- The first presidential debate will take place Thursday night
- Biden and Trump have agreed on debate rules with CNN
- RFK Jr. not at debate; will answer questions in own venue
(NewsNation) — Former President Donald Trump will address a group of donors at a watch party following CNN’s presidential debate in Atlanta on Thursday, contrasting with President Joe Biden, who will address his supporters, NewsNation has learned.
The two will face each other on a debate stage for the first time since 2020 as both seek to energize their bases. However, following the debate, they will head to two very different watch parties in Atlanta.
Both campaigns want voters excited by the debate and while the Trump campaign will have a handful of watch parties in key states, that number pales in comparison to the Biden campaign, which announced it’s hosting more than 300 watch parties. The Trump team is instead focused on a donor gathering.
The two will leave Thursday’s debate stage around 10:30 p.m. ET and head to their respective watch parties.
Trump-affiliated watch parties
The Trump campaign is hosting a debate watch party for donors in Atlanta, several sources confirmed on background. Trump will deliver post-debate remarks at the event, according to a copy of the invitation obtained by NewsNation.
The invitation lists RNC Chairman Michael Whatley, RNC co-chair Lara Trump, Kelly Loeffler and Jeff Sprecher as hosts. Donors have the option to contribute anywhere from $10,000-$50,000, according to the invitation. The donation amount determines one’s seat at the watch party; those who donate $50,000 per couple get you a seat at a roundtable with “VIP surrogates.”
An RNC spokesperson provided this list of additional Trump-affiliated watch parties to NewsNation.
- GAGOP, DeKalb GOP, Cobb GOP, Fulton GOP, Turning Point Action and Tea Party Patriots are hosting a watch party with Trump Force 47 campaign surrogates.
- Team Trump is hosting a Debate Watch Party in Michigan including MIGOP Chair Pete Hoekstra, as well as other state elected officials.
- Trump Force 47 is hosting numerous watch parties in Pennsylvania including the Newtown Trump Force Office and the Luzerne Trump Force Office.
- Wake County GOP is hosting a watch party in North Carolina with NC-13 nominee Brad Knott, State Rep. Erin Pare and former Wake County Sheriff Donnie Harrison.
The Trump campaign itself is hosting several watch parties across Arizona, including Kingman, Yuma, Phoenix, Williams and Pima, according to an RNC spokesperson.
Biden-affiliated watch parties
The Biden campaign is using the more than 300 watch parties in states, and especially battleground states, around the country as part of their strategy to engage and excite voters. In addition, the campaign has over 40 targeted outreach events designed to mobilize key voting blocks.
As examples, they listed a virtual watch party for college students in Michigan, as well as events for Caribbean women, Venezuelan Americans, the LGBTQ+ community, local Democratic Party members and other groups virtually and across more than 15 states.
To generate even more interest in their watch parties, many of them will have Biden campaign surrogates, including some big names including Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Lt. Gov. Austin Davis. A watch party in Las Vegas, Nevada, will feature former Gov. Steve Sisolak.
The President and first lady will also drop by an Atlanta watch party after the debate. He will then head to Raleigh, N.C., where he will hold a post-debate rally Friday.
While the Biden campaign focuses on voters with these watch parties and outreach events, he will not be ignoring donors. He’s set to attend at least three fundraisers as well as a gala in New York and New Jersey this weekend.
While not an exhaustive list, below are examples of the events being held by the Biden campaign around the country.
Pennsylvania:
- Harrisburg with Gov. Josh Shapiro and Lt. Gov. Austin Davis
- Philadelphia with U.S. Sen. Chris Coons and Philly-area leaders
North Carolina:
- Raleigh with North Carolina Democratic Party Chair Anderson Clayton
- Durham with State Representative Zack Hawkins
Nevada:
- Vegas with former Gov. Steve Sisolak, Attorney General Aaron Ford, Assembly Majority Leader Sandra Jauregui
- Reno with local leaders
Wisconsin:
- Milwaukee with Biden-Harris and Wisconsin Democrats’ debate watch party with Mayor Cavalier Johnson in Milwaukee
- Madison Biden-Harris and Wisconsin Democrats’ debate watch party with Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway in Madison
