Voters don’t care about Hunter Biden or criminal convictions — but Trump has the ‘momentum and leverage’ ahead of big debate

Trump has ‘momentum and advantage’ over Biden before big debate, says expert

PRESIDENT Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump will face off in the first presidential debate as they both vie for a second term in the Oval Office.

As polls reveal that Americans are extremely critical of their expected voting choices, an expert revealed that voters may not care about the major business and personal issues surrounding the two candidates.

4

4

4

The US Sun spoke with Ken Mulligan, associate professor of Political Science at the School of Anthropology, Political Science and Sociology at Southern Illinois University, to exclusively discuss the impact Thursday’s debate could have on voters in November.

For Mulligan, the confrontation between Biden and Trump appears to be “pretty balanced” before the debate.

The 90-minute debate will be broadcast on CNN and hosted by Jake Tapper and Dana Bash.

Although Biden and Trump have not been formally nominated as their party’s candidates, the event effectively marks the first general election debate in the 2024 presidential election.

Voting averages calculated by FiveThirtyEight found that the two candidates remain extremely close, indicating an extremely close election in just a few months.

“This election is effectively tied,” Mulligan said.

“It’s closer than any presidential election in decades.”

However, someone has an advantage.

Mulligan pointed to previous research that found that voters tend to forget, over time, several policies and actions they previously disliked about a president.

Instead, many often have more positive memories of previous administrations.

“Some of the negatives have gone away for Trump,” Mulligan explained.

“But the negatives are top of mind among Biden voters because he is the sitting president.”

As a result, Mulligan said Trump has “momentum” to enter the debate.

“He has the advantage,” said the professor.

There are numerous topics and issues that Trump and Biden could face during Thursday’s debate.

The two agreed on specific rules that could control what they can say or how candidates can respond to each other.

How can I watch the first presidential debate?

President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump face off in the first presidential debate this week.

When is the debate?

The first main debate or two will be Thursday, June 27th at 9pm ET in Atlanta, Georgia.

Who is hosting the debate?

CNN will broadcast the debate with network hosts Jake Tappe and Dana Bash.

How long does the debate last?

The debate is expected to last 90 minutes.

How can I watch?

The debate will be broadcast live on CNN, CNN International and CNN en Español.

Voters can also stream the debate on Max or CNN.com.

Other cable news networks will also likely air the debate simultaneously.

For example, the microphones are set to be muted throughout the debate and will only be turned on when it is that person’s opportunity to speak.

Mulligan predicted that candidates could use the debate to draw attention to legal issues in which the opposing candidate and his family may be involved.

Earlier this month, Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, was convicted of three felony gun charges related to owning and purchasing a gun while lying about his drug use.

Just weeks earlier, Trump was also found guilty of criminal charges after being convicted of 34 counts of falsifying business records.

[Trump’s] I have all these lawsuits against him. He is now a convicted felon. But somewhat ironically, I don’t see this as necessarily a big problem for him, because of the majority of Republicans.

Ken MulliganAssociate Professor of Political Science at Southern Illinois University

The former president also faces legal battles related to his misuse of confidential documents after taking office and his attempt to change the outcome of the 2020 election in Georgia.

“Addressing weaknesses seems like a viable strategy,” Mulligan said.

“And I would expect both candidates to try to do that.”

However, Mulligan warned that voters likely won’t care what the candidates have to say on the issues.

“About [Biden’s] family, I don’t see this as a risk for the president, because the Democrats don’t care about that.

“And on Trump’s side, I mean, he has all these lawsuits against him. He is now a convicted felon. But, somewhat ironically, I don’t see that as necessarily a big problem for him, because most Republicans — including non-MAGA Republicans — think that these charges and these convictions were politically motivated.”

Regardless of whether or not the candidates attack each other on stage, Mulligan said presidential debates typically do not have a strong impact on the outcome of the election.

He noted that the debates were considered important in close elections.

Given how close this election is so far, Mulligan said the debate could have a “significant effect” in two ways:

1. Electoral participation
2. Voter’s decision

“Political scientists have known from the earliest empirical research on campaigns that most campaigns themselves don’t matter much, because most voters know who they’re going to vote for even before the campaign begins,” Mulligan said.

“But in a close election among voters with weak preferences, this debate could have an effect on the outcome.”

However, this still depends on how many voters tune in to the debate and how many have already made up their minds.

After Thursday’s debate, Trump and Biden are scheduled to face off again on stage on September 10 in a debate hosted by ABC.