by Sven Stumbauer
Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump speaks during a press conference at his Mar-a-Lago estate on Aug. 8, 2024, in Palm Beach, Florida. Polls currently show a close race between Trump and Democratic presidential candidate U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images/TNS)
Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris waves as she boards Air Force Two departing Pittsburgh International Airport in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on Sept. 2, 2024. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP/Getty Images/TNS)
At 9 p.m. tonight, Sept. 10, the first and, as of writing this article, potentially only debate between 45th President Donald Trump and current Vice President Kamala Harris will be underway.
After a tumultuous series of months including President Joe Biden’s decision to step away from the race, an assassination attempt on Trump and Kamala Harris having a meteoric rise atop the Democrat ticket, potentially all of America’s questions and narratives surrounding these two will be answered as the two candidates square off in Philadelphia’s National Constitution Center.
However, what should Americans expect from this debate? And, will it be similar to the one held by Trump and Biden on June 27, or will it take a step back to the ill-mannered and disorganized mess of 2020’s debates?
Here’s what we know about the debate’s format, alongside some projections on the topics that the debate’s moderators will broach in addition to the two candidates themselves.
The Format
The format for the upcoming presidential debate has adopted and expanded upon the one used in CNN's airing of Trump and Biden's debate on June 27, featuring muted microphones until it is the respective candidate's turn to speak. As for the beginning of the debate, there will be no opening statements, but each candidate will give a two-minute-long closing statement at the end of the debate.
The order of those closing statements was decided with a virtual coin flip last Tuesday, with the winner getting to choose either the order of closing statements or the placement of the candidates' podiums. Former President Trump won the toss, choosing to deliver his closing statement last, and Vice President Harris selected the right podium position, i.e., stage left, per ABC.
However, the format for this debate will be a bit different regarding the time allotted for the candidates to speak. While CNN's debate in June opted for 2 minutes for candidates to answer the questions, and one minute to provide a rebuttal. ABC has opted to extend that rebuttal period to two minutes, granting both candidates additional time-based firepower to negate the statements made by the other.
Additionally, the minute set aside for responses or clarification at the moderator's discretion has been removed, with each candidate now having a guaranteed minute to respond to their opponent.
This debate is already high stakes, and another formatting rule pressures each candidate even more. According to ABC, no props or pre-written notes will be allowed on stage, and during the two commercial breaks of the debate, campaign staff from both sides will not be able to interact with the candidates, leaving both nominees to their own devices without room for outside adjustments or consultation from their teams.
Overall, this debate's format appears to be a big step forward from 2020's debates and has built further upon the constructive implementations of CNN's debate in June, setting up an hour and a half of discourse that will prove to be key in solidifying the votes of millions across the country.
The Topics
A debate is no good without presenting topics that resonate with its audience. As a result, the upcoming presidential debate is bound to broach subjects deemed critical among Americans and provide a glimpse into the policies of each candidate regarding said subjects.
Although topics are not set in stone and there is no way to know what the moderators will ask both candidates, it can be assumed that the following subjects will be topics of importance brought up during the debate.
The Economy
The economy is set to be arguably the most important topic that both candidates will need to address in this debate.
With factors such as the COVID-19 Pandemic, supply chain and logistical roadblocks, the rise of foreign markets such as China, dependence on imports such as oil, semiconductors and manufactured goods to facilitate the nation's economy and an inflation rate as of the writing of this article being .89 percentage points higher than the Federal Reserve's desired rate of 2%, Americans are going to want to hear each candidate's take on what to do to address America's fiscal uncertainty.
Former President Trump, for instance, is proposing a series of sweeping changes to the country's financial makeup, some of which are highlighted in his speech to The Economic Club of New York on Sept. 5, 2024.
“I am promising low taxes, low regulations, low energy costs, low interest rates...and surging incomes for citizens of every race, religion, color and creed,”...“My plan will rapidly defeat inflation, quickly bring down prices and reignite explosive economic growth,” The former President commented, per Politico.
