In a race that Joe Biden and Donald Trump are each describing in historic terms, both are banking that tonight’s presidential debate could jolt Americans into paying more attention and tip the narrow band of swing voters who hold sway.
A rough performance by either of them could reset the race.
‘This week brings us potentially one of the most consequential debates since Mr. Kennedy and Richard Nixon’s,’ wrote longtime Republican pollster Frank Luntz, referencing the historic 1960 debate that many historians believe gave Kennedy a critical lift in the first debate of the modern television era.
The debate puts the incumbent president back onstage with the fierce rival who skipped his inauguration and used their last televised meeting to go after his son. Trump warns that ‘if we don’t win this election, we won’t have a country left’, as he faces three criminal trials in addition to the one that just resulted in a historic conviction this spring.
Wars in Europe and the Middle East have the U.S. and allies on edge, and Americans continue to register concerns about the economy and immigration and say the country is on the wrong track, giving moderators leverage to shape the terrain.
在乔·拜登和唐纳德·特朗普都认为具有历史性的竞选中，两人都指望今晚的总统辩论能引起美国人更多的关注，并影响到一小部分举足轻重的摇摆选民。
他们任何一个人表现不佳都可能颠覆竞选。
长期担任共和党民意调查员的弗兰克·伦茨写道，“本周可能会迎来自肯尼迪和理查德·尼克松先生以来最重要的辩论之一。”他提到了 1960 年具有历史意义的辩论，许多历史学家认为这场辩论在现代电视时代第一场辩论中给了肯尼迪至关重要的提振。
这场辩论让现任总统重新登上舞台，与这位拒绝参加他的就职典礼、利用他们最后一次电视会面攻击他儿子的激烈竞争对手对决。特朗普警告说，“如果我们不能赢得这次选举，我们国家将不复存在。”他面临三场刑事审判，此外还有一场在今年春天刚刚导致历史性定罪的审判。
欧洲和中东的战争让美国及其盟友处于紧张状态，美国人继续对经济和移民问题表示担忧，并表示美国走在错误的道路上，这给了主持人引导话题的杠杆。
