Philadelphia – As the CNN presidential debate approaches, both President Biden and former President Donald Trump are preparing to take the stage.
Biden has been gearing up at Camp David while Trump has been campaigning in Philadelphia, and Fox News correspondent Alexis McAdams caught up with Trump ahead of the rally to ask him how he’s preparing.
“Well, this is absolutely the best strategy. We have a lot of people here, and they’re all shouting questions. I’m looking forward to the debate,” Trump said.
At a rally at Temple University, Trump asked the audience what approach he should take onstage.
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President Biden is scheduled to go head-to-head with former President Trump on Thursday in the first general election debate of 2024. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
“How do I deal with him? Do I be harsh and mean and say, ‘You’re the worst president we’ve ever had,’ or do I be nice and gentle and let him talk?” Trump asked.
But whatever his attitude, Trump told Fox News he isn’t worried about Biden’s debate preparations and is confident in his own abilities.
“Well, I think if he prepares, he’ll be OK. And he’ll prepare and then forget about it an hour or so later. So we’ll see what happens. We’ll see what happens,” Trump said.
The former president has been on a tour of battleground states, recently visiting Michigan, Wisconsin, Georgia and Pennsylvania – states that Trump won in 2016 and lost in 2020. Recent polls show that Trump is doing well in these states this time around, garnering support from younger and non-white voters who say they are unhappy with Biden’s economy and handling of Gaza.
A recent Marist College poll showed Trump leading Biden by two points in Pennsylvania, a key state on the path to the White House. Trump told Fox News that he doesn’t care where he is, but that he is opting to make stops in urban areas, including a cheesesteak joint in South Philadelphia.
“Few places have suffered more under the Biden administration than Philadelphia,” Trump said while canceling the rally
“This is not a tactic. It’s just a lot of love. You know, people want hope. This guy has no hope. Biden is the worst president ever. There’s no hope. I’m saying people need hope. I’m going out and I’m going to meet the best people. So we’re in the middle of some pretty tough areas, but this is a love festival,” Trump said.
Former President Trump attended a rally in Philadelphia on June 22, 2024. (Anna Moneymaker/Jim Watson/Getty Images)
Some voters waited for hours outside the rally in record heat. Many said they wanted to hear more about the former president’s plans to fix the border, crime and inflation. A recent Fox News poll found that 32% of voters say the economy is doing extremely well or well, the highest approval rating on the issue so far during Biden’s term. But when talking to voters, the sentiment seems to be negative.
“I have to earn money to feed my family. I used to pay $200 a week for groceries and now I pay $450 a week. I can’t even make that anymore. It’s really hard,” one Philadelphia voter said.
Trump and Biden are using fiery post-debate rallies in those states to put each other on the defensive.
So far, Trump has not announced his running mate, but he said he knows who he will choose.
““Well, if you knew, you’d probably give yourself a big raise. We have a lot of viewers asking, ‘Who’s your favorite, who’s your favorite?’ There’s a lot of different answers. A lot of good answers. We’ll make an announcement right around the time of the convention,” Trump said.
President Biden will speak in North Carolina, where he is scheduled to visit again immediately after the CNN debate. (SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images)
After the debate, both candidates are scheduled to remain in the South, with Biden planning to stop in North Carolina, a state he lost to Trump in 2020.
Trump is heading to a rally in Virginia, the first time a Republican has carried the state in a race for the White House in 20 years, and the former president is looking to change that.
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“We’re leading in Virginia by two points. Virginia is not a state that Republicans normally win, we haven’t won in decades. We’re leading in Virginia, we’re leading in Minnesota, we haven’t won Minnesota since 1972. I think we’re going to win in a lot of places people wouldn’t think of, because our country is in a dire situation, to say the least. It’s bad,” Trump said.
