The stage is set for what could be the pivotal moment in the campaign ahead of the November 5 US presidential election: Tuesday night’s debate between Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris and Republican former President Donald Trump.
The two candidates have never met and have never spoken on the phone, but on Tuesday they will be standing within walking distance of each other behind lecterns at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia. They are set to trade barbs for 90 minutes while answering questions posed by two ABC News anchors, David Muir and Linsey Davis.
Tens of millions of Americans are likely to watch the face-off between the two presidential candidates in what could be the only debate of the campaign. The event takes place eight weeks before the official election day, but just days before early voting begins in some of the country’s 50 states.
National polls show the race is close, making it all the more crucial that both candidates make their best arguments in the debate to the small number of voters who have yet to make up their minds. At stake is whether Trump returns to the White House after losing reelection in 2020 to President Joe Biden or whether Harris, Biden’s second-in-command, is promoted.
When Biden dropped his reelection bid in July — bowing to pressure from within his own Democratic Party — after a rocky debate against Trump in late June and endorsed Harris as his successor, Democrats quickly coalesced around her candidacy. While Biden was trailing Trump when the Democratic president ended his campaign, Harris leads him in numerous national polls by two to three percentage points.
A New York Times-Siena College poll released Sunday showed Trump with a 48-47 percent lead nationally, even as the paper showed Harris ahead in an average of multiple polls in three crucial battleground states — Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania — with the two candidates tied in four other crucial states — Arizona, Georgia, Nevada and North Carolina.
The seven hotly contested states are expected to play an outsized role in determining the outcome of the election because the United States does not elect its president and vice president by national popular vote.
Rather, the election consists of 50 state-by-state contests, with electors for the winning candidate in all but two states casting all of their Electoral College votes for either Harris and her vice presidential running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, or Trump and his running mate, Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance. Electoral College votes are based on population, so the most populous states have the most influence.
The new Times-Siena poll showed the debate stakes are particularly high for Harris as she introduces herself to the American public, with 28% of respondents saying they need to know more about her, while just 9% said the same about Trump.
University of Michigan debate coach Aaron Kall told VOA: “Tuesday night is one of the most anticipated and consequential presidential debates of all time. Trump is a veteran presidential debater, but he has a history of making controversial comments against his opponents on stage, which could distract from a more important focus on substantive policy issues.”
“Harris only entered the race in July and it is still being defined by voters and she must prove she can bring charges against Trump’s first term and his recent actions,” Kall said. “Trump is an especially effective counterpuncher and could employ a scorched-earth debate strategy if he feels unfairly maligned on stage.”
Kall added: “Both candidates should emphasize their compelling biographies and unique skill sets that make them uniquely qualified to lead the country over the next four years.”
He said the two candidates “must make these voters comfortable with the idea that they will be president for the next four years and a fixture on their television screens and in their living rooms.”
Harris has been preparing for the debate at a Pittsburgh hotel in the crucial state of Pennsylvania. She has held several mock debates with a Trump look-alike stand-in, complete with television lighting and potential moderators asking her direct questions.
Trump has participated in policy briefings with aides, eschewing mock debates with a Harris-like figure.
On the debate stage, the rules for Harris and Trump will be the same as in June. Each candidate’s microphone will be muted when the other is speaking. Each will have two minutes to respond to a moderator’s question and the other one minute to respond.
Abortion rights, immigration at the U.S.-Mexico border, U.S. crime rates and personal character are some of the topics likely to be raised by ABC’s anchors.
Meanwhile, Trump and Harris have clashed from a distance.
Last week, Trump told Fox News commentator Sean Hannity that he let Biden speak at their June debate, adding: “I’m going to let her speak. There are those who say Biden is smarter than her. If that’s the case, we have a problem.” Trump had often insulted Harris’ intellect, saying she “has no idea what the hell she’s doing.”
“Look, this is a dangerous woman,” he said. “You can’t take the risk. You have no choice. You have to vote for me, even if you don’t like me.”
Harris has also mocked Trump.
At last month’s Democratic National Convention, as she accepted the party’s presidential nomination, Harris said: “In many ways, Donald Trump is an unserious man.” Harris added: “But the consequences of putting Donald Trump back in the White House are extremely serious.”
The U.S. Supreme Court recently ruled that Trump and all future American presidents are immune from prosecution for wrongdoing in office for actions related to their official duties, which Harris said poses a problem if Trump wins the presidency again.
“Imagine Donald Trump without guardrails,” Harris said, “and how he would use the immense powers of the American presidency. Not to improve his life, not to strengthen our national security, but to serve the only client he’s ever had, himself.”
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