It is the showdown that everyone has been waiting for. The debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump could be decisive for the outcome of the US election.
Philadelphia – It is a major event in the US election campaign – an event that can bring undecided voters to a decision: the TV debate between the presidential candidates. On September 10, at 9 p.m. Philadelphia time (in Germany: September 11, 3 a.m.), Kamala Harris and Donald Trump compete against each other live on television and try to win more votes. But what will the topics of this duel be?
Harris’ strategy for the TV debate on ABC: “Don’t just read out statistics”
The debate between the candidates is there to present the planned policies to the American voters. That is also the plan of the Harris campaign team. “She will not only read statistics, she will also explain what her policies are and what real impact they will have on people’s lives,” a former Harris staffer told The Hill.
For Harris, the spectacle will be her debate debut. She is preparing intensively for it, her team reported. She is looking at briefing material about politics and working out formulations that can be used to address the audience on a personal level, said the former employee. Harris already used this personal level in her CNNinterview in which she talked about the federal child tax credit from a parent’s perspective.
In the 2024 US election campaign: Harris on her policies after election victory
During the election campaign, Harris proposed a nationwide ban on price gouging, as well as a plan to end the housing shortage by building new homes and providing down payment assistance for first-time home buyers.
In addition, Harris is striving for an “economy of opportunity,” reported the news magazine Reuters after her campaign speech in the US state of North Carolina. She wants lower taxes and stricter price controls in the food sector. The middle class in particular should be the focus of the policy. Because “I firmly believe that America is strong when the middle class is strong,” said Harris in the campaign speech. These topics could be relevant for the debate.
A clear “way forward”: Harris’ political ideas in the 2024 US election
Clear policy ideas are “another opportunity for undecided voters” t
o favor Harris, said Katie Grant Drew, a Democratic communications strategist, in an interview with The Hill. “The more she talks about a ‘new way forward’ and ‘no turning back’, the better.”
That could be difficult, because one of Harris’ biggest points of attack is the past. US election In 2020, she positioned herself differently on a number of political issues than she did in the current election campaign. At that time, she was in favor of a ban on fracking (a method for extracting natural gas) and oil and gas drilling via offshore platforms. In her current campaign, she rejects many of her past positions. Trump could use her change of course against her.
First live duel on TV: Overview of broadcast times of Trump-Harris debate
The first TV debate between Trump and Harris is coming up. The debate will take place on September 10th at 9 p.m. Philadelphia time and will be hosted by ABC In Germany, the spectacle is broadcast from 2.50 a.m. in the First to watch. The streaming platform Joyn offers a free live stream at the same time.
During the TV debate: Can Trump behave like a president?
Trump, unlike Harris, is well-rehearsed in TV debates. In 2016, he debated three times with then-Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton and in 2020 twice with President Joe BidenIn the 2024 US election campaign, he debated against Biden again before the latter dropped out of the race for the 2024 presidency.
According to advisers and allies of the former president, The Hill convinced that he will enter the debate against Vice President Harris with an advantage. Harris is the one who will have to prove herself in the verbal duel. The only question is whether Trump can keep calm and present himself in a presidential manner.
This could be a problem for the former president. During the election campaign, he repeatedly insulted Harris’ intelligence, questioned her ethnic identity and mocked her laughter. “If he gets caught up in personal nonsense, it will obviously hurt him, and that will be an opportunity for her to play the victim and be snarky and funny,” said one republicanwho worked with Trump in the past, told The Hill.
Things are getting exciting in the US election campaign
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When Trump gets into trouble: The microphone rule is an advantage for him
There are several issues that could put former President Trump in trouble in the debate. Reuters expects Harris to attack Trump on facts and his behavior after the 2020 US election. Will Trump be able to remain objective? The microphone rule could play into his handsDuring the debate, the participant’s microphone should be muted while the other person is speaking. If Trump were to become rude during one of Harris’s passages, it would not be as noticeable.
Still, Trump also has issues he can use to harass his opponent – immigration, inflation, the Biden administration’s foreign policy and, in particular, the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021. As the incumbent vice president, he will use every misstep of the current administration against her. “He just needs to clarify what she and the administration have done and rem
ind people of the things they think he has done better,” said one Republican who worked with Trump. The Hill.
Possible topics in the TV debate between Harris and Trump: An overview
- Abortion rights
- Childcare and child allowance
- Tax policy
- Economic policy
- Price gouging and housing construction
- Immigration policy
- Foreign policy, with particular focus on the withdrawal from Afghanistan and the Ukraine war
- Trump’s alleged election interference in 2020
- Criticism of the Biden administration
- Criticism of Harris’ change of opinion
Further TV debates in the 2024 US election campaign
Currently, no further TV debate between Harris and Trump is planned. Trump recently suggested to his opponent that they hold two more TV debates. The debates were scheduled to be broadcast on September 4 and 25 on the channels FoxNews and NBC take place, said the Republican presidential candidate at a press conference at his Mar-a-Lago estate in the US state of Florida. Harris had only been invited to the debate on September 10th ABC agreed.
A vice presidential debate is scheduled for October 1. The candidate of the Democrats, Tim Walzwith the Republican vice-candidate JD Vance debate. (lw)
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