Aside from giving armchair pundits a chance to shake off some live-tweeting rust, it’s hard to imagine that tonight’s debate is going to change a lot of minds. (They disagree on every policy and we’ve had decades to witness the character of both men, but I’m gonna wait and see who gets in a really good zinger.) Here’s a look at some of the prep going on behind the scenes.

+ It’s also hard to imagine Trump’s remaining backers seeing any debate performance of his as a loss. More concerning, many of them also can’t imagine an election loss. “Trump supporters saying they have Mr. Trump’s back is not a surprise at this point in the Trump era. But recent interviews with Republican voters in several battleground states show just how much Mr. Trump’s unrelenting campaign to shake trust in voting has compounded the deep misgivings his supporters have about the integrity of the process. While some were troubled by the idea that Mr. Trump might refuse to leave if he was decisively defeated, many simply do not believe that he could, or will, lose fair and square.” How Trump Voters Feel About His Refusal to Commit to Transferring Power.