In a high-pressure opportunity to showcase their starkly different visions for the country, Kamala Harris and Donald Trump will meet for the first time face-to-face in Philadelphia on Tuesday night. This debate comes after a tumultuous campaign summer that saw President Joe Biden bow out of the race, an assassination attempt on Trump, and the selection of running mates for both sides. Harris aims to prove that she can press the Democratic case against Trump better than Biden did, while Trump is trying to portray the vice president as an out-of-touch liberal to win over skeptical voters.
Trump, 78, has struggled to adapt to facing Harris, 59, who is the first woman, Black person, and person of South Asian descent to serve as vice president. He has resorted to invoking racial and gender stereotypes at times, frustrating allies who want him to focus on policy differences with Harris. On the other hand, Harris will try to claim credit for the Biden administration’s accomplishments while addressing its low points and explaining her shifts away from more liberal positions in the past. The debate will give Harris a rare moment of sustained questioning, as she has only sat for a single formal interview in the past six weeks.
The debate will take place just hours before the first early ballots of the presidential race are sent out, adding to the pressure on both candidates. The set where the debate will be held is relatively small, with the candidates’ lecterns positioned about 6-8 feet apart in a blue-lit amphitheater with no live audience. Trump’s team has been highlighting far-left positions Harris took during her failed 2020 presidential bid and has received informal debate prep assistance from Tulsi Gabbard, a former Democratic congresswoman who criticized Harris during the primary debates. Harris, on the other hand, has defended her shifts towards more moderate stances on various issues as pragmatism, insisting that her values remain the same.
Trump’s team has stated that his tone will not change when facing a female opponent, with senior adviser Jason Miller emphasizing that Trump will be himself during the debate. Harris is expected to focus on calling out Trump’s inconsistencies around women’s reproductive care, especially in light of his recent statements regarding abortion. She may also highlight the threat to democracy that Trump poses, referencing his attempts to overturn the 2020 election loss and the Capitol attack on January 6, 2021. Overall, the debate presents a critical opportunity for both candidates to make their case to the American people and solidify their positions in the presidential race.
