Kamala Harris and Donald Trump prepare for crucial presidential debate

Less than two months before election day, the debate between American presidential candidates Kamala Harris and Donald Trump will be broadcast. The last clash was disastrous for the Democrats: it meant the end for Joe Biden, who was then forced to drop out of the race to replace his vice president Harris, who had to launch a campaign at the last minute. There are enough reasons to follow the debate broadcast on ABC with greater interest than would have been the case had it not been for the unexpected twist with the change of candidate. The debate will take place on Tuesday evening, September 10, at 9 p.m. local time (equivalent to 3 a.m. Italian time on Wednesday).

Harris, is your program identical to Biden’s?

ABC writes that Harris’ staff has outlined two goals: to convince voters that she is ready to lead the country and the free world, and to go into the details of the policies she will pursue as president. The vice president’s rapid rise has made her program seem somewhat lacking and superficial. A good performance in the debate would dispel those doubts and give her the opportunity to speak out on the economic measures she intends to take to also address the inflation problem that worries Americans. Biden’s vice president has already announced a plan to make it easier to buy a home and start a small business, and to appeal to the business community, she has stated that she will also raise the capital gains tax to a lesser extent than President Biden proposed. Her strategy is, in fact, to build a new profile compared to the incumbent president.

Trump’s weapons and the poll

Calling her a “dangerous socialist” (in America, this adjective has a very negative connotation), Trump could throw jabs that could distance her from her proposals. He portrayed her as a “California liberal” who will be lenient on crime. Harris could counter by talking about her experience as a prosecutor in California, where she fought criminal gangs operating across the border with Mexico. These points will lead to discussions on immigration: it will be a crucial point of the debate. Trump is focusing heavily on it, and it is indeed an issue that voters care deeply about. The televised debate is an excellent opportunity for Harris to clarify her position on borders, crime and illegal immigration. Trump will focus on this thesis: that Americans are dealing with the Vice President of the United States seeking a second term for Joe Biden. For Republicans, the economy and immigration are the areas where Harris can stumble. An ABC News/Washington Post poll last month found that only 11 percent of voters said Harris had a significant impact on economic policy, and 15 percent said the same about immigration.

Harris “prepared for low blows”

“Trump knows no limits in his dastardly tactics, and we must be prepared,” Kamala Harris warned, suggesting that she wants to portray him as a “man fighting for his own interests, not those of the American people.” Harris prepared meticulously over four days of simulated confrontations at a Pittsburgh hotel. She will cite the most contentious issues: abortion and civil rights, borders and immigration, economic and tax policy, the wars in Gaza and Ukraine, perhaps even veterans and the chaotic withdrawal from Kabul, which has recently come under scrutiny with mutual recriminations.

In both red and blue states, when reproductive freedom was on the ballot, Americans voted for freedom. If Congress passes legislation to restore reproductive freedoms, as President I will proudly sign it and sign it into law.

– Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) 9 September 2024

For Harris, who has only given one interview so far (with her vice president), this is an opportunity to become more known to the general public (28 percent want to know more about her, compared to 9 percent for Trump) and to define her new image, distancing herself from Biden (61 percent want to see “significant changes” after this presidency) but without turning her back on him.

Possible changed positions compared to 4 years ago

“Harris needs to limit herself to responding and focus heavily on the positions she has expressed and reconcile what she is saying now with what she said in 2020,” GOP strategist Brad Todd told ABC. That is? If Harris says she is not in favor of banning fracking, Trump could take a swipe at her by saying, “So, were you wrong before? And why do you now think your previous position was wrong? Are you just saying that because you think you are weak in Pennsylvania?” Todd explained, referring to the undecided state’s economic dependence on the gas extraction practice.

Trump’s ace up his sleeve

Trump’s ace in the hole is unexpected deviations, irrelevant attacks: a strategy that served him well in the debate against Biden. Trump is an excellent improviser and could get Harris in trouble.