Very often, trivial personality traits and gaffes have been defining characteristics of presidential debates preceding the 2024 election rather than high-level ideological arguments. Then there are the famous instances: Al Gore’s melodramatic sighs; George H.W. Bush unproductively glanced at his watch; Richard Nixon with at least a day’s growth on his chin; Donald Trump looming over Hillary Clinton with his imposing figure.
For Joe Biden against ex-President Trump in the 2024 presidential debate, though, the policy meat of the debate will count for more than it ever has before.
Still, this amounts to a theater of frenzy between two men who obviously detest each other at a country’s very dangerous moment. America’s choice in November will head down one of two divergent roads from which there may be no coming back—internally estranged over politics and culture, with multiple foreign policy crises deepening.
The Stakes: A Nation Divided and Facing Critical Challenges
The stakes of the 2024 debate couldn’t be bigger for the country. Trump’s attempt to retake the White House, less than four years after his attempt to steal the last election, will present an existential question to the democratic system.
Conservative allies have floated evisceration of the bureaucracy and the politicization of judicial and intelligence leadership posts that will further threaten democratic norms.
Meanwhile, as the job market roars, millions of Americans are groaning under high prices and the cost of borrowing. For many, a sense of economic security that Biden vowed to restore has yet to return—a legacy of the once-in-a-generation pandemic. In addition, the Supreme Court has rolled back the constitutional right to an abortion, deepening the ideological and religious chasm over reproductive rights that Biden is now preparing to weaponize against Trump.
Equally, the old standby immigration crisis on the southern border has retained its familiar contours, whereas outdated asylum laws that have no answer to the current wave of migrants render the president highly vulnerable.
Re-Election Bid of Trump: Threats to Democratic Norms
A Trump run for reelection endangers democratic norms. He is trying to enter the White House again after his extremely controversial first term, begging questions around the integrity of the democratic system. Meanwhile, riding on the waves of conservative supporters’ endorsement and strong election polls, Trump promised an evisceration of the bureaucracy, while the politicization of judicial and intelligence leadership posts brings that prospective danger to democracy by weakening checks and balances.
Biden’s Promises and Economic Realities: A Tale of Unfulfilled Expectations
The 2024 debate places in contrast promises by Biden against economic realities. Job markets are strong, though surging prices and borrowing costs make life hard on most Americans. Residuals of a once-in-a-generation pandemic still remain to have affected the country’s economic security, which the incumbent had promised to rebuild in his campaign. That remains an elusive promise for many.
Failure to see his economic messages through will necessarily reflect negatively on Joe Biden’s leadership abilities and the competence of his regime in managing hardships facing the country.
Top Issues Before Election: Immigration, Reproductive Rights, and National Security
The 2024 presidential debate is going to be on the most pressing issues relevant to the survival of the country. Among them, one such imperative issue is immigration. More importantly, the immigration crisis at the southern border continues unabated. The current asylum laws are proving inadequate with immigration of people fleeing from gang violence, economic hardship, and natural disasters due to climate change. In this regard, a comprehensive and effective solution to the immigration crisis becomes critical for the next president.
Abortion rights have, in addition, become a key point of contention. The reversal of the constitutional right to abortion by the Supreme Court two years ago has enveloped the matter with ideological and religious tones. Biden seeks to ride on this issue to dismantle Trump’s support base.
Moreover, there is the aspect of national security. The country currently faces quite a number of foreign policy crises. This requires strategic actions and decisions. The next president will not only have to navigate them but protect the interests of the nation as well.
