Showdown in Philadelphia: On Wednesday night (3:00 a.m. CEST), US presidential candidates Kamala Harris (Democrat) and Donald Trump (Republican) will face each other directly in a TV debate for the first time. The exchange of blows between the incumbent vice president and the former president is eagerly awaited and is considered the highlight of the remaining two months until the US presidential election on November 5. The debate is being hosted by the television channel ABC News.
The duel will be a test for Harris in particular. The 59-year-old replaced US President Joe Biden as the Democratic candidate just a few weeks ago and finds it difficult to appear without a script. Trump, on the other hand, has been there for his party from the start – this is his third race for the White House for the Republicans. The 78-year-old emerged as the clear winner from the last TV duel at the end of June. At that time he was still running against Biden, who withdrew from the race for the presidency after his disastrous performance and left the field to Harris.
Harris and Trump are roughly neck and neck in polls. Both now want to win over undecided voters in particular. Around 51 million of the 330 million people in the USA watched the meeting between Trump and Biden in June.
What are the rules?
The debate will be moderated by ABC News journalists David Muir and Linsey Davis. It will be broadcast from a studio without an audience in Philadelphia, the largest city in the politically hotly contested state of Pennsylvania. The debate will last 90 minutes, with two commercial breaks planned. During the debate, the microphone of the presidential candidate who is not speaking will remain muted.
Harris and Trump must speak freely: “Props or pre-written notes are not allowed on stage,” ABC News said. Harris and Trump will be given a pen, a pad of paper and a bottle of water. There will be no opening statements, and the candidates’ closing statements will last two minutes. The candidates had a bitter fight beforehand over individual rules and the timing of the debate.
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How can you watch from Germany?
Das Erste and Phoenix as well as the television channels Welt TV, RTL and ntv will broadcast the debate live on Wednesday night from around 2:45 a.m. CEST. Live streams will also be available online, for example on ZDFheute.de. The broadcaster ABC News will also stream the debate live on its website. However, this can only be accessed from Germany with a VPN connection.
How did Harris and Trump prepare?
Harris traveled to Pennsylvania on Thursday to prepare for the duel. US media reported, citing people close to her, that the Democrat was preparing for the duel with simulations – with one person playing the role of Trump.
Before the first TV debate, Trump had already said that he did not need much training – he had basically prepared for the duel his “whole life” and that debating was “above all a question of attitude”. Last week he expressed himself similarly. US media reported, citing people close to him, that Trump was speaking to his advisers, voters and journalists in preparation.
What are the topics?
According to surveys, the economy is the most important issue for voters and is likely to play a major role in the debate. Migration, healthcare and women’s rights are also important in the election campaign. Foreign policy is also likely to be addressed in the debate.
What are the strengths and weaknesses of the candidates?
In a recent survey, 28 percent of respondents said they did not know enough about Harris – for Trump, the figure was 9 percent. While most people in the US know what to expect from the Republican, far more people are unaware of Harris and her positions. This means that she has to score points in the debate on the substance and present her political goals.
Trump, on the other hand, has frightened some voters in the past because he seemed aggressive in such debates and kept interrupting. At least the latter is not possible this time because the microphones are muted. Harris sees this as a disadvantage – she thinks Trump cannot behave like a president for 90 minutes. Constantly switched on microphones would therefore harm him, according to the logic of her campaign team. The microphones were also muted during the debate against Biden in June – in fact, this made the Republican seem less annoyed.
Who will accompany Harris and Trump?
According to the White House, Harris will be accompanied by her husband, Doug Emhoff, who will provide her with public support.
It is unclear whether Trump will be accompanied by his wife Melania at the debate. The former First Lady has hardly appeared in public since leaving the White House and has played a very reserved role in her husband’s election campaign. She made a rare appearance at the Republican Party Convention in Milwaukee in mid-July – but she did not give a speech and only appeared on the last evening.
Will there be another round?
Another TV debate is planned between vice-candidates Tim Walz (Democrat) and JD Vance (Republican) on October 1st. The event will be hosted by CBS News. It is still unclear whether and when there will be a second TV debate between Harris and Trump – or whether Wednesday night will be their only opportunity to duel on stage.
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