Biden and Trump face off in first TV duel of election year

US President Joe Biden and his rival Donald Trump will face off in the first televised debate of the election year on Friday night. The 90-minute debate will take place on CNN in Atlanta, Georgia, and will begin at 3:00 a.m. CEST (9:00 p.m. local time). The debate will take place more than four months before the presidential election in November and thus at an unusually early date.

Former President Donald Trump is not expected to be nominated as presidential candidate again by his Republicans until mid-July, while the Democrats want to nominate Biden at a meeting in August. Polls suggest that – as in 2020 – there could be a very close race between the two. The topics of their TV debate are likely to include migration policy, abortion rights, and the Ukraine and Gaza wars. A second TV debate between Biden and Trump is planned for September 10.