Republican strategist Karl Rove believes President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump should go into next week’s debate on offense by honing in on key priorities.

The first presidential debate will see the two face off for the first time on the same stage since 2020, and Rove writes in the Wall Street Journal that it could set the tone for the rest of the campaign.

“If one candidate has a particularly bad night, undecided and otherwise up-for-grabs voters could lock in for his opponent. Since the next debate comes nearly 11 weeks later, it’ll be difficult to rehabilitate a damaged campaign,” Rove wrote.

According to communication Rove has had with GOP and Democratic experts, Trump and Biden should attempt to pitch the November election as a referendum on the other’s term in the White House. He noted Trump should hammer inflation, border security, and crime, while Biden should discuss the state the country was in when he took office and outline Trump’s unpopular stances, including on abortion.

The GOP strategist also argued that neither candidate should spend any time on the Trump and Hunter Biden convictions, arguing it would be “wasting time” since it does not appear to sway voters.

Rove said Biden has the most to lose in the debate if he is not viewed as the victor, and stressed that both should pick three key messages to discuss and connect with voters with.

“Each candidate should pick three key messages he wants viewers to remember and use stories about real people to humanize himself and drive home these messages,” Rove wrote.

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The debate between Biden and Trump next week will be aired on CNN at 9 p.m. EDT from Atlanta, Georgia. The second debate the pair have agreed to will be aired on ABC News in September.

Trump and Biden are scheduled to accept their respective party’s nominations in the coming months. The Republican National Convention is scheduled for July 15-18 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, while the Democratic National Convention is scheduled for August 19-22 in Chicago, Illinois.