COLUMBUS – President Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden will face off Tuesday night in Cleveland in the first of three scheduled presidential debates leading up to the Nov. 3 election.
The two will spar the Supreme Court, the coronavirus pandemic and race and violence in the nation’s cities.
About 300 Ohio National Guard troops will be in the city, at the request of local officials, Gov. Mike DeWine announced last week.
“In the past, when we’ve been asked for help by any of our cities, we have been able to supply the National Guard…They do a great job as backup, but it’s important,” he said.
Soldiers and airmen will be activated as part of the National Guard Response Force and will assist police in areas such as traffic control, site security, and critical infrastructure protection, DeWine said.
The Guard has provided support for similar events in the past, including the Republican National Convention in 2016 and several presidential inaugurations.
The debate gives Trump a prime-time opening to test Biden’s physical and mental strength once and for all.
Biden is being advised to avoid direct attacks, but Trump likely won’t make it easy to take the high road.
The nonpartisan Commission on Presidential Debates last week announced the six topics for the initial face-to-face event.
The topics were selected by the debate’s moderator, Fox News’ Chris Wallace, and will each be the subject of 15-minute “blocks” in the debate. The topics are: “The Trump and Biden Records,” “The Supreme Court,” ”Covid-19,” “The Economy,” “Race and Violence in our Cities,” and “The Integrity of the Election.”
The next two presidential debates are scheduled for Oct. 15 and Oct. 22.
Part of the battle for Ohio’s votes is playing out in a courtroom.
A three-judge panel of a state appellate court is expected to decide an appeal of a trial judge’s order blocking an order by the state’s top elections official limiting ballot drop boxes to one per county as arbitrary and unreasonable.
A lawyer for the Ohio Democratic Party says Republican Secretary of State Frank LaRose’s evolving public statements and erratic actions prior to issuing the directive prove his order is not reasonable.
LaRose’s attorney argues the directive was reasonable because the secretary of state was protecting county election boards from chaos and security risks.
Early voting, by mail and in person, begins Oct. 6.