The TV debate between Harris and Trump could help decide the US election – and it involves risks for both parties. A US expert explains the situation to IPPEN.MEDIA.
Kamala Harris against Donald Trump: This is the constellation before the US election – and at the same time a premiere: On the night of Wednesday (September 11th) the two will meet in person for the first time. In front of an audience of millions, in a TV duel.
Not every TV debate in the US election campaign has a “decisive effect on the election,” says USA expert Heike Paul from the University of Nuremberg-Erlangen. However, this date is “extremely important,” especially because of the close poll results. What the Duel in the station ABC to expect and what the audience should pay attention to, Paul IPPEN.MEDIA explained.
Harris vs. Trump: What are the candidates’ goals?
Donald Trump: “You will see that Trump will try to associate Harris with all the – as he sees it – negative aspects of the Biden presidency and act as if she had already failed in power and in her tasks,” explains Paul. It was only the change from Biden to Harris that changed the momentum of the election campaign. Another alleged lever Trump is using, according to the expert: to brand Harris as “radical left”. “He already calls her ‘Comrade Kamala’ to underline that,” she recalls.
Kamala Harris: Harris, on the other hand, will try to portray herself as a representative of the middle and middle class, says Paul. The Democrat will also focus on the issue of abortion and women’s self-determination. Of course, negative attributions for Trump are to be expected. One possible thrust of Harris’s approach: “The old white man in the corner is not electable because he is erratic and basically a yesterday’s man.”
Harris and Trump in the TV debate: What pitfalls for the candidates should the audience watch out for?
Donald Trump: A key question is whether Trump will be able to implement the advice of his advisors in front of the camera, says the professor of American studies: “That he doesn’t become abusive.” Apparently, Trump was advised to address Kamala Harris as “Madam Vice President” to express appreciation for his opponent. “I don’t know whether he will manage that,” adds Paul. “It will be interesting to see whether he steps out of character.” Perhaps Harris will even deliberately provoke Trump to show that she is the more suitable person for the office.
Kamala Harris: The Democratic candidate’s biggest problem is likely to be Donald Trump. Harris must, on the one hand, correct Trump’s lies – but on the other hand, she must also present herself, explains the expert. According to surveys, she is still little known among Americans compared to Trump. “It could be very difficult to correct facts without making the whole debate about Trump,” says Paul. “We all know: he doesn’t tend to stick particularly closely to the facts.”
Another factor: F
or Harris, it is the first major TV debate, for Trump the seventh. Kamala Harris did compete against Mike Pence in the duel between the vice-presidential candidates in 2020. “But it’s simply not comparable to an encounter with Donald Trump,” warns Paul. Her preparation was “intensive” – Trump, on the other hand, reported in the media that he did not need any preparation.
What significance does the Harris-Trump duel have for the election campaign and the USA in general?
“A lot of people will be watching. The location itself is highly symbolic: Philadelphia was the first capital of the USA before Washington,” explains Heike Paul. At the same time, the event is seen as a “competition”: speaking times and the procedure are strictly regulated. There is no audience in the studio – so it all depends on the people at home in front of the televisions and streams. The big media question of who “won”, Harris or Trump, will then shape the following days.
At the same time, it is to be expected that prominent scenes and sentences will continue to circulate as memes and quotes on social networks for quite some time. “So it will also be about creating iconic moments for the rest of the election campaign until the beginning of November,” says Paul.
The starting position is very open: the differences in the polls are still within the margin of error, i.e. statistical error ranges. Harris may have the “greater potential,” the scientist speculates. “Because she can and must still define herself in front of the large television audience in America and the whole world.” But that could also involve risks: Trump will try to portray Harris as “deficient and incompetent.” (fn)
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