President Joe Biden enters Camp David in Maryland on Thursday to begin a full week of preparing for his contest with former President Donald Trump in the first presidential debate of the 2024 campaign.
The octogenarian and his team of advisers will use the secluded rural setting for intensive preparation and coaching in the days before heading directly to the June 27 debate hosted by CNN in Atlanta, ABC News reports.
According to a campaign official, Ron Klain, Biden’s former chief of staff, is leading the debate camp preparations at the presidential retreat.
Other senior campaign aides and longtime advisers, including Cedric Richmond, a former White House aide and current campaign co-chair, will also be on hand, the ABC News report notes.
If elected, Biden would be 86 when he completed his second term, the oldest president ever to serve.
Meanwhile CNN reports Trump’s advisers, who are wary of using the words “debate prep” when it comes to the former president, have consistently downplayed the notion he requires the type of preparation that other candidates – and specifically, Biden – need for such a high-stakes debate.
Trump’s team has said the former president will not be doing traditional prep ahead of the public showdown.
“President Trump takes on numerous tough interviews every single week and delivers lengthy rally speeches while standing, demonstrating elite stamina,” Trump senior adviser Jason Miller told the AP.
Ahead of the Atlanta debate, CNN reports Trump plans to hold a campaign rally in Philadelphia, a city Biden has already visited several times this year as he works to replicate his 2020 victory in Pennsylvania.
Moderated by CNN anchors Jake Tapper and Dana Bash, the debate will run for approximately 90 minutes with two commercial breaks.
It is the first of two scheduled between the candidates — the second of which will be hosted by ABC News on Sept. 10.
The Biden campaign previously announced the president would debate Trump only in June and September, without live audiences present.
