Trump v Biden debate: Republican and Democrat to face off in first ...

Joe Biden will show voters he is willing to "fight for them" on stage tonight, a spokeswoman for the Democratic National Committee (DNC) has said. 

The DNC is a branch of the Democratic Party. 

"They're going to see a contrast between a president who's fighting for them and making sure every American has a fair shot [in Joe Biden] and the man that will be standing across from him on the stage," Hannah Muldavin told Sky News. 

Discussing one of the bigger talking points ahead of the debate - that of Joe Biden's age and suitability for another four-year term - she said: "He's no young sprite, but with that comes a lot of wisdom.

"They're (Trump and Biden) basically the same age... when [Trump's] at some of his rallies that he's been hosting, he rambles, he says inaccurate facts all the time, [but] it doesn't get as much pick-up in the media oftentimes." 

Organisers have spent the day preparing CNN's headquarters in Atlanta Georgia for tonight's presidential debate. 

One thing they won't have to worry about is managing a live audience - with Joe Biden and Donald Trump answering questions for the cameras alone this evening.

Long-serving CNN anchors and veteran broadcasters Jake Tapper and Dana Bash will be moderating proceedings - which kick off about 2am UK time. 

As the title of this post suggests, tonight's debate will be the earliest presidential debate since 1960 in the US - with polls not set to open until 5 November. 

So why are we here so soon into the campaign? 

The last time the two men faced off in the race for the White House in 2020, we saw two debates - both hosted by the bipartisan Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD), which has run debates since the 1980s.

Joe Biden and his team massively criticised the events, claiming the CPD was more interested in putting on a good show rather than a fair democratic debate. 

So this time, he proposed that networks host the events.

After a back-and-forth between President Biden and Donald Trump in public and online, it was decided that CNN would host one debate (tonight) and ABC would host another in September. 

Polls suggest the American public is not thrilled at the prospect of another battle for the presidency between these two candidates, so both men will be keen to build momentum early in the year. 

Additionally, it will be a finely balanced race, as it was last time (Joe Biden won 306 electoral votes to Donald Trump's 232 in 2020) so the pair will want to appeal to as many voters as possible, as early as possible. 

The Trump campaign has called for more debates, with audiences, but his rival has so far turned down the proposal.

The sitting US president has just touched down at Dobbins Air Reserve Base in Marietta, Georgia, ahead of tonight's debate. 

He travelled via Air Force One from Joint Base Andrews and will now head to CNN's headquarters in Atlanta. 

During tonight's debate, neither Joe Biden nor Donald Trump are allowed to confer with their respective campaign teams, nor will they have access to any props or pre-written notes on the stage itself.

That means, for 90 minutes, the pair will have to rely solely on their preparation for the debate.

So how have the candidates spent the last few days getting ready?

Joe Biden

Mr Biden spent time over the weekend with aides at the Camp David presidential retreat, reportedly engaging in mock debates.

The sitting president is working closely with his former chief of staff Ron Klain.

He also helped Mr Biden get ready for his State of the Union speech back in March - seen as one of the president's best speeches during his time in office. 

CBS News has reported that Bob Bauer, who served as White House counsel under Barack Obama during his premiership, is playing the role of Donald Trump in the mock debates.

We expect Mr Biden to attack his rival's legal troubles and character.

"It really doesn't matter how Donald Trump shows up if he comes in unhinged, like he is most of the time, or he sits there and is quiet," Mr Biden's co-campaign chief told NBC on Sunday.

Donald Trump

In contrast to his opponent's weekend out of the public eye, Mr Trump spent Saturday on the campaign trail in Philadelphia, where he admitted he was publicly workshopping his debate tactics.

However, over the past few weeks, the former president has been reviewing his policy points which will likely crop up tonight.  

"He is thinking about how to translate these really, really important topics into a message that works," said Republican Senator JD Vance in an interview with Fox News. 

According to The Hill newspaper, Mr Trump is also discussing how to tackle potential banana-skin topics like the 6 January 2021 Capitol riot. 

Our US correspondent James Matthews is in Atlanta for us this evening. 

The debate may not be starting for some time yet, but the media is already descending on southeastern state. 

Watch as he takes a walk around the spin room ahead of the debate... 

There's been a lot of discussion about how CNN will handle tonight's debate - so how is it going to work?

Long-serving CNN anchors and veteran broadcasters Jake Tapper and Dana Bash will be moderating proceedings - which will last for around 90 minutes (with two ad breaks). 

A coin toss allowed the two candidates to choose either their podium position or closing statement order.

Sitting President Joe Biden elected to appear at the podium on the right-hand side of the screen, with Donald Trump to his left.

But Mr Trump will get the last word at the debate - having chosen his opponent to deliver his closing statement first.

Despite reports that Mr Biden asked for a seat for the debate (rumours said to be inaccurate by the president's campaign team), both men will stand for the duration. 

Here's the biggest talking point - unlike in previous debates, both candidates will have their microphones muted - except for when it is their turn to speak.

On top of that, there will also be no studio audience present, with CNN promising to "enforce timing and ensure a civilised discussion".

Neither of the presidential hopefuls will be allowed to interact with their campaign staff in any way  - even during the two ad breaks. 

As for what Mr Biden and Mr Trump have access to - each man will be given a pen, a pad of paper and a bottle of water, but no props or pre-written notes are allowed on stage.

Hello and welcome to our live coverage as Joe Biden and Donald Trump face off in the first debate of this election campaign on CNN.

It's the third time the two men will face each other in such a setting - the previous two coming during the 2020 election, which Joe Biden won. 

We're expecting the debate to begin at around 2am UK time, and we'll have all the updates right here.