Biden counters. Trump debate takes place in Atlanta amid high-profile election interference in 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 tainted by what happened in 2020.

The traditionally Republican state of Georgia turned Democratic when Biden beat 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 County District Attorney Fani Willis.

After the election, Trump asked former Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger in a phone call to help him get more than 11,000 votes, the number of votes he surpassed those of Joe Biden in Georgia. Several members of Trump’s legal team also attempted to intimidate and influence the election results.

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

Giuliani would ultimately decide to declare bankruptcy after a judge ordered him to 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. After the 2020 election, Giuliani, acting at the time as Donald Trump’s lawyer, claimed that Freeman and Moss created a scheme to defraud Trump out of an election victory in Georgia.

Last summer, Willis would indict Trump, Giuliani and others on RICO charges stemming from their attempt to overturn the 2020 election. On the evening of August 24, Trump was arrested and booked into the notorious County Jail. Fulton. The former commander in chief arrived at the controversial facility on Rice Street with a motorcade in tow and had his photo taken.

Facing numerous criminal charges across the country, Trump’s case in Georgia appears to be the most critical. Due to state laws, Trump could serve time in Georgia if convicted. However, he may have had an unforeseen outcome after questions about Willis’ relationship with special prosecutor Nathan Wade became an overblown issue. Trump got a major break after a Georgia court indefinitely stayed his election interference case. On June 5, the Georgia Court of Appeals ordered a pause in the legal proceedings until a decision is made whether Fani Willis can remain on the case.

But while Trump’s legal troubles in Georgia could lead to prison time, he and Biden are both working to influence Georgia voters. With the help of a black conservative group, Trump organized a visit to a Chik-fil-A in the predominantly black community of Vine City in April.

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

The Biden-Trump debate will take place in 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 approaches.