President Biden and Donald Trump will come face-to-face for their first debate in Atlanta next month and ahead of the highly anticipated event, the Biden campaign said the president is “ready to go.”
New details were shared Friday about how she and the president plan to upstage their Republican rival ahead of the debate in just over a month.
Biden’s 2024 campaign chairman Jen O’Malley Dillon sent a memo titled “The Road to Atlanta,” criticizing Trump and outlining some of the next steps as Biden prepared for the blockbuster event.
O’Malley Dillon highlighted what she called the “Trump agenda in 2024,” which she claimed includes taking away health care and giving tax breaks to billionaires.
She blasted the ex-president for past comments about veterans and his handling of the coronavirus pandemic and argued that when Trump lost the 2020 election, he “snapped” to encourage the Jan. 6 rioters.
“This is Trump’s agenda in 2024. And on June 27, it will be on full display for the American people in primetime in 4K,” she wrote.
“Joe Biden will take Donald Trump to task for all of this on the debate stage – and he’s raring to go.”
President Biden waves as he walks to Marine One on May 24, as his campaign says he is ‘ready to’ take the debate stage next month
CNN will host the first debate on June 27, with Jake Tapper and Dana Bash moderating.
It will be the first primetime TV showdown of the 2024 general election and came together quickly last week after months of Trump publicly challenging Biden to debate him.
The memo released by the campaign outlined a list of what Biden would like to talk about on the debate stage, from the overturning of Roe to Trump’s presidential election. ‘plans to abolish Social Security and Medicare.’
“In the month leading up to that first debate, the Biden-Harris campaign will focus on Trump’s dangerous campaign promises and unhinged rhetoric,” O’Malley Dillon also wrote.
“We will ensure that the voters who will decide this election are reminded of the chaos and damage Trump has caused as president – and why they booted him out four years ago.”
Biden released a video announcing he would debate Trump. He said ‘make my day boyfriend, I’ll even do it twice’ and challenged the ex-president ‘let’s pick the dates, Donald’
At the same time, the Biden campaign said it will strengthen outreach and organize programs.
The memo said the campaign “in earnest” marked the beginning of the road to Atlanta with the release of a new ad on Friday called “Snapped,” narrated by actor Robert De Niro.
The ad will be broadcast nationally, locally and digitally in all theaters of operations.
In addition to the debate in Atlanta next month, Biden and Trump agreed to participate in a second debate on ABC News in early September.
The ex-president also challenged Biden to a third debate on Fox News in October, but Biden’s campaign rejected the offer, claiming Trump has a long history of playing games with the debates.
In the memo, O’Malley Dillon wrote that Biden “is prepared to present that case to the American people on June 27 in Atlanta.”
“Donald Trump said he would debate anytime, anywhere, in any place – and now he can hear it for himself. If he shows up,” she wrapped herself in a challenge.
Donald Trump said he would debate Biden in June and September. Biden rejected the counter offer for a new debate in October on Fox News
The ex-president brought up the looming debate at his rally in the Bronx on Thursday, where he questioned whether it would be fair for supporters to boo CNN.
Trump also focused on the looming debate this week, telling his leg of supporters in the Bronx that he “agreed to a debate with corrupt Joe Biden on CNN” and questioning whether it would be fair.
He claimed he demanded they have the debate standing instead of sitting and tried to set expectations for Biden.
“If corrupt Joe Biden makes it through the debate, which I think he will, they will say it was one of the greatest debate performances in history,” Trump told his raucous audience.
Trump had challenged Biden to debate him for months, even setting up an empty stage with the “Anytime” sign at his rallies. Everywhere. Every place.’
But Biden turned the table last week by proposing two debates in a direct video call to Trump, saying, “Go ahead, make my day.”
Trump had set up a debate stage for Biden at his rallies, and his campaign had printed a series of Truth Social posts challenging Biden to debate before Biden released his own video.
The Commission on Presidential Debates, which has run the presidential debates since 1988, had previously proposed three debates in September and October.
But Trump’s campaign complained that the general election season had started much earlier and that the dates were too far back, after millions of Americans had already cast ballots.
The Biden campaign had also expressed frustration that the committee had not enforced the rules when the two nominees faced off in 2020.
Donald Trump and Joe Biden during their second debate on October 22, 2020 in Nashville, TN
Trump and Biden debated for the first time on September 29, 2020 in Cleveland, Ohio.
A second debate was scheduled to take place on October 15, but Trump tested positive for COVID and refused to appear at a debate remotely, so it was canceled.
Their third debate of the past election season took place on October 22, 2020 in Nashville, Tennessee.