The New York Times reports that a debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump scheduled to take place on September 10 on ABC will be a significant milestone in the US presidential election, which has been marked by numerous unpredictable developments.
According to two sources, the 90-minute debate is expected to be held in Philadelphia, with ABC's David Muir and Linsey Davis serving as moderators. The debate may be held in a format without a live audience. The organizers are still discussing the format and basic rules of the debate.
The New York Times notes that the announcement of the September 10 debate between Trump and Harris, in a way, maintains the original course of the election: Trump and Biden had agreed to debate on ABC on September 10 several months ago. However, Trump had wavered on his commitment after Biden withdrew from the race, citing disagreements over the debate's terms with Harris. Harris entered the presidential race on July 21 after President Joe Biden, 81, announced his withdrawal from the campaign.
Earlier, the first US presidential election debate of this year took place in June between Biden and Trump, with over 51 million Americans watching live. US media predict that the upcoming ABC debate between Trump and Harris will attract a much larger audience, as this will be the first time the Republican and Democratic presidential candidates have directly debated on stage.
At a press conference in Palm Beach, Florida on August 8, Donald Trump expressed his desire to have additional debates on September 4 and 25 on Fox and NBC. This press conference was the first time Trump appeared in public since Harris chose Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate on August 6.
On X, Kamala Harris expressed her expectation of the September 10 debate. She also shared that she is ready to discuss additional debates during her campaign in the Detroit area.
AP notes that Trump's decision to participate in the ABC debate has created a significant moment in the 2024 US presidential election. Just five days earlier, Trump announced that he would not debate on ABC, stating that the agreement with the network had been "terminated." He wrote on social media that if Harris did not appear in the Fox News debate on September 4, "I will not meet her at all." However, by August 8, Trump had changed his decision and was trying to pressure Harris to agree to two additional debates in September on Fox and NBC.
A US presidential election poll by Ipsos released on August 8 showed that Harris had widened her lead over Trump since the end of July. Harris led with 42% support, while Trump had 37%. In a previous survey by Reuters/Ipsos on July 22-23, Harris led Trump with a ratio of 37% to 34%. This week, Harris and Walz campaigned in battleground states Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin, attracting tens of thousands of supporters. In another Ipsos poll, Harris was also leading Trump, with a margin of 42% and 40% in the 7 states where the 2020 US presidential election was closely contested: Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
