FOR THE WEEK OF SEP. 09, 2024

U.S. presidential rivals Harris and Trump debate in Pennsylvania on Tuesday

A high-stakes presidential campaign event will be watched nationwide Tuesday night, when Republican candidate Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Kamala Harris face off at 9 p.m. (Eastern time) for 90 minutes at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia. With the race appearing close, according to polls, their only scheduled encounter is considered influential. "The debate is so close to the [Nov. 5] election, and it matters," says Nate French, a political communications specialist at Wake Forest University in North Carolina.

The debate, with no audience present, will air on ABC and be simulcast by PBS. It also will stream on ABC News Live, Disney+ and Hulu. Network anchors David Muir and Linsey Davis, will ask questions. Each politician's microphone will be muted while the other responds, as they were during a late June debate between Trump and Joe Biden. Reactions to the president's shaky responses and feeble appearance led him to decide against seeking a second term and to endorse his vice president as their party's candidate.

"Tuesday will be the first and likely last time voters will see the two candidates side by side," former CBS News anchor Dan Rather posts at Substack. "Everything on that stage will be important: what they say, what they don’t say, how they say it, eye contact, body language." Harris wanted mics to stay on at all times. "Donald Trump is surrendering to his advisors who won't allow him to debate with a live microphone," she posted on social media. "If his own team doesn't have confidence in him, the American people definitely can't. We are running for President of the United States. Let's debate in a transparent way — with the microphones on the whole time."

Harris reportedly prepared last week by reviewing issue summary binders, having question-answer sessions with aides and hour-long mock debates. On the Republican side, Trump's national press secretary says he didn't need formal rehearsals. "President Trump has proven to be one of the best debaters in political history, as evidenced by his knockout blow to Joe Biden," Karoline Leavitt told NBC News in a statement. "He does not need traditional debate prep.”

Democratic strategist says: "She should use her sense of humor at key moments to get under his skin and show he's not getting to her. And she should welcome the personal attacks as a badge of honor." – James Carville, campaign veteran

Blogger writes: "The stakes for this debate remain stratospheric, for both candidates." – Dan Rather, former CBS News anchor, at Substack

Scholar says: "This debate will be about who looked presidential, who was able to communicate that they are commander in chief. Did they persuade the undecided or secure their base? Which candidate got their point across the best?" – Nate French, associate professor at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, N.C.

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Common Core State Standard
SL.CCS.1/2/3/4 Grades 6-12: An essay of a current news event is provided for discussion to encourage participation, but also inspire the use of evidence to support logical claims using the main ideas of the article. Students must analyze background information provided about a current event within the news, draw out the main ideas and key details, and review different opinions on the issue. Then, students should present their own claims using facts and analysis for support.