The US presidential elections debate that takes place in Philadelphia in Pennsylvania on 10 September has been dubbed the most consequential moment in the presidential elections campaign, taking place after only seven weeks of campaigning between Democratic and Republican Party candidates Kamala Harris and Donald Trump.

 Depending on how each candidate performs, the debate could be definitive in deciding who will win what, has become a dangerously tight race.

Two days before the debate, a national poll of likely voters by the New York Times Siena College poll revealed Trump to be leading at 48 per cent to Harris’ 47 per cent. 

The slight downturn came as a surprise to Democrats, after a euphoric spell in which her replacement of US President Joe Biden as the party’s candidate in July resulted in a surge of intentions to vote in her favour and a record-breaking raising of funds for her campaign.

 The shift in voter sentiment may be partially attributed to the perception that Harris, up until the time of the debate, has remained largely untested when compared to Trump, who for better or worse has the track record of a four-year term as US president under his belt. 

On the eve of the debate, the New York Times cited a poll in which 28 per cent of those surveyed said that they needed to know more about Harris and her programme, as opposed to nine per cent who said that they wanted to know more about Trump.

Harris is expected to articulate more clearly her position on the central issue of the economy and inflation, regarding which Trump has garnered more favourable opinions among voters. There is also the contentious issue of border controls and immigration, a favourite punching bag for Trump, on which he has attacked Harris for having been too lenient.

One day before the presidential debate, Harris published on her website what might be the closest thing to a presidential programme, made up of specific policy proposals that include raising the minimum wage and ending taxation on tips. 

She also called on Congress to pass a bipartisan border security bill that had been blocked by Republicans at the beginning of the year. She stressed that she would take a hardline stance on trade with China and work for attaining a ceasefire in Gaza.

A main challenge for Harris in the time remaining up until the elections is to come through as presenting novel ideas that do not simply reflect the policies of the Biden administration, with more details on how she will deal with inflation, for instance, when it comes to the economy.

Foreign policy is also another area where the Biden administration has been criticised. 

Biden’s popularity took a steep downturn following the US’ chaotic and unregulated withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021. There is anticipation as well on how she will deal with the Israeli war on Gaza and the ongoing but floundering attempts by the US and regional players to attain a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel.

Trump for his part is entering the fray on the strength of his MAGA (Make America Great Again) programme and an exposé of his past achievements.

While it is his past record as president, with its challenge to the US legal system, and his radical unilateralism that are being used by his Democratic opponents to undermine him, it is precisely this record that garners support from his constituency of voters.

Prior to the debate and throughout the campaign, Trump has continued to attack Harris in sexist and personally disparaging terms. Perhaps to his advantage during the debate, each candidate’s microphone will be turned off while the other one speaks.

This was a rule reluctantly accepted by the Harris campaign, which anticipates derogatory personal attacks from Trump.

Harris has kept her campaign style largely focused on the issues instead of Trump as a person. On the eve of the debate, she briefly departed from this when she posted a statement that he could be expected to “lie” during the debate because he is “not burdened” by telling the truth.

For Trump’s campaign advisers, the main issue is that he should remain focused on the issues themselves, such as the economy, rather than on personal matters, as this could gain him some as yet undecided voters.

For Harris’ advisers, the challenge is that she should come through as more principled than Trump, and younger, while also presenting a more dynamic and novel departure from the perceived failures of the Biden administration.

Some advisers would also like her to capitalise on her career as a prosecutor by bringing in Trump’s legal cases in order to undermine his credibility.

The debate is the first time that the two candidates will meet in person.
Taking place in the swing state of Pennsylvania with its 19 Electoral College votes, it could become a watershed in the candidates’ race to the White House.

* A version of this article appears in print in the 12 September, 2024 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly