Politics

(PHILADELPHIA) — Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump will meet for the first time on Tuesday for the ABC News presidential debate.

It is the only debate the two have scheduled and comes at a critical point as polls show a neck-and-neck race with just eight weeks until Election Day.

The two will face off on key issues starting at 9 p.m. ET. The debate will air on ABC and stream on ABC News Live, Disney+ and Hulu.

Here’s how the news is developing:

Trump again denies involvement in 2025

Harris criticized Trump for involvement in Project 2025, a 922-page playbook of controversial policy proposals intended to guide the next conservative administration.

Trump denied again that he knows about Project 2025, despite being authored by at least two dozen members of his administration and allies.

“Everyone knows I’m an open book,” he said.

1st question on economy

The first question is on an issue that’s top of mind for voters: the economy and cost of living.

Asked if she believed Americans are better off today than they were four years ago, Harris talked about her plans to help families and small businesses. She targeted Trump, saying he will provide a tax cut for “billionaires and big corporations.”

Harris and Trump take the stage

This marks the first time Harris and Trump have ever met.

Harris, Trump shake hands after intro

Harris and Trump shook hands after they were introduced on stage, ending an eight-year streak of no handshakes on the presidential debate stage.

There are no rules or stipulations requiring a handshake before or after the debate.

High-stakes showdown begins

The ABC News presidential debate is now underway.

It is a crucial moment for both candidates with exactly eight weeks until Election Day.

Rep. Madeleine Dean notes the debate will be many viewers’ introduction to Harris

Rep. Madeleine Dean, a Democrat who represents Pennsylvania’s 4th District in the Philadelphia suburbs, said today’s debate is an opportunity for Harris to introduce herself to swing voters outside the political “bubble” who may not have tuned into the campaign earlier, and share her record as a prosecutor, attorney general, senator and now vice president.

“She is an able public servant, and so she has the chance to introduce that part of herself to those who are too busy to actually know all of those granular details,” Dean told reporters in the spin room.

—538’s Tia Yang

Debate just minutes away

The presidential debate is now just 15 minutes away.

Both candidates have arrived in Philadelphia, and their campaign surrogates are already on the ground providing spin and setting expectations for tonight’s matchup.

Member of exonerated ‘Central Park Five’ in the spin room

New York City Councilman Yusef Salaam, a member of the exonerated “Central Park Five” who was wrongfully incarcerated in connection with a 1989 rape, is in the spin room.

Salaam, who spoke at the DNC, has been a staunch Trump opponent after the former president took out a full-page ad in The New York Times calling for the death penalty for the five suspects at the time.

Rep. Michael Waltz says Trump will pick back up on trade policy

Rep. Michael Waltz, a Florida Republican and veteran who serves on the Armed Services and Foreign Affairs Committees, is one of the Trump surrogates who has been circling the spin room here in Philadelphia. He focused in on Trump’s trade and foreign policy, telling reporters that in a second term, Trump would pick back up on “deals that and “undo executive orders” like the one pausing exports of liquified natural gas.

—538’s Tia Yang

Harris arrives at the debate

Harris has arrived at the National Constitution Center ahead of her face-off with former President Trump.

Harris’ motorcade drove past a billboard on the highway that read “VOTE TRUMP,” according to ABC News’ Gabriella Abdul-Hakim, who is traveling with the vice president.

-ABC News’ Fritz Farrow

The debate rules: muted microphones and more

Harris selected the right podium position on stage. The two candidates will remain standing for the 90-minute debate.

There will be no opening statements, though each candidate will get two minutes at the end to give their closing arguments to the American people. Trump will offer the last closing statement after winning the coin toss.

The candidates can’t bring notes on stage. Candidates will only be given a pen, a pad of paper and a bottle of water. They cannot interact with their campaign staff during commercial breaks.

Their microphones will only be live when it is their turn to speak and muted otherwise. Harris and Trump will get two minutes to respond to questions by the moderators and two minutes for rebuttals. They cannot ask each other questions.

Latest look at the debate stage

Here’s the latest look at the debate stage, as Harris and Trump face off in less than an hour.

The candidates will be standing six feet apart. There will be no live audience.

