Biden and Trump gear up for high-stakes first debate in 2020 election rematch

A sitting president to debate a convicted felon and former president, first time in US history.

An unprecedented debate will take place Thursday night between US President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump in what will be a hotly contested rematch of the 2020 presidential election.

It will be the first time in American history that a sitting US president will debate a convicted felon and former president.

Trump was convicted in May on 34 felony counts related to hush money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels during the 2016 presidential campaign. He still faces three separate criminal indictments, which political analysts believe will be used as ammunition for Biden when the two face off.

Biden headed to Camp David in the state of Maryland to prepare for the head-to-head verbal sparring match.

Preparations include informal sessions with previous advisors and top White House and campaign aides, according to CBS News. Biden's personal attorney Bob Bauer is expected to play Trump in the mock debates leading up to Thursday's showdown.

The Biden campaign released a statement saying that Americans "will see two distinct versions for the future on stage in Atlanta," Georgia, where the debate will be held at CNN headquarters.

Trump is also taking an informal approach, according to multiple media outlets. He recently held private meetings with Republican Senators Marco Rubio and Eric Schmitt, which was first reported by the New York Times.

Schmitt is a close Trump ally and Rubio is currently being vetted as a potential vice-presidential running mate on the Republican ticket. Both senators are going over policies and topics that might come up during the debate.

"President Trump takes on numerous tough interviews every single week and delivers lengthy rally speeches while standing, demonstrating elite stamina," said senior Trump campaign adviser Jason Miller in a statement.

A slew of topics are expected to be addressed at the debate, including immigration policies at the US-Mexico border, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the Russia-Ukraine War, abortion, gun control and inflation.

Biden and Trump face off at 9 p.m. eastern time (EST) on Thursday. The 90-minute debate will have no studio audience to prevent any interruptions, which have happened at previous debates.

Each candidate's microphone will be muted when the other is speaking, and both men will have two minutes to answer questions, according to multiple news sources.

Biden's team won a coin toss to determine whether the president wanted to choose the location to stand on stage or make the closing argument.

According to CNN, Biden's team chose his stage positron, which will be the lectern on the right side of the stage. Therefore, Trump will be delivering closing arguments to cap off the debate.