Trump and Biden debate live updates: Follow all the updates in the countdown to the blockbuster showdown in Atlanta

Donald Trump has only a six-point lead over the president Joe Biden in the state of Texas according to a new poll released ahead of Trump and Biden’s rematch on the debate stage.

a Democrat hasn’t won a statewide race in Texas in two decades, but polls show the race is closer than some would expect in a red state with just over four months to go before the election.

The University of Texas at Tyler poll found that Trump had 46 percent of registered voters, while Biden had 40 percent. Another 6 percent said they would vote for someone else.

Among likely voters, Trump is at 48 percent, while Biden is at 43 percent. And when third-party candidates are included, Trump is at 47 percent, while Biden is at 41 percent.

Only 25 percent of Texas voters believe the country is moving in the right direction. 73 percent say it is on the wrong track.

Welcome to DailyMail.com’s coverage of ‘Debate Day’ as Joe Biden and Donald Trump clash in Atlanta tonight.

It will be their first showdown since 2020, and experts believe this could be one of the most consequential presidential debates ever.

Trump has called on both candidates to undergo a drug test, which Biden refused.

The former president’s campaign has also accused the two moderators, who are CNN anchors, of being “biased,” which the network has strongly denied.

The debate lasts 90 minutes, there is no audience and a candidate’s microphone is muted when his opponent speaks.

More than half of all American adults are expected to see or hear some of the debate through news or social media.

For both candidates, it could make or break their campaign.

The largest remaining case centers on whether Trump has immunity from prosecution.

Yesterday, the Supreme Court ‘accidentally’ set aside – and then quickly removed – a ruling in a landmark abortion case.

The case centers on whether emergency room doctors in Idaho, where abortion is virtually banned, can turn away pregnant patients who need the procedure.

Bloomberg first reported on a copy of a ruling briefly posted on the court’s website before being removed, allowing abortions to be performed in Idaho in cases of medical emergencies.

That final decision could come today.

A poor performance from either could reset the race.

“This week brings us potentially one of the most consequential debates since Mr. Kennedy and Richard Nixon,” wrote longtime Republican pollster Frank Luntz, referring to the landmark 1960 debate that many historians believe gave Kennedy a critical boost in the first debate of modern television. era.

The debate puts the incumbent president back on stage 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 anymore’ as he faces three criminal trials in addition to the one that just ended resulted in a historic conviction this spring.

In an effort to keep Thursday night’s successful presidential debate on track, the candidates’ microphones will be muted when it is not their turn to speak.

But some believe the move was initially seen as one that could help President Biden avoid being endlessly interrupted by Donald Trump could come back to haunt him.

CNN demonstrated how the muted microphones will work in a preview of the must-see 90-minute political event hosted by hosts Dana Bash and Jake Tapper.

When it is Biden or Trump’s turn to speak, two green lights will be on behind their podium, indicating the microphone is on. When they speak, the audience can hear them.

But those green lights are off when a candidate’s turn is off and their microphone is muted.

CNN showed that when the candidate is seen on television trying to interrupt or speak with the microphone turned off, he or she cannot be heard on TV.

Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will broadcast a livestream response to the debate.

Kennedy’s absence from the debate risks his rebellious quest to shake up the Republican and Democratic dominance of the American political system.

The candidate says he can’t win unless voters know he’s running and believe he can beat Biden, a Democrat, and Trump, a Republican.

That problem will become increasingly acute as the debate, followed by the major party conventions in July and August, drives more voters to tune into the race.

Stefanie Spear, spokeswoman for the Kennedy campaign, said:

Mr. Kennedy has a full schedule for July with many public events, particularly on the East Coast, including one major rally. We will begin announcing events next week.”

Nearly half of registered voters think President Joe Biden will bomb the prime time debate on CNN tonight, according to a new New York Times/Siena College poll.

That includes 24 percent who think the president will do “not very well,” and a quarter who think he will do “not well at all.”

That’s a worse prediction than how voters think 78-year-old Donald Trump will fare against 81-year-old Biden. Fifteen percent think Trump will do “not very well” and 19 percent think he will not do well at all, for a total of 34 percent. percent predicting a bad night for him.

The negative predictions are not necessarily bad for Biden. Candidates can have a strong night by exceeding people’s expectations, which is one reason why Trump has been bringing up Biden’s skills lately, even suggesting without evidence that he will be medicated. But the poll has a bad top number for Biden: Voters would choose Trump over him 48-42 if the election were held today.

Tim Scott’s fiancé Mindy Noce has opened up about her “heaven-sent” love story with the Republican senator and how she deals with critics who say they only got engaged because he was running for president.

Noce, of Charleston, has three adult children with her ex-husband. Scott has never been married.