With a Biden-Trump rematch expected, we take stock of the presidential race

President Biden and former President Donald Trump are poised to officially become their parties’ presumptive nominees. Here’s where the race stands.

ROB SCHMITZ, HOST:

President Biden and former President Donald Trump are expected to hit the magic number of delegates later tonight. That’s thanks to primaries in Georgia, Mississippi and Washington state. Hawaii is also voting on the Republican side. And so a Biden-Trump rematch will be, well, officially official. Let’s take stock, then, of what this presidential election will be about and the strengths and weaknesses of both men with NPR’s senior political editor and correspondent, Domenico Montanaro. Hey, Domenico.

DOMENICO MONTANARO, BYLINE: Hey there, Rob.

SCHMITZ: So this is not a fight for primary voters anymore. So how are they going to pitch themselves? What are they campaigning on now?

MONTANARO: Well, Biden, during his State of the Union address, stressed that he and Trump had very different visions for the country, and they are very different. I mean, Biden is campaigning on democracy and freedom at home and abroad, codifying Roe to again protect abortion rights, standing up for countries like Ukraine to fend off authoritarianism as well as lowering prescription drug prices and making the wealthy pay what he calls their fair share. Trump, on the other hand, has laid out a dark image of the country, focusing on immigration. He’s running against Biden’s economy. And abroad, he wants less U.S. involvement.

SCHMITZ: So when we talk about voters, there’s a candidate’s base and then the movable middle. How much does each man appeal to that middle, and how important is that political middle?

MONTANARO: Well, there’s an argument that, with the country as divided as it is, this is a base election. I’d argue that it’s both base – the core supporters – and persuading voters in the middle to get them over the finish line. So, yes, they’re still very important. For Biden,…