I suppose it's natural in a live, televised debate that the audience will be tempted to judge performances the way they might judge a talent-show contest. Who, we might wonder, is better able to complete a coherent sentence without fumbling it? Sadly, that in itself may be a challenge for either speaker.
But unlike a talent show, a pre-election debate isn't just about who sings best on the night in question: it's also about substance, and what may happen to America in the coming 4 years. I think Biden will have a clear advantage here as he generally sticks to facts, science and reality. After 4 years of being fact-checked, a number of people have realised that a high percentage of what comes out of Trump's mouth is unfounded conspiracy, deliberate lying or childish nonsense. In one sense, the candidates won't even be on the same topic: they'll be talking at cross purposes about what is real (Biden) and what is not (Trump).
Even if Biden stumbles on Debate Night, I hope that some of the tv audience will suspend judgement until the morning-after fact-checking kicks in; tfw the hot-headed passions of the previous night have abated and in the cold light of dawn you wake up in a stranger's bed and wonder what on earth possessed you ...
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"Am I enjoying this moment? I know of it and perhaps that is enough." - Sybille Bedford, 1953
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