The Trump-Harris Debate: Stage Set For US Presidential Election's Biggest Showdown

Donald Trump and Kamala Harris will go head-to-head in their first televised debate of the 2024 election cycle on Tuesday evening in Philadelphia hosted by ABC News, which kicks off at 6:30 AM IST. 

Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, is expected to focus on highlighting what he views as the policy failures of the Biden administration, particularly targeting Harris's role in issues like illegal immigration at the southern border and the high cost of living amidst the ongoing economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

On the other hand, Harris is intent on demonstrating that she can press the Democratic case against Trump better than Biden did. 

The Republican former president has at times resorted to invoking racial and gender stereotypes, frustrating allies who want Trump to focus instead on policy differences with Harris.

The vice president, for her part, will try to claim a share of credit for the Biden administration’s accomplishments while also addressing its low moments and explaining her shifts away from more liberal positions she took in the past.

Trump’s team insists his tone won’t be any different when facing a female opponent.

Trump’s Arguments 

Trump has argued a Harris presidency is a threat to the safety of the country, highlighting that Biden tapped her to address the influx of migrants as the Republican once again makes dark warnings about immigration and those in the country illegally central to his campaign. 

He has sought to portray a Harris presidency as the continuation of Biden’s still-unpopular administration, particularly his economic record, as voters still feel the bite of inflation even as it has cooled in recent months.

Trump and his campaign have spotlighted far-left positions she took during her failed 2020 presidential bid. He’s been assisted in his informal debate prep sessions by Tulsi Gabbard, the former Democratic congresswoman and presidential candidate who tore into Harris during their primary debates.

Harris’ Arguments 

Harris is likely to warn that Trump presents a threat to democracy, from his attempts in 2020 to overturn his loss in the presidential election, spurring his angry supporters to attack the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, through comments he made as recently as last weekend. 

Trump on social media issued yet another message of retribution, threatening that if he wins he will jail “those involved in unscrupulous behavior,” including lawyers, political operatives, donors, voters and election officials.

Harris has spent the better part of the last five days ensconced in debate preparations in Pennsylvania, where she participated in hours-long mock sessions with a Trump stand-in. Ahead of the debate, she told radio host Rickey Smiley that she was workshopping how to respond if Trump lies.

The vice president, who has been the Biden administration’s most outspoken supporter of abortion access after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, is expected to focus on calling out Trump’s inconsistencies around women’s reproductive care, including his announcement that he will vote to protect Florida’s six-week abortion ban in a statewide referendum this fall.

The debate will follow the same rules implemented during the first presidential debate between Trump and President Biden on June 27. These rules include muted microphones, a prohibition on pre-written notes, no live audience, and no interaction with campaign staff during commercial breaks.