Former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden. Photos by Bill Starrels.

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Remember how you felt when The Former Guy’s jet departed Washington airspace early on the day of President Biden’s inauguration? Putting aside the sore-loser disrespect to tradition, it was a wonderful moment. “Happy days are here again!” we naively thought. “We never have to hear from him again.”

If only! As the past four long years have shown, he never really went away. His lies and legal misadventures have dominated our media and taken up residence in our heads. He continues to disrupt and upend reality. Not even his multiple convictions for sexual assault, falsified business records and massive fines have damaged his campaign or deterred his legions of fans and enablers.

And yet, according to 538, the polls are tied!

Now, the 2024 presidential campaign’s first debate, hosted by CNN, between the ex- and current president is upon us and, once again, we are holding our collective breath. Will we get “Scrappy Joe” or presidential Joe? Will Trump finish a coherent sentence or will he dissolve into mendacious word salads, bluster or threats? How will fact checking keep up? What issues, if any, will be discussed and will we be any the wiser for the exchange? And does it really matter?

Writing in the New York Times, Frank Luntz, the Republican communications strategist and pollster, predicts that the winner of the debate will not be the master of facts and figures, but will be the one who can deliver the “one memorable phrase” that speaks to voters’ concerns and fears. In other words, “how he makes them feel.” (Paging Maya Angelou!)

For her part, Hillary Clinton, who has debated both men, says we should listen to how the candidates “talk about people.” Mr. Biden, she notes, is “one of the most empathetic leaders we’ve ever had … He talks about women’s rights, the struggles of working families, opportunities for people of color and the courage of Ukrainian men and women risking their lives for democracy. Mr. Trump can’t do that because he cares only about himself.”

Again, how does that make you feel?

This is no ordinary debate. It’s high stakes all the way — for CNN and its reporter-moderators, the candidates, the country and the world. Watch it not as a spectacle it undoubtedly will be, but as a preview of our future.

Or as a premonition.

The debate is scheduled to take place 9 p.m. to 10:30 p.m., Thursday, June 27, on CNN, CNN.com, CNN International, CNN en Español and the streaming platform Max. It will also be simulcast on Fox News, ABC, NBC and C-SPAN.

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The Presidential Debate: Mere Preview, or Premonition?