Thursday’s CNN debate was the earliest presidential debate in American history. With a Trump-Biden rematch imminent once again, both campaigns are gearing up for a summer of a lifetime summer which could very well determine the outcome of November’s election and the trajectory of the state of the union for the next decade. The debate showed the divide Americans have had on substance and on policy. While Biden didn’t have the night he and his democratic affiliates were hoping for, he still managed to get his message out. Trump-on the other hand had a different approach to the debate, compared to his past experiences in debates. He was rather composed and had minimal attempts to interrupt President Biden and/or the moderators. Trump’s aides hoped this would play well with undecided voters who leaned towards Biden in 2020, given Trump’s obnoxious demeanour. Let’s be completely honest here. The Biden campaign is not happy tonight has reservations and is certainly in full crisis mode after the slow pitch effort made to Americans on arguably the most popular network in the world. Yes, Vice President Harris, came to his defence on the network later that evening but also admitted that it was a slow start to the argument he was trying to make. What we saw was an incumbent President, running with whatever he had at his disposal, arguing a bureaucratic approach, rather than a political approach. The debate showed the divide Americans have had on substance and on policy. Now, this election will be the last for either of the two candidates. While Trump made the case for a continuation of his 4 destructive years in office, President Biden hoped to invite back the majority of the American population from all sides of the aisle and remind the American People that Trump was wrong in 2020, and he’s wrong now. The Biden campaign hopes to keep the debate about how Trump has managed to harm the nation in more ways than possibly imagined and is an unhinged figure in American Politics. This is a stark contrast from their previous messaging of championing the last three years’ worth of achievements in infrastructure and the resounding strength of the US economy the impacts of the Pandemic, and frankly, the downturn seen under former President Trump. Debates are not always the sole determinant of the winning of an election but they certainly do have a major impact on voters who are otherwise not involved in Politics as much as others. This debate is also in June which is almost 4 months away from the election and could have less impact on decided voters but could sway undecided voters by a nudge. And while the Biden campaign took the pre-debate opportunity to prepare for any and all contingencies at Camp David with trusted aides and top policy experts, the former President was at rallies across the country and energizing a crowd that hyped him up only before the debate since CNN didn’t permit an audience at the venue tomorrow. For once, Biden’s approach to addressing the issues didn’t work. And insiders in the Democratic Party aren’t happy about his performance. Some have even questioned his viability for election in the Fall. Apart from some senior moments, President Biden even restrained himself from taking his usually aggressive approach towards the GOP. This plays into a larger conversation on whether or not independent voters will come out for either candidate in November’s election. According to the latest New York Times/Sienna polls, Trump holds a 3-point lead over Biden at 48 percent, which is essentially within the margin of error for many analysts. Regardless, the Biden Campaign will have to revitalize its 2020 strategy. They have much to play with especially given Trump’s recent legal developments and the fact that he has been 2024 is certainly going to be a consequential year for Global Politics. With Sunday’s French Presidential Election deciding the lean of the country towards right-leaning Le Pen, and the UK’s general election on the 5th of July, there’s a tendency for conservative minds to take over the West and eventually impact major global conflicts. It’s worth noting that the debate proved that Biden is the better candidate to handle the Israel-Hamas crisis in the Middle East. “Let Israel finish the job,” is what Trump said to his audience of 300 million Americans-essentially negating all those sentiments indicating Trump was a Palestinian ally. He wants Israel to do whatever it takes to eradicate Hamas. He, in fact, made it a point to mention that Biden was the real friend of the Palestinians, which surely worked to Biden’s advantage in the college-educated young demographic. At the end of the day, the team behind the leader also matters. Maybe Biden isn’t that populist character who can scream and shout volatile beliefs, but surely has a stable and equipped team that led America and its allies through both the War in Ukraine and the War in Israel and has brought back the Global Economy from fears of a repeated recession. The writer is a columnist and a linguistic activist.