Presidential debate: Who has most to gain — and lose?

Donald Trump and Joe Biden are scheduled to spar in the first of three presidential debates on Tuesday in Cleveland. The debate will be moderated by Fox News anchor Chris Wallace and cover a broad range of topics, including the coronavirus pandemic, race and violence in cities, election integrity and the economy.

The face-to-face meeting comes at a time when Biden holds a consistent lead in both national and swing-state polls. Barring any unexpected changes in the state of the pandemic or the economy, the debates likely represent President Trump’s best chance to shift the race, election experts say.

The candidates have chosen characteristically distinct methods to prepare for the first debate. Biden has been drilling on the issues and ways to critique Trump’s leadership for weeks. Biden told reporters that he will do several days of intense practice before the event. Trump, for his part, has reportedly eschewed traditional prep altogether, as he did ahead of his debates against Hillary Clinton in 2016.