These kinds of statements from Trump and Vice President Harris will be trying to rein in American votes from those who value the country's economic state.
According to Statista in July of this year, 25% of voters surveyed believed that inflation and current prices are the most important issues facing the country.
Additionally, Americans are favoring the country's economic state less and less, with the Pew Research Center remarking on May 23, 2024, regarding Americans' stance on the country's fiscal outlook.
Fewer than a quarter of Americans (23%) currently rate the country’s economic conditions as excellent or good, while 36% say they are poor and about four-in-ten (41%) view conditions as “only fair.” Pew stated.
This less-than-optimistic stance on the economy now makes it vital for Trump and Harris to set a clear plan in motion, and the debate on September 10 will be the best time for them to do it.
Foreign Policy
Alongside domestic issues, those plaguing the rest of the world are taking importance in the policies of both candidates alongside American citizens. Through conflicts that have resulted in hundreds of billions of dollars being donated to nations such as Israel and Ukraine, Americans are skeptical of how much money we're spending, and how long we're willing to spend it, on foreign conflicts.
Both sides will likely present opposing views, such as former President Trump likely proposing a reduction in foreign spending whilst persuading allies in blocs such as NATO to devote more funds on their end to the likes of Ukraine's war effort, potentially mirroring the stance he delivered to The Washington Post in 2016.
"NATO is costing us a fortune and, yes, we're protecting Europe with NATO but we're spending a lot of money," Trump remarked.
For Vice President Harris and her campaign, she will likely contrast her foreign policy from both Trump and Biden, with her speech at the Democratic National Convention depicting her general plan as President.
“As president, I will never waver in defense of America’s security and ideals, because in the enduring struggle between democracy and tyranny, I know where I stand and I know where the United States belongs,” Harris said.
While foreign policy is a nebulous and fairly unknown subject in the eyes of Americans, it is still paramount in setting up America's overall well-being and the votes for those still trying to choose between both candidates.
While candidates can and have changed their foreign policy after becoming Commander in Chief, that won't happen unless these two propose policies that will appeal to the most voters come November.
Immigration
The final topic that will likely be harped on heavily during this debate is immigration. When it comes to both sides of the political aisle, they could not be more different
With US Customs and Border Protections dealing with over 11 million border encounters nationwide between October 2o19 and June 2024, a record high for encounters in a single month with 370,000 encounters in December 2023 and an estimated 1.44 million reported border encounters and counting in 2024, according to USAFacts, the issue of immigration has been slowly growing over the past few years, and currently, it appears to have reached its peak.
Because of this, Trump and Kamala Harris will need to deliver a convincing array of immigration policies and measures to appeal to Americans who are planning to cast their votes in just a few months. Unfortunately, that may be hard to do for both candidates.
As the Pew Research Center explains in a separate report, this time on August 12, 2024, 83% of Americans surveyed believe that the government is doing a bad job dealing with migrants at the border, with roughly half of those polled saying they believe the government to be doing a "very bad job."
This negative outlook from the country's citizenry doesn't bode well for both candidates, who provide vastly contrasting views on immigration which some Americans and political pundits would argue to be extreme on their respective sides of the political spectrum.
Whether Trump and Harris' stances on immigration and potential policies as president resonate with Americans or not, the topic of immigration will surely take center stage in this upcoming debate.
Final Thoughts
In summation, tonight's Presidential Debate will likely be one of the only times when Donald Trump and Kamala Harris can bolster their cases to such a large audience of people tuning in, thus making it something that's been marked on both candidates' calendars for months now.
This debate is squaring to be one that will be much more constructive and transparent compared to previous ones in regards to discourse over the propositions and policies of Trump and Harris due to the more organized rules and format put forward by the hosts, ABC.
In addition, topics such as the economy, foreign policy, and immigration will be likely to headline the array of questions the moderators will deliver to each candidate in Philadelphia, leading to answers that will make or break the decisions on who to vote for millions watching at home.
Overall, this debate will be one of significant proportions, and America will have to wait and see what unfolds on Tuesday at 9 PM Eastern.
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