Who will win the first Trump-Biden debate?

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VIEW IN BROWSER | SUBSCRIBE TUE, SEP 29, 2020 CNBC POLITICS EDITOR'S NOTE Hello,   Tonight is the night. President Trump and Joe Biden will finally face off in their first debate, essentially kicking off the final month of the election campaign. Election Day is Nov. 3, but people are already voting in several places across the country. So, what the candidates say tonight could have a real-time impact.   What do they need to do to win? For Biden, it's partly a case of exceeding really low expectations. Trump, 74, and his surrogates have painted the 77-year-old former vice president as a doddering old man who needs performance-enhancing drugs to debate. If Biden can keep his cool and simply deliver a middle-of-the-road performance, he can easily surpass this low bar. CNBC's Christina Wilkie explains.   Trump, on the other hand, is facing more pressure to do well since he's down in national and swing state polling averages. He could score points by digging into issues that have buoyed him, including the economy and the base-energizing fight over the Supreme Court. CNBC's Kevin Breuninger breaks it down.   But what do voters need to hear? In swing states, people want the candidates to talk about what the next president will do about the coronavirus, how he will rebuild the economy, and what he will do about racial injustice. CNBC's Thomas Franck reports.   The debate starts at 9 p.m. ET. Come to CNBC.com to watch the live stream and follow along with our live blog.   Here are other stories the CNBC Politics team has been covering: The blockbuster New York Times report on Trump's taxes and debts is a cause for national security concerns, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said. Trump himself pushed back on the report, at first dismissing it as "fake news," before claiming, without offering proof, that he doesn't have that big of a debt load. Democrats are looking to turn the fight over Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett's confirmation into a referendum on Obamacare. Check out CNBC's package of stories about the global death toll from coronavirus surpassing one million. Among many other things, the pandemic has upended the presidential campaign, particularly how Trump and Biden raise money and campaign. You can find more coverage linked below. Thoughts? Email Mike Calia at CNBCPolitics@nbcuni.com.     Have friends or colleagues who might like this newsletter? They can sign up here.  Mike Calia @Michael_Calia KEY STORIES  The economy, Covid-19 and racial inequality are voters' top concerns ahead of the first Trump-Biden debate Voters in swing states want President Trump and Joe Biden to use their first debate to offer clear answers on how they plan to improve the economy, while battling Covid-19 and racial inequality. Here's what President Trump has to do in the first debate against Joe Biden Despite his incumbent advantage, Trump may not be heading in with the upper hand over Biden. Here's what Joe Biden has to do in the first debate with President Trump Biden has held a consistent lead over Trump nationally throughout the general election campaign, but it has tightened in recent weeks. Coronavirus changed the 2020 money race — and helped Biden erase Trump's massive cash advantage By adopting a largely virtual campaign strategy this spring, Biden kept his costs down, while Zoom fundraisers helped him keep raising money during crucial months when Trump did little or no fundraising. If the presidential debate has a clear winner, it could show up in a big market move If the presidential debate Tuesday results in a clear winner, there could be a much bigger market reaction than after past debates. Trump's reported massive debt load raises 'a national security question,' Pelosi says House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's remarks come after The New York Times published a report Sunday claiming Trump has $421 million in debt. Pence says Americans should expect coronavirus cases to rise 'in the days ahead' The rate of Covid-19 tests that come back positive is now rising in 10 states in the Midwest and West, Pence said during a press conference from the White House's Rose Garden. Trump claims without offering proof that he has little debt and paid millions in taxes after NYT report President Trump claimed he had paid "many millions of dollars in taxes" after a report in The New York Times revealed he had paid effectively no income taxes for more than a decade.     Unsubscribe Manage Newsletters Terms of Service Join the CNBC Panel Digital Products Feedback Privacy Policy   © 2020 CNBC LLC. All rights reserved. A property of NBCUniversal. 900 Sylvan Avenue, Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632 Data is a real-time snapshot *Data is delayed at least 15 minutes. Global Business and Financial News, Stock Quotes and Market Data and Analysis. Data also provided by THOMSON REUTERS