After President Joe Biden’s performance forced him out of the race, his successor Kamala Harris would face former President Donald Trump in the second debate on 10 September.
The most important moment in the race between Harris and Trump comes this week on Tuesday, as the vice president prepares for what may be her only opportunity to directly confront the former president’s political dominance.
The confrontation with Trump is of particular importance to Harris, who has struggled to make a name for herself in the eyes of voters and maintain a positive momentum. The debate at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia will be the first face-to-face meeting between the two candidates.
Both Harris and Trump offer themselves as guarantors of change. However, both have their weaknesses. Trump’s campaign and allies have accused Harris of avoiding policy details. In July, the former president has also blamed Harris for “happened to turn Black” years ago and now tries to take advantage of her background.
Trump, meanwhile, failed to answer a question last week about how he planned to make child care more affordable.
The debate, moderated by ABC hosts Linsey Davis and David Muir, will last 90 minutes. Microphones will be switched on when it is their turn to speak and switched off otherwise. Those rules, agreed to by Biden and Trump’s campaign staffs, frustrated Harris, who had hoped to use her skills as a former prosecutor during any interactions with Trump.
Vice President Harris, a former prosecutor, will be fundamentally disadvantaged by this format, which will serve to shield Donald Trump from direct exchanges with the Vice President. We suspect this is the primary reason for his campaign’s insistence on muted microphones.
Putin endorsed Harris?
Russian President Vladimir Putin abruptly announced Thursday that his country would support US Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic Party’s nominee. In response, the Biden administration accused Moscow of trying to interfere in the November election.
At the recent Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, Putin ironically said that current President Joe Biden was his “favourite.” As the latter dropped out of the race and endorsed Harris, she became the next best candidate for Putin.
He added that Harris had “expressive and infectious laughs,” indicating that “she’s doing well.” In response, Trump stated at the New York Economic Club on Thursday:
I don’t know if I’m insulted or he did me a favour.
Putin’s comments came a day after the US Justice Department accused a Russian broadcaster of a campaign to influence the vote.
