WASHINGTON – After back-to-back trips to Europe, President Joe Biden went landed at Camp David Wednesday to prepare for his first 2024 debate next Wednesday with former President Donald Trump.
Biden spent most of last week in France marking the 80th anniversary of D-Day. He goes to Italy on Wednesday for a summit of the Group of Seven industrialized nations and then straight to Los Angeles for a weekend fundraiser featuring Hollywood superstars George Clooney and Julia Roberts.
All that travel has left Biden little time to devote to preparation for the June 27 debate. A second faceoff is set for Sept. 10.
With Russian President Vladimir Putin in Vietnam Thursday to strengthen ties amid growing international isolation due to Moscow’s military action in Ukraine, Putin arrived in Hanoi from North Korea where he and leader Kim Jong Un signed an agreement pledging mutual aid in the event of war.
“There is no surprise here fostering this relationship, so it is something we are going to take seriously and monitor,” this Major General Patrick Ryder said.
His remarks come as two Israeli officials held talks at the white house after the Biden administration canceled a high-level meeting Thursday on Iran following Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Betanyahu’s video claiming America is withholding military aid, an accusation the secretary of state says is “inaccurate.”
The Israeli Defense Forces are now reporting they are close to defeating Hamas’s brigade in Rafah, which they call the militant group’s last stronghold.
“They will discuss the ongoing war, a ceasefire, and the release of all hostages,” said State Dept. Spokesperson Matthew Miller.
A person with knowledge of the president's plans, who insisted on anonymity to more freely discuss them, suggested Biden could spend the better part of a week at Camp David getting ready for the first debate.
But others involved in the planning said Monday that details were still being worked out, including how many days Biden would devote to prep. They said exactly where he'd be doing it, at Camp David or elsewhere, had not been finalized.
Camp David, located in the Catoctin Mountains northwest of Washington, is no stranger to presidents prepping for the debate stage. Presidents Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan went there to ready themselves for debates during their reelection campaigns, as did George H.W. Bush before a debate in 1992.
President Barack Obama visited Camp David before his final debate with Republican Mitt Romney in 2012. Biden himself used the presidential retreat to prepare for his State of the Union address in February.
In a memo released to coincide with the one-month mark prior to the debate, Jen O’Malley Dillon, chair of Biden's reelection campaign, wrote that the president will aim to go on the offensive and push Trump to talk about how his three appointees to the Supreme Court helped overturn Roe v. Wade, and how he could further undermine abortion rights in a second term.
Biden also wants Trump to discuss his “attacks” on U.S. democracy and promotion of political violence and an economic agenda that Biden's team says will furnish the rich with tax cuts while imperiling funding for Social Security, O'Malley Dillon wrote.
Trump, meanwhile, has been eager to debate Biden, challenging him to a faceoff “anytime, anyplace.”
At one point Trump suggested that the president join him for a debate outside the lower Manhattan courthouse where the presumptive Republican nominee was on trial for 34 felony counts in a case involving hush money payment to a porn actor. Trump's campaign set up an empty lectern at several of his rallies to underscore the message.
In preparation, Trump has enlisted Republican congressional allies, including Senator Marco Rubio, who is also on a shortlist for Trump’s possible vice president’s pick.
Biden won the coin toss and chose the right-side podium, which allows him to deliver his closing statement first. This means Trump will have the last word in the debate.
Trump commented on his upcoming debate with Biden, stating, “All I can say is this, I watched him with Paul Ryan, and he destroyed Paul Ryan. Paul Ryan with the water. He was chugging water left and right, and I don’t think a human being could drink that much water at one time, and he beat Paul Ryan. So, I’m not underestimating him.”
The debate will focus on key issues such as the economy, border security, immigration, and the ongoing conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine.
While Trump participated in more traditional debate prep in previous races — with his former friend-turned-critic Chris Christie playing the role of Hillary Clinton in 2016 — his team insists that this time around he will be eschewing the kind of formal preparation expected from Biden.
“President Trump takes on numerous tough interviews every single week and delivers lengthy rally speeches while standing, demonstrating elite stamina,” said Trump senior adviser Jason Miller.
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Associated Press writer Jill Colvin contributed to this report from New York.