Vice President Kamala Harris will face former President Donald Trump on Tuesday for the first time since becoming the Democratic Party’s nominee, marking the first time the two candidates share a stage.
Harris stepped in to challenge Trump in the 2024 election after President Joe Biden withdrew from the race due to concerns over his performance and age. The debate, set for September 10, reflects the dramatic shift in the 2024 US presidential race and maybe their final in-person confrontation before the November 5 vote.
The debate will take place at 9 p.m. Eastern Time (2 a.m. GMT+1) at the National Constitution Center (NCC) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, hosted by ABC News. It is expected to last 90 minutes and will also be streamed on platforms like ABC News Live, Disney+, and Hulu. The NCC, a nonprofit venue, has previously hosted significant political events, including the 2008 Democratic presidential primary debate.
ABC’s David Muir, anchor of World News Tonight, and Linsey Davis, host of “ABC News Live Prime,” will moderate the event. Muir previously moderated a Republican primary debate in 2016 that featured Trump before his first successful presidential run. Both moderators served at the Democratic primary debates in 2019 and 2020.
What’s at Stake?
With Biden’s exit, both Harris and Trump hope to use the debate to gain momentum in the final leg of the campaign. Harris, who entered the race on July 21, has a limited window to make her case to voters, with just seven weeks before Election Day. No other debates are currently scheduled, making this a crucial moment for both candidates.
Harris’s entry has boosted the Democrats, who have seen a significant rise in support. According to Real Clear Politics’ polling averages, the Democrats shifted from trailing Trump by 3.1% to leading by 1.8 points—a nearly five-point swing in just over a month, Al Jazeera reported.
Despite this surge, the race remains close. Marc Trussler, Director of data sciences at the Penn Program on Opinion Research and Election Studies, highlighted the tight competition: “We’re in a familiar situation, with the Democratic nominee holding a slight lead, but the outcome may hinge on key swing states,” the same source quoted.
The key issues shaping this debate include the economy, immigration, abortion, and foreign policy, particularly the ongoing conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine.