Trump and Biden set to go head-to-head in first presidential debate tonight: Live updates

President Joe Biden and Donald Trump have arrived in Atlanta as White House rivals prepare to face off in CNN debate moderated by Jake Tapper and Dana Bash

Donald Trump tells rally crowd Joe Biden will come to the debate ‘jacked up’ after getting ‘a shot in the a**’

Donald Trump and Joe Biden are due to face each other on the debate stage in Atlanta, Georgia, on Thursday evening in their first head-to-head of the 2024 election cycle.

The encounter will take place at 9pm ET and be broadcast live from CNN’s studios, with the network’s anchors Jake Tapper and Dana Bash serving as moderators.

The debate promises to be every bit as bad-tempered as their two face-offs in the run-up to the Covid-blighted 2020 election and the Republican has wasted no time in getting his blows in early, sneering on Wednesday that the president should be thrilled there will be no fact-checkers present because he is a “lying machine”.

This comes as the Supreme Court issued four major rulings, but left the question of Trump’s immunity from prosecution in his federal election interference case for a future date.

Meanwhile, new polling shows Trump up by just five points in a head-to-head matchup with Biden among likely voters in Texas. Trump received 48 percent to Biden’s 43 percent in the poll conducted between 11 and 20 June by the University of Texas at Tyler.

Key Points

• Biden campaign tries to use Trump’s second-term blueprint against him as debate looms
• Who are the moderators in tonight’s debate?
• Supreme Court issues major rulings, but decision on Trump’s immunity will gave to wait
• Donald Trump and Joe Biden to square up in hotly-anticipated first debate of 2024 election
• RFK Jr to appear on Dr Phil Primetime after missing out on debate

[27 June 2024 23:00 · Oliver O'Connell]

Watch: MSNBC host says first question should be on 2020 election result

[27 June 2024 22:45 · Oliver O'Connell]

Watch: Behind the scenes of the presidential debate with Andrew Feinberg

@independent_usa Ever wonder what happens behind the scenes of presidential debates? The Independent’s White House Correspondent, Andrew Feinberg, reports from Atlanta, where Joe Biden and Donald Trump will face off in their first debate in nearly four years. #debate #trump #biden #cnn #news #politics ♬ original sound - independent_usa

[27 June 2024 22:41 · Oliver O'Connell]

Will we see any theatrics from Team Trump?

Former Trump aide and now adversary Alyssa Farah Griffin thinks so and has popcorn ready...

“I expect Trump world will have some theatrical tricks up their sleeves tonight. They’ve used stunts at prior Presidential debates to try to trigger the opponent. Think bringing Bill Clinton’s accusers, to flying in a Biden “whistleblower” for a press conference. 🍿”

[27 June 2024 22:39 · Oliver O'Connell]

Donald Trump arrives in Atlanta for debate

(Reuters)

Donald Trump arrives in Atlanta, Georgia for the first presidential debate of the 2024 election (Reuters)

[27 June 2024 22:30 · Oliver O'Connell]

Watch: Why Trump’s ‘Biden on drugs’ messaging won’t work

The Independent’s John Bowden and Andrew Feinberg discuss why Donald Trump’s accusation that Joe Biden is on performance-enhancing drugs won’t work beyond his base of supporters.

@independent_usa Why Trump’s ‘Biden is on drugs’ messaging won’t work #news #politics ♬ original sound - independent_usa

[27 June 2024 22:25 · Oliver O'Connell]

RFK Jr is here in spirit

...or at least a rather old-looking campaign bus is parked up outside a row of frathouses near the media center.

[27 June 2024 22:22 · Oliver O'Connell]

Watch live as Trump arrives in Atlanta ahead of first presidential debate against Biden

[27 June 2024 22:15 · Kelly Rissman]

Obama and Biden are holding secret strategy meetings ahead of election, report claims

Presidents Joe Biden and Barack Obama met for private “secret” meals to discuss strategy as the highly contested 2024 election approaches.

The political pair have been having meetings, between just the two of them, as concerns over Donald Trump’s potential victory in November have creeped into reality, New York Magazine reported.

The former president’s “anxiety about the election is real,” a friend of Obama’s told the outlet. The source clarified his nerves are related to the general divisions of the country, not to his former vice president or Biden re-election campaign specifically.

Biden and Obama have long appeared to be a united front, but behind the scenes, the former president was not convinced that Biden’s 2020 run was the right move, the magazine wrote.

[27 June 2024 22:11 · Oliver O'Connell]

Trump’s niece will be in spin room for Biden campaign

Mary Trump, the niece of former president Donald Trump, and one of his fiercest critics, will be in the CNN debate spin room tonight for the Biden campaign.

“We cannot afford to allow Donald Trump anywhere near the levers of power again,” she says in a statement, adding he is “desperate for power” and “must be stopped.”

[27 June 2024 22:06 · Oliver O'Connell]

First lady arrives in Atlanta for debate

First Lady Jill Biden has arrived in Atlanta for tonight’s presidential debate.

Earlier in the day she was at a campaign event in Virginia Beach.

First lady Jill Biden poses for photos with campaign volunteers and supporters at the Virginia Beach Democratic Coordinated Campaign Office on Thursday, June 27, 2024 (AP)

President Joe Biden responded to a tweet from the first lady earlier in the day saying that now the school year is over she is heading out on the campaign trail.

“The best part of the campaign trail is having you by my side, Jilly.”