At 9pm Eastern Time on Thursday (9am Beijing Time on Friday), the United States will hold its first televised debate in this presidential election.
Compared to previous presidential election televised debates, tonight's debate has received particularly high attention. However, unlike previous debates, the focus of media and voters this time may not be on the differences in policy stance between Biden and Trump, but on their physical fitness and age
Two ancient and rare elderly people are about to take the stage
The TV debate will be held in a CNN studio in Atlanta, USA, for a duration of 90 minutes, and there will be no audience present. According to the pre agreed rules, both sides of the debate are not allowed to bring pre written notes to the stage.
Trump is already 78 years old this year, while Biden is now 81 years old. For these two elderly individuals, especially Biden, to engage in continuous debate on this 90 minute television program will be a dual test of both mental and physical strength.
If we look back at the public speeches of the two individuals in the past, we will find that both have some worrying records.
According to the evaluation of American media, Trump often speaks incoherently and makes some "strange comments" in campaign speeches; Biden, on the other hand, has a stiff gait and unclear speech, often experiencing inconsistent speech content, using the wrong name, and even occasionally falling.
A recent Reuters Ipsos poll showed that prior to the November 5th election, the mental health of candidates was one of the key concerns for neutral voters.
Overall, they are more concerned about Biden. According to another Reuters Ipsos poll, 78% of respondents (including 71% of Democrats) believe that Biden is too old to be competent for governing. About 53% of people hold the same view towards Trump.
So, this TV debate will become a crucial touchstone. Whoever can demonstrate abundant physical strength and clear mind in this TV debate will be more able to gain the support of voters.
Biden has already "closed door training" one week in advance
In fact, Biden's age has always been the focus of attacks from his political opponents. Although the White House and Biden's campaign team have been trying to prove to the outside world that Biden's physical and mental state is sufficient to serve as president, the results have been minimal.
Therefore, tonight's debate may be a decisive moment for Biden to determine his election fate. If Biden performs poorly, it will not only seriously impact his public support, but also cause setbacks in his subsequent campaign fundraising activities.
According to media reports, in order to ensure tonight's debate performance, Biden has been staying with his senior advisor at the Camp David presidential resort in the western mountains of Maryland for nearly a week, conducting debate training in seclusion. It wasn't until Thursday debate day that Biden set off for Atlanta.
According to reports, in order to showcase a wise and steady image of a successful leader to American voters during Thursday's televised debate, Biden spends several hours every day preparing: not only does he need to undergo "realistic simulation debate" training, but he also needs to improve his physical strength to adapt to the requirement of standing alone for 90 minutes.
Democrats are also very nervous
Not only the Biden team, but many Democrats are also anxious about Biden's performance tonight, as this debate is crucial and the risk of Biden's poor performance is too high.
A Democrat close to the White House said, "The age issue is clearly a challenge and obstacle for Biden... I think the key is whether he has shown strength and confidence? I think he just needs to show on stage that he can control his agenda and confidence, and I think he will do it."
Florida lawyer and contributor to Biden, John Morgan, said he hopes Biden will quickly address the issue of age in the debate.
He believes that Biden should not shy away from age issues, but should actively "talk about his physical and mental health. He should challenge Trump and show this country who is healthier and stronger. I'm not joking."
The Biden team has put in a lot of effort
In fact, in order to ensure Biden's "healthy and strong" leadership image, the Biden team has put in a lot of effort.
For example, given that previously the media often captured Biden walking slowly and frequently falling while boarding a helicopter, now whenever Biden walks slowly towards the helicopter in front of the camera, his assistants will walk around him to divert attention from his slow pace; Meanwhile, now they will make Biden wear comfortable soft soled shoes and shorten the stairs to climb the helicopter to reduce the possibility of Biden falling in front of the camera.
Of course, this series of actions may not have a significant effect. A former White House official mocked, "All of these things they did... may indeed reduce the risk from a respectable perspective, but they may not really be helpful to him... All of these combined will only make him appear weaker than the actual situation."
Of course, Biden's wife and First Lady of the United States, Gil Biden, still insists that Biden's age is not a problem. "This election is not related to age. Joe and another person (Trump) are about the same age. This election is about personality, intelligence, and ability," she said at an event on Monday