A discussion on Trump and Biden’s upcoming presidential debate

Tonight, President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump will meet at the Atlanta studios of CNN for the first of two presidential debates this year.

There've been discussions about how much difference debates really make, especially in our polarized country. Beyond the polarization, there's plenty of frustration to go around too, whether that's with one candidate or our broader political system. 

Today, we will take some time to put tonight's debate in context with some Illinois political scientists who've tried to make sense of the moment we're in. 

GUESTS:

Kerri Milita

Associate professor of politics and government at Illinois State University

Megan Remmel

Associate professor of political science at Bradley University

Hannah Ridge

Assistant professor of political science at Chapman University; previously a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Pozen Center for Human Rights at the University of Chicago

Brian Gaines

Honorable W. Russell Arrington Professor in State Politics for the University of Illinois system; professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign