WASHINGTON — With the first presidential debate just one week out, President Joe Biden and presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump have begun cramming for the clash next Thursday night in Atlanta.
Biden plans to work from Camp David for several days — and possibly up to one full week — for intensive prep, senior campaign and administration officials told NBC News, while Trump will remain engaged in somewhat more informal preparations.
While Trump and his team have long downplayed that he does any formal prep at all for debates, he’s not exactly winging it.
Trump has been holding informal policy sessions on topics that are likely to come up during the debate — including on the economy and inflation — with Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, a senior adviser said, and on immigration with former White House aide Stephen Miller and Tom Homan, the former acting head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. He also held discussions with Sens. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., and Marco Rubio, R-Fla., when he was in Washington last week, the source said, and on national security issues with Ric Grenell, his former acting director of national intelligence.
North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, a one-time GOP presidential contender turned Trump ally, acknowledged that he’s been in contact with the former president’s team regarding debate prep.
“But you know, there’s never been a better, there’s never been a better politician, a better debater, a better communicator,” Burgum said at an event in his state on Thursday.
The Trump campaign has long insisted that his various media interviews and hours-long rallies serve as preparation for a debate — though many recent interviews have been with friendly conservative media outlets.
Senior Trump adviser Brian Hughes said Trump plans to push Biden on his handling of immigration and the economy — issues the Trump team has maintained are notable weaknesses for the president.
With “the damage [Biden] has done through inflation, open borders and weak foreign policy,” Hughes said, “Biden needs rehearsals with handlers to find some way to explain this mess he’s made of our nation.”
Trump will hold a rally on Saturday in Philadelphia and attend a fundraiser with Vance on Thursday night in Cleveland. And while several court hearings related to the federal case in South Florida regarding Trump’s handling of classified documents are scheduled for the next several days, Trump’s attendance at them is not currently expected.
Meanwhile, Biden is scheduled to travel to Camp David on Thursday night and remain at the presidential retreat until at least Monday, much of which will be dedicated to debate prep, according to senior campaign and administration officials.
Top campaign staff and White House advisers will be joining the president during his time at the Maryland mountainside compound for the prep sessions, the officials said, which will become more “intensive” as June 27, the night of the debate, approaches. There will likely be full-length “mocks” in the final stretch, these officials said. Former White House chief of staff Ron Klain is “leading” the prep, according to a Biden campaign official.
Other members of the rotating cast include campaign aides Jennifer O’Malley Dillon, co-chair Cedric Richmond and senior adviser Mike Donilon. Biden will also be joined by White House officials, including chief of staff Jeff Zients, senior adviser Bruce Reed, senior adviser Anita Dunn and senior adviser Steve Ricchetti. These aides may not all be at Camp David for the entire duration of Biden’s stay but are all expected to be heavily involved throughout the process.
Biden campaign officials said that the president is “prepping to hold Trump accountable for his extreme record and the dangerous things he’s been saying on the trail.” Those topics include Trump “ripping” away reproductive rights, “promoting political violence and undermining our democratic institutions,” and “doing the bidding of his billionaire donors” by funding tax breaks to the ultra-wealthy that also hurt senior citizens and middle-class Americans.
A former Biden aide familiar with the campaign’s thinking said the debate preparations were “like cramming for a final,” adding that the president prefers to talk things through, looks at briefing materials and writes on cards how he might want to say specific things.
This former aide said that the biggest challenges for Biden would be distilling information into bite-sized answers and navigating the potential trap of defending his record while also needing to look forward. Another challenge, this person said, is how the president will deal with fact-checking Trump.
The goal for Biden aides during prep sessions, this person explained, was wanting the president to show two contrasting visions for the country — especially for people who haven’t tuned into the race until debate night.
This person also said that Biden will likely be prepared to respond to attacks by Trump with muscular retorts, including possible references to the Republican being a convicted felon.
The former aide added that another challenge for Biden will be if Trump remains disciplined for the entire 90-minute event. Trump staying mostly on message, this person said, could make everything the Biden team has been saying about the former president seem like exaggeration or pure politics.
Biden campaign officials said that the president will have “less time” for debate prep than he did in 2020, given his “day job.” That, they said, is why the prep has been largely confined to just the coming days. Biden spent much of the first half of June in Europe, with trips to France and Italy.
Biden has gotten “increasingly punchier” in recent remarks about Trump, officials explained, and plans to “carry that theme through to the debate,” they said, “while still projecting himself as the wise and steady leader in contrast to Trump’s chaos and division.”
Biden is expected to remain at Camp David through the weekend but it’s possible he could stay there longer. The White House left open the possibility that the president could do a quick day trip or two while there, if necessary. It’s also possible Biden may go straight to Atlanta from Camp David if aides decide he needs to keep prepping there until the day of the debate.
As far as the debate itself, CNN, which is hosting the June 27 face-off, announced Thursday that Trump will get the final word, after a coin flip determined podium placement and the order of closing statements.
The Biden campaign, which won the coin toss, chose to select the right podium position.
Biden aides have planned to set up a robust rapid response operation on the night of the debate, according to two sources familiar with the discussions. This will be a joint White House and campaign effort and there will also be a presence from top surrogates on the ground in Atlanta, these people said.
On Trump’s end, allies and several vice presidential hopefuls will join the former president in Atlanta on Thursday, according to an invitation to a campaign watch party event obtained by NBC News.
Among those listed as attending are former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and Vance, as well as Reps. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., Byron Donalds, R-Fla., and Wesley Hunt, R-Texas.
The invitation also teases “potential post-debate remarks” from Trump himself.
