April 2023, describing the contest between him and Trump as a "stark choice" for voters between the continuation of democracy in America and its possible "destruction" under Trump.

He is the oldest president to ever hold office and would be 86 at the end of a second term. Polling shows that voters are far more concerned about Biden's age than his opponent's. But if Trump wins, he would break Biden's record as the oldest president before the end of his term.

Meanwhile, Trump launched his bid to reclaim the White House in November 2022. He aims to reclaim the White House after his bitter exit in 2020, as he looks forward to becoming only the second commander-in-chief to win two non-consecutive terms in office.

Notably, Trump continues to deny the 2020 election results. The former President also faces criminal charges in four cases, including two related to election interference and subversion of 2020 results.

In May, Trump was found guilty of all charges at his New York hush money criminal trial.

The debate comes at a time when many Americans are seeking relief from high prices and America's foreign policy faces new challenges amid two ongoing conflicts in Europe and the Middle East.

Additionally, some deeply divisive issues like immigration, gun laws and abortion also have stark positions from both leaders.

The debate in that sense personifies an election race that has left millions of Americans unsatisfied with the choice offered by two elderly candidates who alienate more voters than they attract, as per CNN.

This will mark the third debate between the two men -- after the two in the run-up to 2020 polls -- but is likely to be more important than the first two because a larger share of the electorate is potentially up for grabs.

Biden has pitched his second term as a continuation of his first term with the phrase, "Let's finish this job".

He has vowed to defend rights such as abortion protections that some Republicans have threatened to erode. If re-elected, Biden has said he would also protect America's image on the world stage, preserve democracy at home and deliver on climate benchmarks.

Trump, on the other hand, has said he would overhaul key factions of the federal government and slash social safety net programs. He has also vowed retribution against his political opponents and has said he would appoint a special prosecutor to "go after" Biden and his family.

Trump is strongly advocating border security, especially at the southern border towards Mexico. In a controversial remark, Trump said that the flow of migrants is "poisoning" the US blood. He has also vowed to re-implement his travel ban against specific Muslim countries.

He has also claimed that he will end the Russia-Ukraine conflict in "one day." Trump is also considered a strong supporter of Israel.

CNN Poll of Polls has found a tight race with no clear leader heading into the presidential debate. Nationwide, the current average stands at 49 per cent support for former President Donald Trump to 47 per cent supporting President Joe Biden

According to Politico, to win over real voters, both Biden and Trump have clear tasks: Biden needs to convince his haters he has a pulse. Trump also needs to be coherent and try to win back some of the moderates who defected from him to Nikki Haley in the late stages of the GOP primary.

(ANI)