Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump will face off in their first presidential debate, and the stakes couldn’t be higher. Harris has wiped out Trump’s comfortable lead in the polls, setting up a razor-thin election less than two months before the election date.
The highly anticipated face-off will mark the first time Trump and Harris have met in person, coming just 51 days after President Biden withdrew his 2024 candidacy and 75 days after his disastrous debate performance.
Trump is set to appear in a general election debate for a record seventh time. Here’s a look at what to expect in tomorrow’s debate, as well as his performances so far.
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Former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris face off in Philadelphia on Tuesday evening. (Getty Images)
Trump-Harris debate on September 10
Although Tuesday’s debate is the second of the 2024 campaign season, it will be the first time the current candidates have faced off. The 90-minute, closed-door debate will take place at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia.
While Harris is holed up in Pittsburgh, Trump has foregone traditional debate preparation. Trump has, however, enlisted former Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard to help him hone his skills. Gabbard, who recently endorsed Trump, had her own famous moment on the debate stage when she attacked Harris in 2020 over her record as a prosecutor in California.
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Trump is expected to focus on inflation and immigration, two of the most important issues in the 2024 election campaign. The Trump campaign has linked Harris to some of Biden’s weaker areas, a strategy he is expected to use in the debate. Harris is expected to focus on abortion rights, which are tied with inflation at 14% and are the second biggest issue in the race. Overturning Roe v. Wade has proven to be one of Trump’s biggest policy vulnerabilities.
Democratic presidential candidate Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at a campaign rally at the Enmarket Arena in Savannah, Georgia, August 29, 2024. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
Trump-Biden debate on June 27
The only debate between Biden and Trump in 2024 was the first between a sitting president and a former president, and it is also perhaps the most consequential in history, as it ultimately led Biden to abandon his 2024 candidacy.
At times during the debate, the president struggled to build a coherent defense or finish his sentences. As Biden wrapped up an argument about his record on border security, Trump quipped, “I really don’t know what he said at the end of that sentence. I don’t think he knows what he said either.”
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Democratic presidential candidate Vice President Kamala Harris and President Biden arrive for a campaign rally at the IBEW Local Union #5 union hall in Pittsburgh on Labor Day (Monday, September 2, 2024). (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
The debate in Atlanta where Trump and Biden clashed According to Nielsen Media Research, the programs on abortion, immigration, foreign policy and inflation attracted 51.3 million viewers. At the time, Trump was 1.5 points ahead of Biden, according to Real Clear Politics.
Trump-Biden debate on October 22, 2020
Less than two weeks before Election Day, Trump and Biden squared off in Nashville, Tennessee. The debate was quieter than the first round, partly due to new rules that muted the candidates’ microphones.
As Biden and Trump clashed over personal finances, Trump claimed that Biden made money from foreign companies. Trump also tried to portray Biden as a typical, corrupt politician. A recent report by House Republicans alleged that Biden “participated in a conspiracy to monetize his office of public trust and enrich his family.”
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Trump also questioned Biden’s record during his nearly 50-year career in public service. Trump said he decided to run for president because of the “poor job” of the Obama administration.
“I ran because of you, Joe,” Trump said. “I ran because of you.”
Republican presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump participates in a Fox News town hall meeting with Sean Hannity at the New Holland Arena in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania on September 4, 2024. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
Nielsen Media Research recorded 63 million viewers for the final debate of the 2020 cycle. On the day of the debate, Biden was 7.9 points ahead of Trump.
Trump-Biden debate on September 29, 2020
What people probably remember most about that debate is Trump’s constant interruptions, which prompted an exasperated Biden to declare, “Shut up, man?” The debate quickly descended into chaos as the two argued over abortion rights and Trump’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. A relentless Trump pressed Biden to say whether he would “pack” the Supreme Court after the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. As the two men engaged in heated discussions about the pandemic, Trump declared, “I’m telling you, Joe, you could never have done the job we did. It’s not in your blood.”
Trump did not shy away from attacking Biden personally, insulting his intelligence and saying, “There’s nothing smart about you, Joe.”
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Former President Donald Trump, right, along with members of his legal team during a press conference at Trump Tower in New York on Friday, September 6, 2024. (Cheney Orr/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
With 73.1 million viewers, the debate in Cleveland was the third most watched between Trump and Biden. According to Real Clear Politics, Biden was 6.1 points ahead of Trump on the day of the debate.
Trump-Clinton debate on October 19, 2016
In the final debate of the 2016 campaign, Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton focused more on personal weaknesses than on policy issues. When Clinton tried to link Trump to Russia, he countered that Russian President Vladimir Putin “didn’t respect” Clinton or then-President Barack Obama and insisted he didn’t know Putin. When the two argued about Obamacare and Social Security, Trump called Clinton “such a disgusting woman.”
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Clinton repeatedly used the debate to denigrate Trump’s character. She was most vocal when criticizing Trump’s behavior toward women. Trump defended himself and vehemently denied all allegations of inappropriate behavior toward women. “Nobody has more respect for women than I do,” he said.
A key highlight of the debate was when Trump refused to say he would accept the election results (similar to his answers in 2020). Trump insisted that the process was “rigged” and that he would “look at it in due course.”
Republican presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally with Republican vice presidential candidate Senator JD Vance on August 3, 2024 in Atlanta. (Reuters)
Trump-Clinton debate on October 9, 2016
Trump used the debate as an opportunity to slam Clinton and her husband, former President Bill Clinton. When asked about his behavior toward women, Trump said of former President Clinton, “Never in the history of politics has anyone mistreated women like that.” Hillary Clinton refused to address his comments about her husband.
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Trump and Clinton also clashed over Russian aggression, Trump’s refusal to release his tax returns, and his plans for “extreme vetting” of immigrants from countries with criminal ties.
Trump-Clinton debate on September 26, 2016
Trump’s first presidential debate was the first in nearly four decades to reach over 70 million viewers and reached a record 84 million viewers.
Trump lashed out when he spoke about the economy and jobs. When Clinton tried to defend her economic proposals, Trump attacked her policy record, saying she was a “typical politician: all talk, no action.” As the debate continued, however, Clinton increasingly pushed Trump onto the defensive. At one point, Clinton asked Trump about his past comments on race and gender, to which Trump replied, “Those are all just words, those are all just soundbites.”
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Former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton speaks on the first day of the Democratic National Convention on August 19, 2024 in Chicago. (REUTERS/Alyssa Pointer)
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A review of Trump’s previous debates shows that he employs a strategy of rapid-fire statements, personal insults and retorts – a strategy designed to overwhelm his opponents. With the race as close as it is, Harris, as a newer and untested candidate, will likely face greater pressure.
