Trump vs Harris: What to expect from US presidential debate
The 2024 US presidential election campaign is set to witness a high-stakes debate between Republican nominee Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Kamala Harris. The face-off, scheduled for September 10, will be held at Philadelphia's National Constitution Center. This event follows a previous debate in June between Trump and then-candidate Joe Biden, who later withdrew his re-election bid due to criticism over his performance and concerns about his age and fitness.
What's the debate format
The upcoming debate, hosted by ABC, will last 90 minutes and feature no live audience or microphones. Candidates will be introduced by moderators David Muir and Linsey Davis from ABC News Live Prime and World News Tonight respectively. The Harris team has expressed concerns over this format—suggesting it could prevent face-to-face interactions with Trump. However, Jason Miller, a senior adviser to the Trump campaign, stated they have "accepted the ABC debate under the exact same terms as the CNN debate."
Debate rules and potential strategies
The debate will be broadcast on ABC News at 9:00pm ET with two commercial breaks. It will also be streamed on ABC News Live, Disney+, Hulu, and Fox News. The candidates are not allowed to ask each other questions or use props or pre-written notes. Each candidate will have two minutes for their answers, rebuttals, and an additional minute for further information.
Potential debate topics
Trump has been holding rallies and downplaying the need for debate preparation, while Harris has been intensely preparing her responses during a weekend in Pennsylvania. Trump is likely to target Harris on issues such as immigration, taxes, foreign policy, election involvement. On the other hand, Harris may leverage her experience as a prosecutor to challenge Trump. This will be Trump's second debate against a female opponent and his first against a seasoned prosecutor like Harris.
