COLUMBUS, Ohio — The two oldest presidential candidates in U.S. history will take to the debate stage next Thursday at 9 p.m.
Neither former President Donald Trump, 78, nor President Joe Biden, 81, have debated in years and two debate experts say the rust will be noticeable.
“I think how well they've prepped for this debate will be the hinge where they will find success or not success in this debate,” said Jennifer Talbert, the head of the debate program at Ohio University.
“For President Biden, I think he should try to emulate and harken back to his State of the Union address in March,” said Aaron Kall, the head of the debate team at the University of Michigan.
Each expert believes without a live audience, it will change how the candidates engage with each other.
“I think this audience-less format decreases the need for aggressiveness and some of these pre-canned zinger lines that are made famous in a lot of other presidential debates,” Kall said.
“I think the lack of an audience benefits President Biden far more than it benefits President Trump. The reason I say that because I think former President Trump plays off the feedback of the audience,” says Talbert.
Both expect Biden and Trump to mention Trump’s felony record and Hunter Biden’s criminal record. However, they caution not to turn off undecided voters.
“I think there is always a risk of kind of going on the offense too much. One of President Trump’s great strengths is that he is a great counterpuncher. If President Biden does try to attack him on issues like January 6 or the recent criminal conviction, sometimes he hits back a lot harder,” said Kall.
As for who has the most pressure to win, both experts agree it is Biden.
“Given the advanced age of Biden being 81 years old, if he makes an error or gaff, that's going to start the media cycle again over his fitness for office,” said Kall.
“President Biden has to have a good debate. Can't have any gaffs,” said Talbert.
One person who will not be on the debate stage is Independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy. On Thursday, he announced he had failed to qualify.
Under CNN's criteria, a candidate must appear on a sufficient number of state ballots to be eligible to win 270 electoral votes, the number needed to win the presidency. Kennedy is on the ballot in five states — Utah, Michigan, Delaware, Oklahoma and Tennessee — for a total of 42 electoral votes.
He'll also be on the ballot in California as the nominee of the American Independent Party, and in Hawaii, on his We the People ticket, which adds up to 100 potential electoral votes.
Though Kennedy has submitted petitions for ballot access in a number of states, several of his applications are still being reviewed by the state election offices.
Candidates were also required to reach a polling threshold of 15% in four major national polls by June 20. According to CNN, Kennedy fell short, with three qualifying national polls.
"Presidents Biden and Trump do not want me on the debate stage and CNN illegally agreed to their demand," Kennedy said in a statement. "My exclusion by President Biden and Trump from the debate is undemocratic, un-American and cowardly."