South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott expected to be in Atlanta for first presidential debate

FILE – Former President Donald Trump, Republican presidential candidate, listens as Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., speaks during a primary election night event at the South Carolina State Fairgrounds in Columbia , South Carolina, Saturday, February 24, 2024. A leading ally Former President Donald Trump – and potential vice presidential candidate – is launching a new effort to win over Black and other non-white working-class voters , which he believes could be the deciding factor in the November election. South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, the only black Republican in the Senate, will lead a $14 million campaign targeting minority voters in seven key states. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, file)

ATLANTA (WCBD) – Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) will be in Atlanta for the first presidential debate on Thursday, a spokesperson confirmed.

Scott is expected to attend a watch party hosted by former Georgia Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler and her husband, Jeff Sprecher.

Scott, the only black Republican in the Senate, has been touted as a potential vice presidential pick for Trump. A handful of other leading contenders, including North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum (R), Senator JD Vance (Republican of Ohio) and Senator Marco Rubio (Republican of Florida), are also expected to attend.

The former president told NBC News on Saturday during a campaign stop in Philadelphia that he had chosen his running mate and that person would “most likely” be in the debate against President Joe Biden.

“They will be there,” he said. “I think we have a lot of people coming.”

Trump added that “no one knows” his choice yet and that the decision will be announced at the RNC convention in Milwaukee next month.

Scott ran against Trump for the GOP nomination, but failed to gain much ground. He quickly endorsed Trump after dropping out, snubbing fellow South Carolina governor Nikki Haley.

Trump often joked that Scott was a better surrogate than a candidate.

The South Carolina senator is also scheduled to appear Thursday morning in a Fox News special series in which the co-hosts of “Fox & Friends” interview those on the vice presidential shortlist and their inner circle.

Scott and his fiancée, Mindy, will be interviewed by co-host Ainsley Earhardt in Charleston.

Scott’s meeting will air just hours before Thursday’s historic debate in which Biden and Trump will meet face to face for the first time in the 2024 election cycle.

This is the first debate between a sitting president and a former president. This is also the first general election presidential debate in history and the first time on the debate stage since 2020.

“What I’m looking forward to is the first five minutes of these two gentlemen, these two presidents, seeing each other in person for the first time since their last debate,” said Dr. Josh Bramlett, a professor of political science at the University of Alabama. “So much has happened since they last saw each other face to face. They’ve talked about each other so much, so what happens? How do they react? Do they shake hands?”

“This dynamic will be really compelling on television,” he continued.

The candidates agreed to a set of rules for the 90-minute showdown, including muted microphones and no live studio audience.

Bramlett anticipates this could impact both of their performances.

“(Trump) often manages to get the audience laughing, clapping, booing and generally shouting and so how he approaches the debate without any audience will be interesting,” he said.

“Biden called for these debates without a committee, in part to reduce spectacle, as his campaign called it,” he continued. “The Biden campaign wanted this scenario. »

He argued that the rules could force candidates to be on best behavior and focus on policy, especially with issues that go beyond public perception.

“If we look at the 2020 debates, the first debate is considered a disaster, basically because of the number of interruptions, but the second debate was considered just a normal event,” he said. “When you have a regular, normal event with decent performances, you can ease the concerns of your constituents. So President Trump, for example, if he has a normal debate focused on the Biden administration, then he might try to overcome the concerns of Nikki Haley Republicans.”

Averages of polls from Decision Desk HQ and Hill show Trump and Biden locked in a tight race for the White House, with Trump currently leading by one point.

South Carolina’s other senator, Republican Lindsey Graham, would also be in Atlanta on Thursday.