In the upcoming 2024 presidential election in the United States, Republican candidate and former President Donald Trump and Democratic candidate, current Vice President Kamala Harris, will hold their first debate on Tuesday night, September 10th. It will be a crucial opportunity for both candidates to appeal to voters on the largest political stage in American politics.
This debate marks the second debate between the two presidential candidates. The first debate was held on June 27th, during which President Biden, as the Democratic nominee, underperformed, leading to internal turmoil within the Democratic Party. Biden eventually withdrew from the race on July 21st and endorsed Vice President Harris.
For Harris, this will be her first debate since 2020. In that year, she and Trump’s running mate at the time, Vice President Mike Pence, debated behind plexiglass shields during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The debate is set to begin at 9 p.m. Eastern Time at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, lasting 90 minutes. It will be moderated by ABC anchors David Muir and Linsey Davis.
According to the rules agreed upon by both campaign teams, there will be no live audience. ABC News will broadcast the debate on its network, streaming platforms ABC News Live, Disney+, and Hulu. Several other television networks have also agreed to broadcast the event.
Both candidates have not yet reached an agreement on holding another debate, so this may be the only debate before the election on November 5th, making it the final debate of the 2024 presidential election. Many believe this debate holds significant real and historical value, shaping up to be one of the most impactful presidential debates in decades.
Looking ahead to the debate, the format will be different as agreed upon by the candidates earlier this week. There will be no live audience, no opening statements, no use of props, and the candidate’s microphone will be muted when their opponent’s time is up.
This rule has sparked some controversy in the past few days, with both sides weighing the pros and cons of muting the microphones. Trump reluctantly agreed to the mute mode before his debate with Biden in June, but his team afterwards argued that silencing him while his opponent speaks would be a net positive outcome, pushing for a return to the mute mode. Harris’ team, on the other hand, strongly advocates for returning to the normal “Hot Mic” mode.
On September 4th, Harris’ team wrote to the debate organizers at ABC News, accepting the rules set for the debate but voicing concerns about the decision to mute the microphones of both debaters throughout the debate, seeing it as a disadvantage for Harris.
Perhaps, the microphone debate is just a calm before the storm of the upcoming political and cultural showdown.
Harris previously served as the Attorney General of California while her opponent faced 34 counts of serious charges. Trump has denied all charges, claiming they are politically motivated.
The question remains whether Harris, not particularly outstanding in the primary debates during the 2020 presidential campaign, can seize what seems to be Trump’s obvious weaknesses during this highly publicized televised event or will she choose to remain silent or play down the issues?
Can Harris achieve what Biden failed to do or did poorly in the last presidential debate?
Some believe that Biden’s failure in the June 27 debate set an incredibly low standard for Harris’ first debate. Biden struggled to coherently and systematically articulate his points, failing to capitalize on the so-called weak points of Trump that the anti-Trump alliance expected, such as abortion rights, the January 6 Capitol attack, character, legal entanglements, and more, leaving the anti-Trump coalition disheartened and disappointed.
Indeed, despite having ample material, scoring points against Trump on the debate stage may prove easier said than done. Trump may be the most experienced debater in modern presidential history. As a former reality TV star, Trump knows how to dominate television coverage and seems to relish combat.
Harris recently remarked that she is looking forward to a political brawl. She told cheering crowds in Atlanta last month, “Donald, if you have something to say, say it to my face.”
Can she stand by her bold statements? The answer will soon be revealed.
Trump is not known for discipline or thorough preparation. His debate performance, like his governing style, often stems more from innate candidness, confidence, boldness, precision, and decisive judgment rather than from deliberate analysis.
Therefore, few expect Trump to launch clear and concise attacks against Harris during the debate. However, Trump needs to do better than he did last month, where he meandered aimlessly in campaign events without regard.
It is anticipated that Trump may question Harris’ racial identity, accuse her of being a communist, or challenge her leadership abilities.
He may also mock Harris as a liberal from San Francisco and remind viewers and voters that Harris has been in the Biden administration for nearly four years, implying that if she wins, the mistakes of the Biden presidency may continue for another four years.
Trump’s supporters will hope for a folksy Trump reminiscent of Ronald Reagan’s quip on the debate stage in 1980, “Are you better off?”
The question remains whether Trump can avoid diluting his folksy image with more controversial remarks of his own. Some have reasons to doubt.
Having never met before, this will be their first face-to-face encounter, albeit not their first confrontation. How will their body language, actions, and demeanor, including facial expressions, be perceived after their meeting? Will they be respectful and courteous towards each other?
Republicans will hope Trump avoids rash actions or provocations during the debate, such as pointing and shouting at Harris, or any other behavior that might alienate female voters or swing state voters.
Can Trump learn from past mistakes or will he continue his usual behavior?
Similarly, will Harris’ body language align with her racial and gender identity, or will she resort to shouting at Trump?
In an article for The Hill on September 5th, Steve Krakauer anticipated, “Harris won’t come off as unhinged like Biden did, but she might seem scattered, not in the zone, completely unprepared for primetime.”
James Carville offered Harris some advice this week on how to “bait” Trump into personal attacks. If Harris follows the script set by her campaign team and advisers, catching Trump off guard with anger may play to her advantage.
If victorious, Harris would become the first female president in history.
Harris is nearly 20 years younger than the 78-year-old Trump.
When facing Biden, who is 81, Trump’s age was seen as a political advantage, but with Harris at 59, the dynamics have reversed.
If successful, Trump would become the oldest president in the history of the United States.
While personality differences may be magnified during the debate, the differences in policy between the candidates on critical issues that millions of voters care about cannot be overlooked.
Republicans evidently hope Trump will make illegal immigration a decisive issue in the debate.
For much of the past four years, Republicans have effectively critiqued the Biden administration’s handling of illegal immigration at the US-Mexico border. The issue of illegal immigration and its associated problems such as drugs, crime, and national security concerns previously resonated primarily with core Republican voters but has now become a top issue for voters across political spectrums.
It is expected that Harris will be eager to remind voters that Trump helped defeat a bipartisan immigration bill and argue that the bill could have largely addressed this issue.
Overall, Harris may take a defensive stance on this issue.
Democrats, on the other hand, hope to focus on the abortion issue.
With the support of three Supreme Court justices appointed by Trump, the Supreme Court overturned the landmark Roe v. Wade decision, a decision aimed at protecting women’s right to choose abortion.
Trump has repeatedly expressed pride in the overturning of Roe v. Wade, but realizing that this viewpoint is not popular among many women, he has been working to soften his stance on this divisive issue.
It is expected that Harris will closely focus on the abortion issue, effectively conveying the message more than Biden due to her gender on this matter.
Many believe Trump is less conventional and adept at pushing and circumventing traditional political rules, achieving great political success. He may suddenly say or do anything he deems most appropriate at the moment.
For instance, on July 13th, at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, Trump nearly faced an assassination attempt by a gunman on a nearby roof, displaying a moment of resilience that resonated with numerous voters, surging his momentum.
He has also praised dictators, discussed the size of his genitalia, suggested suspending the execution of the US Constitution, and claimed that Harris only “turned Black recently.”
Will Trump veer off the conventional path, surprise and stun Harris with his words and questions, leaving the audience in awe?
Even Trump’s team is unsure of what he might do or say on any given day. While this poses great risks for Trump, it also puts enormous pressure on Harris.
Despite preparing for days for the debate, Harris cannot cover every aspect or plan for everything.
CBS News will host a Vice Presidential debate on October 1st, featuring Tim Walz and JD Vance, held in New York City.
(Information sourced from The Associated Press)