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Here's what to know about the Joe Biden, Donald Trump competing town halls tonight

WASHINGTON — In lieu of a second debate, President Donald Trump and his Democratic opponent Joe Biden will participate in competing town halls Thursday night.

The candidates were originally scheduled to square off in a town hall debate on this day in Miami. But the Commission on Presidential Debates last week announced the debate would be held virtually due to the president's COVID-19 diagnosis on Oct. 1.

Trump quickly swatted down the idea of participating in a virtual debate, and his campaign later asked that the second and third debates be pushed back a week. The commission declined to change the dates, and said that they would not hold a town hall debate with just one candidate. The debate was officially cancelled on Friday.

Biden’s campaign was quick to announce a town hall after the president initially backed out of the planned second debate. The former vice president's town hall will be hosted by ABC News at 8 p.m. ET. The president's town hall is scheduled for the same time, but on NBC News.

Stakes are high for both candidates

With only 19 days until the Nov. 3 election, the competing events will act as one of the final moments for each candidate to energize their base and swing undecided voters to their side.

Grant Reeher, a political science professor at Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, told USA TODAY that Trump could be looking to recover after being largely criticized for his performance in the first presidential debate last month, where the candidates traded insults and crosstalk clogged much of the conversation.

"I think there's more pressure on (Trump) to remedy that in terms of the way he comes across in this event," Reeher said.

Reeher said the format for Thursday's event is a benefit to Biden, who is "naturally more comfortable" than Trump in a town hall, adding "this is a format that's really made for, like a Bill Clinton or Joe Biden. Someone that is interested in connecting with every individual that they meet."

Trump will also be looking to boost his standing in the polls, which have shown him trailing Biden by mid-single digits up to double digits. The former vice president appears to also be making gains in key battleground states like Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin. In addition, more than 14 million Americans have already voted, so time is running out for both candidates to convince a dwindling number of undecided voters.

What to expect from both events

For Trump's town hall, the president will meet with "a group of Florida voters on critical issues impacting their vote less than three weeks before Election Day," NBC said. The town hall will be outside and moderated by “Today" show co-host Savannah Guthrie.

While new details on Biden's town hall haven't been released, including the location, ABC said last week that the event will be held "in accordance with state and local government health and safety regulations, as well as guidelines set forward by health officials."

The competing town halls have caused some backlash online.

"Having dueling town halls is bad for democracy-voters should be able to watch both and I don’t think many will," journalist Katie Couric wrote in a tweet. "This will be good for Trump because people like to watch his unpredictability. This is a bad decision. #vote"

But Reheer, of Syracuse University, noted that the final debate will likely be the one that holds the most impact for voters. The two candidates will square off in one last debate on Oct. 22 in Nashville. Both campaigns have agreed to the Nashville debate, according to the commission.

Reeher said that while there probably isn't a large group of undecided voters that could be swayed, doubts can still be raised among voters who have not yet cast a ballot for either candidate.

He said Trump could raise doubts among people in certain income levels of what Biden presidency looks like, especially with a Democratic-controlled Congress. Biden, on the other hand, could still hit Trump on his response to the coronavirus pandemic and make voters second guess their choice, Reeher said.

"There's room on both sides for ... raising some doubts about the other candidates," he said.

Contributing: Savannah Behrmann, Joey Garrison and David Jackson

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 2020 Election: What to know about Joe Biden, Donald Trump's town halls