By: Ruihao Rick Shan

San Jose, California- This Thursday, President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump will have their first debate of this year. It will be the first time since their last debate in 2020 that they meet face to face. Any mistake will reverberate for months as their next debate takes place in September.

The two will face off at CNN’s headquarters in Atlanta. The debate will be 90 minutes long. The candidate’s microphones will remain muted unless it is their turn to speak. For the first time since 1960, there will be no live audience at the studio. The candidates are not allowed any prewritten notes and will instead only be given a pen, paper, and water.

Not having a live audience will force Trump to change his debate style. Trump’s style involves pleasing the crowd and overwhelming his opponent with insults. Muting microphones also stops Trump from interrupting his opponent while they’re talking.

Trump and Biden each get two minutes to answer the questions given to them by Jake Tapper and Dana Bash. A red light will warn a candidate that he has 5 seconds left. When the given time is up, the light will turn solid and the microphone will mute itself.

Joe Biden has gone to Camp David to prepare for the debate. He has had several informal meetings with advisors and top campaign aides. Mock debates have also been held where the president’s personal attorney, Bob Bauer, pretended to be Trump.

Meanwhile, Trump was seen attending a rally in Philadelphia. There Trump tried blaming Biden for the increase in crime and the influx of new migrants. Trump also endorsed Philadelphia’s Republican Senate candidate, Dave McCormick.

“Our border is overrun, inflation is raging. Crime is out of control. Europe is in chaos. The Middle East is exploding. Iran is emboldened. China is on the march, and this horrible, horrible president is dragging us toward World War III,” Trump said at the rally. “We’re going to be in World War III soon.”