With 35 days before the American presidential election, Donald Trump and his Democratic rival Joe Biden will debate this Tuesday evening for 90 minutes.

An important pass of arms since it is potentially followed by some 120 million viewers across the country.

DECRYPTION

After months of invective, the hour of face-to-face has arrived.

Against the backdrop of a health crisis, Donald Trump and his rival Joe Biden will face each other for the first time this Tuesday evening (3 a.m. French time) in a 90-minute television debate without advertising.

An important moment for the two candidates for the White House, since this verbal contest will be followed by potentially 120 million viewers across the country. 

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A remote debate with a small audience

In the building of the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio transformed into a bunker for the occasion, the outgoing president and the former vice-president will not shake hands - coronavirus obliges - and will have their desks at a good distance in front of a very sparse.

But that will certainly not stop them from at least verbally grappling with the national management of the coronavirus, the collapse of the American economy, the appointment of Supreme Court judges in the wake of Ruth Bader Ginsburg's death, racial tensions in the country, or the presidential record.  

Many topics of tension

The tension is such between the two men that it is now the rules of the election that no longer make a consensus, like the postal vote that Donald Trump does not consider reliable. 

Based on the massive number of Unsolicited & Solicited Ballots that will be sent to potential Voters for the upcoming 2020 Election, & in order for you to MAKE SURE YOUR VOTE COUNTS & IS COUNTED, SIGN & MAIL IN your Ballot as EARLY as possible.

On Election Day, or Early Voting, ..

- Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 3, 2020

A point on which the two men are likely to spend at least a few minutes, because this is a fundamental democratic issue when according to a USA Today / Suffolk poll, 56% of Republicans say they will vote in person on the 3rd November, against 26% in the Democratic camp.

An aggressive Donald Trump ...

To carry out what promises to be a tough debate, each contender for the Oval Office has a well-defined strategy.

Late for months in the polls, Donald Trump risks being in an aggressive position to prove what he repeats over and over: his opponent is senile and bedridden.

The president even assured that Joe Biden had a failing mental health and that he does not have the means to hold this pass of arms.

To the point of calling for an anti-doping test against his rival.

A strategy that is nothing new, since it had already been used by the same Donald Trump against Hillary Clinton, during the previous election. 

Still, the idea of ​​a Joe Biden so weak that he is forced to dope has spread like wildfire among the supporters of the outgoing president, who expect the former right-hand man of Barack Obama throws in the towel even before entering the ring.

"I think he does not have his head and that he is not able to be president," confirms the microphone of Europe 1 Jennifer, support of the billionaire.

"I'm sure Biden isn't coming and he's going to use the Covid as an excuse, or something. I don't think his side wants to see him debate, because every time that 'he talks, that's bad. "

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... and a Joe Biden who must be a quiet force

For his part, Joe Biden knows that he must therefore express himself clearly during this debate to already win part of this match.

He also has to show up in the elections, when he is criticized for his discretion in the campaign.

But what worries his advisers is his propensity for blunders and his ability to get angry quickly.

Two flaws that Donald Trump has identified very well.

"I'm a little afraid with Biden that something is wrong on stage," said Alexander, a Democrat.

"But other than that, I think the debate will not be important, people are already decided."

Indeed, according to a survey, only 3% of voters say that this debate will weigh on their choice when the ballot is slipped into the ballot box, in 35 days.