Harris-Trump Debate: One Candidate Has the Advantage ? The Duel That Could Change Everything

On Tuesday, September 10, Kamala Harris will face her presidential opponent Donald Trump for the first time, and perhaps the last, in a decisive debate two months before the American presidential election.

This duel could prove decisive. Democrat Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump will face off this Tuesday, September 10 at 9 p.m. (3 a.m., French time) during a televised debate. The person who wins could very well come out of it at an advantage for the rest of the American presidential campaign. The outcome of this debate could even change everything.

As proof: the last duel between two candidates for the American presidential election led one of them to withdraw completely. It was after Joe Biden's performance against Donald Trump on June 27 that the outgoing president was forced to withdraw his candidacy in favor of his vice president, Kamala Harris.

Well-defined strategies

Kamala Harris says she is at a “fundamental disadvantage” against her rival. In order to ensure the debate can happen, she and her campaign have made concessions by agreeing to rules they believe favor Donald Trump. “Despite our concerns, we understand that Donald Trump may not participate in the debate, as he has previously threatened to do, if we do not accept his preferred format. We do not want to jeopardize the debate. That is why we have agreed to “all the proposed rules”, is written in a letter addressed to ABC, relayed by BFMTV.

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The cause: the closing of microphones when the other candidate speaks. A rule “that will serve to protect Donald Trump from “direct exchanges”, believes the Democratic camp. The latter was undoubtedly counting on the aggressiveness shown by the billionaire in his campaign to take advantage of it during the debate. But the Republican party has instructed Donald Trump to be precisely “less aggressive” according to Pierre Bourgois, lecturer in political science at Catholic University of the West, on the set of France 24. And “by cutting the microphones, Donald Trump will be able to position himself as much calmer, more peaceful”. He could also step out of his usual territory and leave aside personal attacks to go to that of ideas and challenge his rival on the substance. This positioning could be a way for Donald Trump to convince undecided voters, when conversely aggressive behavior could turn them away from him. Especially since Kamala Harris must defend the record of President Joe Biden, unlike the Republican who left the White House in 2021.

Detailing the electoral programs

This debate is all the more important because it is the first – and possibly the last – between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump. The duel will be an opportunity for the Democratic candidate to detail her program. “We saw the interview she gave to CNN last week, for now, we are on relatively general, superficial considerations,” analyzes Pierre Bourgois. Kamala Harris made a good impression by placing the right to abortion, then the subject of purchasing power as priorities and by mentioning immigration to address moderate right-wing voters. But she must now clarify her remarks and defend the record of the past four years.

But this debate will above all be the moment for Kamala Harris to prove that she knows how to stand up to an incisive Donald Trump. “We don't know how [Kamala Harris] stands when she's cornered, when she's pushed into a corner,” says Pierre Bourgois. Facing her is a regular on the sets, seasoned in campaign debates. The billionaire has already multiplied attacks on her competitor, for example by questioning her origins.

For the moment, opinion polls give Democrat Kamala Harris a slight lead in voting intentions, including in the “swing states”, these “tipping” states that can tip the election result towards one camp or the other. For both candidates, this debate is therefore one of the only chances to convince a majority voters in these key states to ensure victory in the November 5 election.