Biden Vs. Trump Debate Comes To Atlanta In The Midst Of High-Profile Election Interference RICO Case

The last time President Joe Biden and Donald Trump faced-off in the 2020 election, Atlanta became a key figure in the drama that would follow. On June 27, Biden and Trump will return to Atlanta for the first presidential debate of 2024.

But the debate’s presence in Georgia is marred by what occurred in 2020.

The traditionally Republican state of Georgia flipped to Democrat as Biden defeated Trump by thousands of votes. However, Trump would not go down without a fight, allegedly using his power to intimidate and steal the election, according to Fulton District Attorney Fani Willis.

Following the election, Trump asked former Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger during a phone call to help him secure over 11,000 votes, the amount in which he trailed Joe Biden in Georgia. There were also several members of Trump’s legal team that attempted to intimidate and sway the election results.

Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who served as Trump’s lawyer at the time, was booked into the Fulton County Jail. Giuliani was accused of making false statements to lawmakers in an effort to overturn the 2020 election in Georgia.

Giuliani would eventually decide to file bankruptcy after a judge ordered that he pay $148 million in damages to Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss. Freeman and Moss sued Giuliani in 2021 for defamation, intentional infliction of emotional distress and civil conspiracy. Following the 2020 Election, Giuliani, acting as Donald Trump’s attorney at the time, claimed that Freeman and Moss created a scheme to defraud Trump of an election win in Georgia.

Last summer, Willis would indict Trump, Giuliani and others on RICO charges due to their attempt to overturn the 2020 election. On the evening of Aug. 24, Trump was arrested and booked into the notorious Fulton County Jail. The former Commander-in-Chief arrived at the controversial facility located on Rice Street with a motorcade in tow and has his mugshot taken.

Enduring multiple criminal charges across the nation, Trump’s case in Georgia appeared to be the most critical. Due to state laws, Trump could serve time in Georgia if convicted. However, he may have been given an unforeseen out after questions about Willis’ relationship with special prosecutor Nathan Wade became an overstated issue. Trump received a major break after a Georgia court paused his election interference case indefinitely. On June 5, the Georgia Court of Appeals ordered a pause in legal proceedings until a ruling is determined if Fani Willis can remain on the case.

But while Trump’s legal issues in Georgia could lead to jail time, he and Biden are both working to sway voters in Georgia. With help from a Black conservative group, Trump staged a visit to a Chik-fil-A in the predominately Black community of Vine City in April.

And Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have both made several visits to Atlanta over the past few months. Biden served as the commencement speaker at Morehouse College’s graduation. And Harris recently visited Atlanta twice in a span of two weeks, once speaking at an event by 100 Black Men and returning days later to host a summit on gun violence prevention with rapper Quavo.

The Biden, Trump debate will take place at the CNN studios and is closed to the public. But the location of the first debate reveals the importance of Atlanta and the entire state of Georgia as Election Day 2024 comes closer.