Here’s the Biden-Trump Debate We Want on Thursday

Tomorrow night, Jake Tapper and Dana Bash of CNN have a big job: asking two unpopular men who have been president what they would do with a second term.

The stakes could not be higher. President Biden and former President Donald Trump have starkly different visions for the presidency and the future of the country. This will be their first meeting since 2020, and they don’t have another planned until September.

I don’t know if we’ll get the debate we want, or just the debate we deserve, but I do know that the questions Tapper and Bash choose to ask really matter. So we at On Politics would humbly and helpfully like to offer some ideas. Your ideas.

Last week, I asked readers to tell me the questions you hope to hear at the debate, and I received hundreds of insightful and occasionally trollish responses. It’s clear you are hungry for a debate about issues that aren’t getting a lot of attention on the campaign trail. You’re also looking for Biden and Trump to convince you why, in their second go-round, you should get excited about them. And you want both of them to address their own ages, and not just each other’s.

Below, I’ve laid out some of the questions that stood out to me most, with some small edits for clarity and style. Hope you’re reading, Jake and Dana. No need to thank us!

Pressing two presidents

The 2024 election is a contest between two men who have a cold, hard record of being president, which many of you hope the moderators will dig into. James Hall, an independent voter from Colorado, offered a question I liked for its directness.

What have you done that makes you think you deserve to be the president of the United States again?

Anne McKelvey, a lifelong Pennsylvanian, wants to know about both men’s regrets.

What do you feel was your biggest mistake during your presidency?

Trump and the future of democracy

Many of you want the stakes for democracy to be clearly spelled out onstage — especially when it comes to Trump’s plans for a second term. You want him to be asked directly about his promise to be a “dictator” on Day 1, and about my colleagues’ reporting that he plans to use the government to seek revenge on his political opponents.