Tuesday night will be the first time Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump will face each other. After the last debate forced President Biden to remove himself from the presidential race, both candidates face outsized pressure to perform. The debate will provide pivotal moments that can shape voter sentiment. With recent polling showing only a one-point difference, both Harris and Trump will be focused on hitting key points that speak to growing their voter base. Here are key aspects to watch for during this critical matchup.
Both will try to pitch themselves as an outsider. Harris will likely focus on President Biden’s achievements, such as pandemic recovery and infrastructure investment while also positioning herself as an outside attempting to bring change to DC. At the same time, Trump will undoubtedly bring his unapologetic outsider approach, despite already serving a term in the White House.
Don’t expect policy deep dives. Neither candidate will likely go deep on policy positions, instead calling out the other for past positions. Look to both of their convention acceptance speeches as examples of opportunities to go deeper on policy and instead speak to high-level visions for this country.
Leadership style and tone will be critical. Both Harris and Trump will jockey to be seen as presidential and in control of the conversation. More than anything discussed, both candidates are aiming for voters to walk away from the debate confident that one candidate is better equipped to lead the country. And yet both candidates will have drastically different stylistic methods for how they do this.
Appealing to your base and the middle is hard. Moderators are likely going to try to get both Harris and Trump to speak to controversial policy positions that could push moderate swing voters away. Both candidates will have to walk a tightrope to excite their base while appealing to the middle.
Expect both candidates to depict a scary future. Harris will need to present herself as a stable and reliable choice for the future, which will include contrasting her leadership to a Trump presidency. Meanwhile, Trump will frame the debate as a referendum on the current administration, pushing the narrative that the country needs a strong course correction. Both will paint a picture of fear and destruction if the other is elected.
As we prepare for this high-stakes debate, both candidates are vying not just for the win, but to win the likeability context of an increasingly divided electorate. This debate may well determine the direction of the 2024 election.
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