As the presidential election looms closer, it’s time to see the two candidates face each other in a debate, and this year that debate is more important than ever. Over the years, debates have helped and hurt candidates. In one of the earliest televised presidential debates, Vice President Richard Nixon sweat profusely during the debate. Compared to the calm and collected JFK, Nixon looked less appealing as a candidate, and as we all found out over time, he turned out to be a poor choice for the Oval Office. In the past, there have been some amazing one-liners and some serious examples of what a candidate would be like if elected. In this upcoming CNN debate, the stakes are extremely high for the incumbent President Joe Biden, and former president Donald Trump, both of whom are up in age. As result, their cognitive skills have been called into question by both parties on a regular basis. The first of the two scheduled debates will not have a live audience, a condition that was requested by President Biden.

Neither of these candidates has pulled a full-on Mitch McConnell, buffering in front of a live audience until they had to be escorted away, but it’s clear that time is catching up to both of them.

The stakes are also high because one candidate is choosing not to be honest about the fact that he lost the election the last time he ran for president.

We all know or hopefully know that former President Donald Trump lost the election fairly, and when he refused to accept the terms of his loss, he orchestrated and attempted to overturn the results of the vote with the help of some fake electors, lawyers like former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, and judges appointed during his time in office including a Supreme Court that is tilted in his favor.

Due to Republican shenanigans and refusal to appoint Obama nominees to the high court, the former president will not be held accountable for these particular legal issues before this election cycle at the very least.

Trump has been held accountable for some of his crimes. He is literally a convicted felon. One would think that these facts alone would be sufficient to keep him from the Republican nomination, but he has managed to play the “victim card,” complaining that the legal deck is stacked against him.

Due to these hold ups in court, we are now again at a point where Trump, a convicted felon could actually become the most powerful person in the world.

For too many of us, this doesn’t seem possible. It’s playing out like a crazy “Twilight Zone” episode where the values of this country are put aside so a dictator can return to his perch, unchallenged and unchecked as his selfish agenda moves forward for the benefit of only a few.

During this debate look with a clear eye and listen carefully.

As Maya Angelou famously said, “When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time.”

Donald Trump has always clearly told us and showed us who he is. When asked by Fox Host Sean Hannity whether he would be a dictator during his presidency, Trump replied, “No, no, no, other than day one.” He also spoke at CPAC, the Conservative Political Action Conference in 2023 saying “for those who have been wronged and betrayed, I am your retribution.”

Listen to both candidates carefully this week and see what their accomplishments are and how they will affect the country.

The only way Donald Trump is not going to become president is if every honest and smart person goes out there and votes for the candidate who wants to strengthen our union. America needs someone who wants to follow the rules, doesn’t lie about losing an election or sexually assaulting women and who doesn’t break the law. The 2016 election interference paid off for Trump and altered the narrative about who he was the first time. Watch this debate carefully and remember our democracy is at stake.