Harris-Trump debate

Daily News Article   —   Posted on September 10, 2024

The only presidential debate agreed to by Kamala Harris will air at 9 p.m. ET for 90 minutes from the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia. ABC News anchors David Muir and Linsey Davis are slated to moderate the debate, which will be broadcast by the network and all major media.

Excerpted from an Associated Press report at NY Post:

Headline: Donald Trump and Kamala Harris debate prep strategies revealed: Here’s how each candidate is gearing up for their ultimate showdown

Kamala Harris and Donald Trump are veering sharply in how they gear up for Tuesday’s presidential debate, setting up a showdown that reflects not just two separate visions for the country but two politicians who approach big moments very differently.

The vice president is cloistered in a historic hotel in downtown Pittsburgh where she can focus on honing crisp two-minute answers, per the debate’s rules. She’s been working with aides since Thursday and chose a venue that allows the Democratic nominee the option of mingling with swing-state voters.

Trump, the Republican nominee, publicly dismisses the value of studying for the debate. The former president is choosing instead to fill his days with campaign-related events on the premise that he’ll know what he needs to do once he steps on the debate stage at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia.

From an NPR (National Public Radio) report section:  What are the rules for the debate?

The debate rules echo those agreed on for the June matchup [Trump v. Biden]. That means microphones will once again be muted unless a candidate is speaking, something the Harris team asked to change for this debate.

It’s a rule initially proposed by the Biden campaign ahead of the first debate and was largely seen as a potential shake-up to Trump’s typical debate style. Instead, it ended up benefiting the former president, who has a history of interrupting in these settings to the point of his campaign’s detriment. Instead, the technical change helped Trump appear more controlled.

Harris’ campaign told ABC that Harris would be disadvantaged by the muted mics because it would shield Trump from direct exchanges — but said that it would agree to the terms lest Trump drop out of the debate altogether.

A [Harris] campaign official, speaking on condition of anonymity to describe private negotiations, said that a pool [of reporters] would be on hand to hear what the candidates are saying into muted microphones — and that if there is “significant crosstalk,” the network may unmute both microphones. The moderator will warn candidates to stop frequent interruptions, the official said. “Our understanding of these things helped inform our decision to accept muted mics,” the official said.

There will be no audience and candidates will not be permitted to question each other directly. In addition, neither will be allowed to bring pre-written notes or props onto the debate stage.

Excerpted from CBS News reports – What we know about the debate structure so far:

[There will be] two commercial breaks, when campaign staff will not be allowed to interact with the candidates, among other rules that mirror the rules at the CNN debate.

During the debate, the candidates will have two minutes to answer questions and for rebuttals, along with an extra minute for follow-ups, clarifications or responses, ABC outlined. No props or pre-written notes are permitted onstage but the candidates will have a pen, notepad and bottle of water at their lecterns.

The candidates will have two minutes to deliver closing statements, and Trump will deliver the final statement after winning a coin toss, ABC said. There will be no opening statements.

What topics are on the table for the debate?

Any topic is on the table. The network has not revealed potential topics and isn’t expected to.


Questions

1. List the following information about tonight's debate:
a) Time, station, location
b) Moderators
c) Length of the debate
d) Time each has to answer questions and follow-ups, and for closing statements
e) Which of the following can the candidates bring with them: pre-written notes, props, pen and paper, a gavel
f) Harris chose which side of the stage she wants to stand on during the debate. Why will Trump deliver the final statement?

2. The candidates will not be able to question each other directly during the debate. Do you think this is a good rule for presidential debates? Why or why not?

3. a) Joe Biden originally required a candidate's microphone be muted while the other was talking. Trump agreed. Now Kamala Harris does not want mics off - her campaign says she will be at a disadvantage if so. (It was originally assumed Trump would be at a disadvantage with mics off when he debated Biden, but he agreed anyway.) What has ABC agreed to do to address Harris' objections?
b) What do you think of this concession?

4. Presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain debated three times in 2008.
Barack Obama and Mitt Romney debated three times in 2012.
Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton debated three times in 2016.
Candidates Donald Trump and Joe Biden debated twice in 2020.
Trump and Biden debated once in June 2024, but then Biden dropped out.
Kamala Harris has only agreed to one debate with Trump. He has asked for two more - with NBC News and Fox News. She has declined.
a) Why do you think VP Harris does not want to debate President Trump more than once?
b) Why should the candidates debate at least twice, if not three times?

5. Traditionally the debate moderators release the topics that will potentially be discussed during the debate. For this debate, ABC has not and is not expected to reveal potential topics. Why do you think this is so? Ask a parent the same question.

6. An analysis of ABC's World News Tonight, hosted by debate moderator David Muir, found ABC Coverage of Kamala Harris 100% Positive and ABC coverage of Donald Trump 93% negative. MRC analysts presented this information after reviewing all 100 campaign stories that aired on ABC’s World News Tonight from the day Harris entered the race (July 21) through September 6, including weekends.

Whether you are a Republican or Democrat, do you think the moderators will be able to be fair to both candidates? Some say as they are known to be biased against Trump, they will do their best to appear balanced. Others say they will do whatever they can to help Kamala Harris and make her look good. Still others think Harris will be given the questions ahead of time so she can work with her team to prepare answers. Nobody thinks they will be biased against Harris and try to help Trump. What do you think?

Do you think Kamala Harris could win the election without help from the media, Google, social media, et al? Explain your answer.

7. Presidential candidates always accept interviews - they are seen as a way to get their message out to voters - to be able to explain their policies and show voters who they are (it is free publicity). The media in general have gone out of their way to promote Vice President Harris - they are seen as friendly to her. Why do you think VP Harris has refused to do any interviews - except one joint interview with her VP pick Tim Walz on CNN on August 29 - which was pre-recorded (less than 20 minutes of the 40 minute or so interview actually aired)?

QUESTIONS FOR Tuesday night’s DEBATE:

Read over all questions BEFORE watching the debate.  While watching the debate, answer #1-8 below.

1. Which 3 issues do you think are the most important for the moderators to include in tonight's debate questions:

  • Inflation/the economy
  • Energy: The Green New Deal vs. use of fossil fuels; fracking, etc. to create low energy costs and U.S. energy independence
  • Border security/Border crisis/illegal immigration - and with it, crisis of human trafficking, illegal drugs/fentanyl flowing across southern border; gang members and other criminals and terrorists infiltrating the U.S.
  • Reducing crime/violence especially in our cities with soft on crime DA’s – stores closing as a result of thefts not being prosecuted
  • Climate change
  • Abortion
  • Gun control
  • etc.

2. List a question/questions the moderators asked on any/all of the three topics you think are most important.

3. What do you think of each candidate’s answer(s)?

4. List questions the moderators asked on issues you do not consider important, or were not listed in question #1.

5. A debate moderator’s role is to act as a neutral participant, to hold participants to time limits and to try to keep them from straying off the topic of the questions being raised in the debate. Do you think the moderators fulfilled this role? Explain your answer.

6. a) Do you think the topics chosen by the debate moderators at ABC helped viewers understand the candidates’ positions on the issues? Explain your answer.
b) Do you think the questions asked by the moderators on each topic helped viewers understand the candidates’ positions on the issues? Explain your answer.

7. Do you think the moderator’s questions were fair to each candidate? Explain your answer.

8. a) What do you think was Vice President Harris' best or worst line or answer? Explain your answer.
b) What do you think was President Trump’s best or worst line answer? Explain your answer.