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Tomorrow night, Jake Tapper and Dana Bash of CNN have a big job: asking two unpopular men who have been president what they would do with a second term.

The stakes could not be higher. President Biden and former President Donald Trump have starkly different visions for the presidency and the future of the country. This will be their first meeting since 2020, and they dont have another planned until September.

I dont know if well get the debate we want, or just the debate we deserve, but I do know that the questions Tapper and Bash choose to ask really matter. So we at On Politics would humbly and helpfully like to offer some ideas. Your ideas.

Last week, I asked readers to tell me the questions you hope to hear at the debate, and I received hundreds of insightful and occasionally trollish responses. Its clear you are hungry for a debate about issues that arent getting a lot of attention on the campaign trail. Youre also looking for Biden and Trump to convince you why, in their second go-round, you should get excited about them. And you want both of them to address their own ages, and not just each others.

Below, Ive laid out some of the questions that stood out to me most, with some small edits for clarity and style. Hope youre reading, Jake and Dana. No need to thank us!

The 2024 election is a contest between two men who have a cold, hard record of being president, which many of you hope the moderators will dig into. James Hall, an independent voter from Colorado, offered a question I liked for its directness.

What have you done that makes you think you deserve to be the president of the United States again?

Anne McKelvey, a lifelong Pennsylvanian, wants to know about both mens regrets.

What do you feel was your biggest mistake during your presidency?

Many of you want the stakes for democracy to be clearly spelled out onstage especially when it comes to Trumps plans for a second term. You want him to be asked directly about his promise to be a dictator on Day 1, and about my colleagues reporting that he plans to use the government to seek revenge on his political opponents.

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Original post:
Heres the Biden-Trump Debate We Want on Thursday - The New York Times