Gavin Newsom tears into Trump, calls him ‘boring’

California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a top Trump antagonist, tore into the former president as unable to resist personal attacks and “boring” on the trail.

“He doesn’t know any other way. He’s incapable of not doing that,” Newsom said when asked if Trump would attack Harris’ personality. “This is a guy who’s just weakness masquerading as strength.”

Newsom said he expects Harris to “rise above” the attacks but to also “counterpunch.”

“She’s new, she’s the next generation. He’s old, he’s stale, he’s derivative, he’s, dare I say it, boring,” Newsom added.

-ABC News’ Tal Axelrod

Vivek Ramaswamy says success for Trump is a focus on policy

Vivek Ramaswamy, a former presidential candidate and vocal Trump supporter, said the former president would win a debate centered around policy.

“I think a win looks like a policy-focused debate,” he said.

“If we have a policy-focused debate, Donald Trump hits it out of the park.”

-ABC News’ Tal Axelrod

ABC News’ pre-debate special ‘Race for the White House’ begins

“Race for the White House,” ABC News’ prime-time pre-debate special, premiered at 8 p.m. ET.

The special is anchored by chief global affairs correspondent and “This Week” co-anchor Martha Raddatz, chief Washington correspondent and “This Week” co-anchor Jonathan Karl, chief White House correspondent Mary Bruce and senior congressional correspondent Rachel Scott.

You can watch live on ABC, ABC News Live, Disney+ and Hulu.

Pennsylvania a critical battleground this election

Tonight’s debate is being held at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia.

Pennsylvania has emerged as a central battleground once again after sealing President Biden’s victory over Trump in 2020.

Right now, Harris and Trump are separated by less than 1 percentage point in 538’s polling average of the Keystone State.

Of the seven or so states believed to be in play this cycle, Pennsylvania holds the most electoral votes at 19.

Will the tables turn on Trump’s age and mental fitness?

In the most recent ABC News/Ipsos poll, Harris had an advantage over Trump when it came to who Americans think has better “physical health” and “mental sharpness” to serve effectively as president.

Trump has recently gotten attention for his rambling and often-incoherent speaking style, and while that’s nothing new for him, this will be his first time directly facing a new opponent, who’s nearly 20 years younger than him. Whether or not Trump’s age or mental acuity come up explicitly in tonight’s debate, how he handles himself — and how viewers respond afterward — could help him put some of those concerns to rest, or exacerbate them and give Harris an opening.

—538’s Tia Yang

Kristi Noem says Trump needs to hold Harris ‘accountable’

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, R, said Trump should hold Harris’ feet to the fire on policy, referencing policies this campaign on things like fracking and health care that differ from stances she took during her 2019 run.

“He needs to hold her accountable to what she truly believes and what she’s done when she was given more power in a bigger position,” Noem told ABC News.

Noem added that accountability should be more focused on policy than personality, but added, “His personality always shines through, it just does, and she’s going to have a tough time dealing with that.”

-ABC News’ Tal Axelrod

Which issues do Americans trust Harris, Trump on?

We’re obviously going to hear about a lot of different issues tonight — and some of those issues will be comfortable ground for Trump, while others will be Harris’ home turf. The latest ABC News/Ipsos poll asked Americans whether they trusted Trump or Harris more to handle 11 different issues. Harris was trusted more on six, Trump was trusted more on four, and one (crime and safety) was tied.

Harris also had the biggest trust advantage on any issue: 16 points, on both abortion and race relations. However, Trump was trusted more than Harris on the three issues that Americans usually say are the most important to their vote: the economy, inflation and immigration.

—538’s Nathaniel Rakich

Melania Trump not in attendance at debate

Members of the Trump family attending the debate with him tonight are his son Eric Trump and his son’s wife — and co-chair of the Republican National Committee — Lara Trump, sources familiar with the matter tell ABC News. Melania Trump is not there.

On the plane with him from Florida to Philadelphia were Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz and former Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, who have been helping Trump with debate prep. Also on board — one of his lawyers, Alina Habba, as well as senior staffers Chris LaCivita, Susie Wiles, Steven Cheung, Corey Lewandowski and Jason Miller.

Notably, controversial conservative media influencer Laura Loomer was also flying with Trump. