Ahead of the US presidential elections this November, Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump are set to face off in their first debate in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on Tuesday night ET.
The debate will mark the first time that the Democratic and Republican candidates will meet in person and share a stage.
The two will spar for 90 minutes in a setting which will have no studio audience nor will the two be allowed to have pre-written notes or props.
The two candidates will also not be permitted to question each other directly.
ABC News, which is moderating the debate, said the showdown was taking place months after the last debate ended President Joe Biden's re-election bid and catapulted Harris as the Democratic candidate.
As the countdown to election day reaches its final stretch, the stakes have never been higher. Tuesday night’s highly anticipated debate will see the candidates grilled on the issues that matter most to voters, including the economy, immigration, and reproductive rights, as each tries to persuade millions of voters and viewers that they're the ones best suited to be president.
"I think there's an outsized expectation of 'gosh, the last guy dropped out, let's watch it.' So, I think that there's a lot more at stake than normally I would ever say is at stake," said Sean Spicer, Trump's first White House press secretary, as cited by ABC.
Tonight's highly anticipated debate promises to be a pivotal moment for Kamala Harris, as she faces intense scrutiny over the Biden administration's handling of contentious issues like border security and inflation.
Moderators will likely push her to reconcile her current positions with the more liberal stances she took during her 2020 presidential campaign, including her recent shifts on fracking, border policy, and healthcare.
Donald Trump, renowned for his capacity to dominate the political conversation and exploit his opponents' vulnerabilities, will likely seek to capitalise on his strengths on immigration and trade.
As Trump engages with Harris, he must tread carefully to avoid alienating female voters, among whom his support is already tenuous.
If he comes across as condescending or dismissive, it could further erode his standing with this critical demographic.
Harris, as the first woman of colour to run for vice president on a major party ticket, presents a historic opportunity for the Democratic Party to connect with diverse voters and challenge Trump's divisive rhetoric.
Democrats who spoke to ABC News said that Harris has two main goals -- "affirm to voters that she is ready to lead the country and the free world and to describe in more detail what policies she'd pursue as president."
Similarly, Republicans who spoke to ABC News said Trump should focus on policy contrasts, boasting that he has the edge on issues like inflation and immigration and can try to pin her down on her policy reversals on things like fracking -- while he himself searches for consistent stances on issues like abortion.
ABC News said that Trump blamed the Biden-Harris administration's handling of the economy, saying their policies are to blame for inflation, which reached a 40-year high in 2022 but has since cooled to 2.9 per cent year-over-year as of July.
Trump has pledged to cut costs by restoring "energy independence" through drilling more oil and lowering gas prices. He's also said he would reduce the national debt, eliminate regulations and implement a variety of tax cuts for domestic corporations as well as tariffs on foreign imports.
Harris has presented an "opportunity economy" plan, which includes USD 25,000 in down-payment support for first-time homeowners, construction of 3 million new housing units, raising the minimum wage and a federal ban on corporate price-gouging on food and groceries.
She has also pitched a USD 50,000 tax benefit for new small businesses and a lower long-term capital gains tax of 28 per cent.
World News Tonight anchor and managing editor David Muir and ABC News Live "Prime" anchor Linsey Davis will serve as moderators.
It's a big test for the Disney-owned network in the only scheduled debate between Harris and Trump in the 2024 race that could serve as a make-or-break moment for either campaign.
So while this debate could help set the political environment for the last two months of the 2024 presidential race, it also will be the last chance for the two candidates to reach some voters in states where every ballot matters.
