2024 presidential debate: Donald Trump and Kamala Harris to face off on ABC as new poll shows who leads

By Katelyn Caralle, Senior US Political Reporter in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Kamala Harris is losing support among independent voters just eight weeks before the 2024 election.

Donald Trump leads the vice president in this demographic by 49 percent to 46 percent, according to a new study. PBS News/NPR/Marist Poll published on the day of its first debate.

Of all voters, the two candidates are divided by just 1 percentage point.

Tuesday’s results among independents show a 7-point drop for Harris from August, which was her first full month in the presidential race.

The suspension of campaigning last month by third-party candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. likely contributed to Trump’s surge in support among independent voters.

In 2020, President Joe Biden won among independent voters by 15 points.

“Those are two important groups that are likely to be targeted heavily by campaigns throughout the campaign,” said Cook Political Report editor-in-chief Amy Walter, referring to independent and Latino voters.

Of all voters surveyed in the latest poll, one-third say the debate in Philadelphia on Tuesday will help determine who they cast their ballot for in November.

By Katelyn Caralle, Senior US Political Reporter in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

The time has come for Donald Trump and Kamala Harris to meet on stage for what could be one of the most important presidential debates in decades.

The race is very close and polls show the candidates, who have never faced each other, are tied just eight weeks before the November election.

Their performances in the prime-time showdown on ABC at 9 p.m. in Philadelphia could determine their chances of winning or losing the White House in what has already been a historic campaign.

Just seven weeks into her campaign, the stakes couldn’t be higher for Harris at the most important moment of her career.

The millions of people expected to tune in to the show already know Trump, but the vice president has yet to fully present herself as a Democratic candidate. She has only participated in one in-person interview and has not held a press conference as a candidate.

Trump is expected to attack Harris’ record and ask her to answer for it publicly on stage for the first time.

Meanwhile, some speculate that Harris will try to goad Trump into making a mistake.

Pennsylvania, where the debate will be held, is one of seven battleground states that will determine the outcome of the 2024 presidential election.

And the stakes for Harris couldn’t be higher when it comes to winning Pennsylvania. No Democratic presidential candidate has won the White House without winning the Keystone State since 1948.

The battle for the White House now comes down to a choice between freedom or power, according to a poll of likely voters.

It shows how the idea of ​​Kamala Harris and the idea of ​​Donald Trump have crystallized into one word in the minds of Americans.

When 300 voters in seven key states were asked to name one word to describe what they thought Harris most wanted to accomplish in office, the most popular responses were “freedom,” “equality” and the words “middle class” and “class.”

For Trump, the answer was “power,” along with “dictator” and “revenge.” (“Revenge” was the most popular answer when DailyMail.com and JL Partners posed the question late last year.)

This suggests that both campaigns have had some success in getting their messages across to voters.

The Democrat and Republican will participate in the second debate of the 2024 general election, but with some important changes from the Atlanta showdown in late June between Trump and President Joe Biden.

The biggest change, obviously, is that Biden has dropped out of the race and Harris now leads the Democratic ticket by choosing Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate.

It was his disastrous performance in the June debate — and the pleas of several top Democrats — that forced the 81-year-old president to do so in late July.

Also, since the last debate, Trump survived an assassination attempt on July 13 at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

The rules are officially set for the long-awaited presidential debate between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris after the campaigns clashed over whether microphones would be muted, raising questions about whether the showdown would even happen.

The major event hosted by ABC News will take place on Tuesday, September 10 in Philadelphia. It will be the first and possibly only time the former president and vice president will meet face to face.

Both candidates face pressure to deliver a standout performance on the debate stage, which will take place less than 60 days before Election Day, as some voters will already be able to cast their ballots.

The must-see 90-minute event will be moderated by ABC News anchors David Muir and Linsey Davis, who will be the only ones asking questions.

Vice President Kamala Harris will take part in the most important political debate of his career on Tuesday night, but his performance on stage is very mixed.

Harris participated in multiple presidential debates with a group of candidates. Democrats during his failed 2020 presidential campaign, as he struggled to break free from the pack and go viral.

Tuesday’s debate with Harris marks Trump’s seventh general debate choice debate since 2016, although this is Harris’ first with a Republican presidential candidate.

Political strategists who have coached the Republican candidates spoke to the DailyMail about their strengths and weaknesses in the debates.

Harris is very good at preparing, rehearsing and using prepared lines, although her attempts to go viral don’t always work out.