Biden and Trump to face off in US presidential election debate
Both candidates are disliked by majorities of Americans, according to polling, and offer sharply different visions on virtually every core issue.
US President Joe Biden and his Republican rival Donald Trump will meet for a debate later that offers an unparalleled opportunity for both candidates to try to reshape the political narrative.
Mr Biden, the Democratic incumbent, gets the chance to reassure voters that, at 81, he is capable of guiding the US through a range of challenges.
Mr Trump, meanwhile, could use the moment to try to move past his felony conviction in New York and convince an audience of tens of millions that he is temperamentally suited to return to the Oval Office.
Mr Biden and Mr Trump, 78, enter the night facing fierce headwinds, including a public weary of partisan politics.
Both candidates are disliked by majorities of Americans, according to polling, and offer sharply different visions on virtually every core issue.
Mr Trump has promised sweeping plans to remake the US government if he returns to the White House and Mr Biden argues that his opponent would pose an existential threat to the nation’s democracy.
With just over four months until election day, their performances have the rare potential to alter the trajectory of the race. Every word and gesture will be analysed not just for what both men say but how they interact with each other and how they hold up under pressure.
