Washington.-Kamala Harris and Donald Trump will face off today in a public debate that will impact the electoral campaign, while all opinion polls show a technical tie between the two presidential candidates who hope to win the elections on November 5.
At 9 p.m. Eastern Time, Harris and Trump will enter the ABC studio without advisers, and will only have a pen, a notebook and a bottle of mineral water at their disposal. The contest will last ninety minutes and the questions will be answered by journalists David Muir and Linsey Davis.
And no one else: no special guests, no general public. This chapter in the political history of the United States will be written by just four people: two journalists with their own prestige and two presidential candidates who seek to fulfill their American dream.
With polls showing a technical tie, the two candidates assume that the presidential debate will act as a turning point. Harris knows what happened when Joseph Biden failed in their last debate, and Trump wants to repeat that political event to lengthen the minimal difference he shows in the polls.
The latest poll published by The New York Times shows Trump with 48 percent of the votes versus 47 percent for Harris. A technical tie that the debate could break forever.
Harris holed up at the Omni William Penn Hotel in Pittsburgh to prepare for the debate. Her advisers set up a studio similar to the one she will enter tonight, and during the constant rehearsals she faced a political sparring partner who dressed and spoke like Trump.
The Democratic candidate wants to show that she can lead the United States with a modern agenda, and will not hesitate to distance herself – subtly – from the economic program that Biden implemented from the Oval Office.
In this context, Harris has three objectives to accomplish during the debate: to present her ideas to the undecided electorate who do not know her, to convince the independents who demand a new presidential agenda, and to expose the ideological positions (abortion and taxes) that define Trump’s discourse.
“We hope Donald Trump is ready for the debate. He is a showman who won his most recent debate in June (against Biden), and we know he has been practicing even harder and preparing harder than ever,” said Kevin Munoz, Harris’ spokesman.
She added: “The Vice President will come to the debate prepared to share her vision for a new path forward for our country that turns the page on the past, and we believe she will crystallize for the American people what is at stake in this election.”
Trump, meanwhile, took refuge at his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, over the weekend. During those 48 hours, the Republican candidate reviewed Harris’s speeches during the election campaign and her appearance at the Democratic convention in Chicago.
Trump’s debate script leans heavily on the economic situation Biden is leaving behind. The Republican campaign committee has its own poll showing Trump ahead of Harris by 15 percent when asked about the economy, inflation and jobs.
And the gap between the two opponents also grows when it comes to questions about undocumented immigration: the former president has a 21-point lead over the vice president, who addressed the issue with little success in 2021.
Trump is also expected to focus on the international arena. He will question the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, criticize Biden’s negotiation strategy regarding the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, and argue that the war in Ukraine is a direct consequence of the Democratic administration’s geopolitical agenda.
The Republican candidate will also use Biden’s public image to punish Harris. The US president has an average negative image of 54.4 percent (according to the Realclearpolitics website), and Trump will try to take advantage of this political fact to erode Harris’ electoral profile.
“The expectation that Kamala Harris faces is that for every new idea that comes along, she has to explain both the damage she has done to our economy as sitting vice president, and also answer why she hasn’t implemented any of these new plans over the last 3½ years,” said Jason Miller, a senior adviser to Trump.
He added: “To make matters even more complicated, Harris’ new campaign advisers have asked her to hide from the press for two months, further raising voter expectations. The one thing we do know, however, is that Kamala Harris’ values have not changed, and we will educate the American public on what that means in terms of policy.”
Harris and Trump face different challenges in the face of the endless audience that will be watching the presidential debate. The Democratic candidate will seek to strengthen her level of public awareness to capture the undecided vote, while the former Republican president will try to avoid his outbursts of misogyny and racial discrimination.
Whichever of the two succeeds in the public contest will improve his chances of succeeding Biden in the Oval Office.Infobae.
#days #election #Harris #Trump #face #public #debate #impact #campaign
2024-09-12 10:45:32
What were the main highlights from the Trump-Harris presidential debate that influenced public opinion?
Table of Contents
Who Won the Trump-Harris Presidential Debate?
The highly anticipated presidential debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump has finally taken place, and opinions are divided on who emerged victorious. The debate, which was attended by only four people – Harris, Trump, and journalists David Muir and Linsey Davis – was seen as a crucial turning point in the electoral campaign, with polls showing a technical tie between the two candidates.
According to Al Jazeera, Trump supporters felt that they got “plenty of red meat” during the debate, but Harris managed to earn the coveted endorsement of Taylor Swift, a significant boost to her campaign.
On the other hand, BBC News reported that Trump couldn’t resist Harris’s personal digs during the debate, which threw him off message. This sentiment was echoed by many observers, who felt that Harris’s ability to stay focused and composed under pressure gave her an edge over her opponent.
But what about the undecided voters? A poll conducted by The Washington Post found that swing-state voters were split on who won the debate, with some feeling that Harris presented a more coherent and forward-thinking vision for the country, while others believed that Trump’s experience and economic policies gave him an advantage.
Ultimately, the outcome of the debate will depend on how voters perceive the performance of the two candidates. With the election just around the corner, every moment counts,
The Harris-Trump Presidential Debate: A Turning Point in the Electoral Campaign
In a highly anticipated event, Kamala Harris and Donald Trump faced off in a public debate on September 11, 2024, which is expected to have a significant impact on the electoral campaign. With polls showing a technical tie between the two presidential candidates, the debate was seen as a turning point in the race to win the elections on November 5.
The Debate Format
The debate took place at 9 p.m. Eastern Time, with Harris and Trump entering the ABC studio without advisers. The contest lasted ninety minutes, and the questions were asked by journalists David Muir and Linsey Davis. The format was unique, with no special guests or general public in attendance, making it a critical moment in the political history of the United States.
Preparation and Objectives
Harris prepared extensively for the debate, holing up at the Omni William Penn Hotel in Pittsburgh. Her advisers set up a studio similar to the one she would enter on the night of the debate, and she faced a political sparring partner who dressed and spoke like Trump during constant rehearsals.
The Democratic candidate had three primary objectives to accomplish during the debate: to present her ideas to the undecided electorate who do not know her, to convince the independents who demand a new presidential agenda, and to expose the ideological positions (abortion and taxes) that define Trump’s discourse.
The Debate Highlights
According to reports from [1] C à vous and [2] Le Monde, the debate was marked by intense exchanges between Harris and Trump. Harris was able to land several personal digs at Trump, which seemed to throw him off message, according to [3] BBC News.
Who Won the Debate?
The outcome of the debate is still a topic of debate among analysts and pundits. While some argue that Harris was able to effectively present her vision for the country, others believe that Trump was able to hold his own and maintain his momentum.
Ultimately, the impact of the debate on the electoral campaign remains to be seen. However, one thing is clear: the debate marked a critical moment in the race to the presidency, and its outcome will have significant implications for the future of the United States.
References:
[1] C à vous – Débat Harris-Trump : les moments forts
<a href="https://www.lemonde.fr/en/international/video/2024/09/11/watch-key-moments-from-harris-trump-debate67255974.html”>[2] Le Monde – Watch key moments from Harris-Trump debate
[3] BBC News – Who won the Harris-Trump presidential debate?
