Kamala Harris and Donald Trump are about to meet face-to-face for the first time, and the entire country will be watching. The Democratic vice president and the Republican former president will clash in Philadelphia on Tuesday in what could be their only televised debate ahead of a tight 2024 election.
This high-profile ABC debate offers voters the opportunity to see both candidates go head-to-head after weeks of indirect jabs since President Joe Biden stepped aside as a candidate. Both sides are gearing up for a critical showdown.
Harris, 59, has energized the Democratic Party and is about to face an opponent who has repeatedly insulted her with racist and sexist remarks. America’s first female, Black, and South Asian vice president has narrowed the gap in the polls but still calls herself the “underdog.”
She’s been preparing for the debate in Pittsburgh, knowing full well what’s at stake. Meanwhile, Trump, 78, is expected to come out swinging. Harris’s entrance into the race shook up his White House bid, and he now holds the record as the oldest candidate in U.S. history.
Erin Christie, from Rutgers University, suggests that the debate will be an eye-opener. “These two have never met in person, so this debate could be the defining moment of the election,” she said.
Trump’s refusal to attend Biden’s 2021 inauguration, due to his false claims of election fraud, adds a unique dynamic to this encounter. The debate’s setting in Pennsylvania—one of the most fiercely contested battleground states—heightens the tension.
This could be the only debate between the two, as no other sessions have been scheduled. This one nearly didn’t happen due to disagreements, which led to a compromise: the candidates’ microphones will be muted when the other is speaking.
Americans are eagerly waiting to see how the confrontation unfolds.
Debates don’t always move the needle in the polls, but they can still pack a punch. Just a couple of months ago, Biden was forced out of the race after a disastrous debate with Trump raised concerns about his age and mental fitness. Biden, however, will be watching closely from the sidelines, as his former vice president steps into the spotlight.
While no one expects Tuesday’s debate to have the same dramatic fallout, it could still be a defining moment leading up to the November 5 election. Both candidates will aim to sway undecided voters in a deeply divided nation.
Harris will rely on her sharp, precise style honed during her time as a prosecutor. Her opponent, a convicted felon still facing charges for attempting to overturn the 2020 election, presents a unique challenge. But Harris will also have to overcome the unfair expectations and stereotypes placed on her as a Black woman, said political expert Rebecca Gill.
Trump, on the other hand, will have to decide how far to lean into his bombastic style. His approach may energize his supporters, but it remains to be seen how it will land with a broader audience, especially as Harris makes her case to become the country’s first Black woman president.
The moderators from ABC will also be under pressure, particularly if Trump continues his pattern of making false claims, as he did in his previous debates.
“This one could be a debate for the history books. Time to grab the popcorn,” said Andrew Koneschusky, former press secretary for Senate leader Chuck Schumer.
