Tuesday, June 25, 2024
Opinion Today: Hillary Clinton on debating Biden and Trump
The U.S. presidential race is at a turning point, with the first debate of 2024 planned for Thursday between President Biden and Donald Trump, two unpopular candidates who are looking for any edge they can get in what appears to be a very close election. Many Americans already have fixed views on both men, so what's worth watching for in the debate? In a guest essay, Hillary Rodham Clinton — the only person who has debated Trump (one on one) and Biden (in a crowded 2008 Democratic presidential primary race) — says she is watching for three things in Thursday's face-off: how the candidates talk about people, not just policy (particularly how they speak of women, girls and abortion rights); how they grapple with the stakes of the race; and how "the real choice" in the election as she sees it, "between chaos and competence," becomes clear. I was curious to hear from Clinton because, aside from Biden, she has considerable experience debating Trump. But she also nods candidly to Biden's challenges with voters, who have deep concerns about inflation and also worry about his age. These criticisms don't change the fact that she sees the election as a simple choice: "This election is between a convicted criminal out for revenge and a president who delivers results for the American people. No matter what happens in the debate, that's an easy choice," she writes. One candidate who is not in the debate — but is getting a look from curious voters turned off by the Biden-Trump rematch — is Robert F. Kennedy Jr. In our latest Times Opinion focus group, we explore the nature of Kennedy's appeal with 12 independent, Democratic and Republican voters who reflect a certain share of the U.S. electorate: skeptical about the major parties, anti-establishment, tired of politics and loosely informed about policy. The Kennedy-curious voters seemed more likely to reflect Trumpist views: anger over establishment politics, immigration and government mandates and vaccine policy. Some of Kennedy's more controversial views — such as those on vaccines and antidepressants — seemed to help him with these voters, who liked that he stood his ground. "You can disagree with Kennedy. I disagree with him on quite a few things. But he's not hiding what his views are, the way that I feel Joe Biden is and Donald Trump is," said Robert, a 29-year-old independent from Colorado who was part of the focus group. But Kennedy won't be onstage Thursday, leaving most attention turned toward the leading candidates and how they'll make their case to voters. About that: The Times Opinion contributing writer Elizabeth Spiers writes in her latest guest essay that the candidates should upend conventional wisdom and focus not on swing voters but on making their core voters excited about their candidacies and the issues most important to them. Perhaps, in this atypical campaign season, we will see Biden and Trump try something different. Millions of people will be watching Thursday — a record 84 million watched the first Clinton-Trump debate — so the candidates have a huge opportunity to reach voters. Read the guest essays: Here's what we're focusing on today:
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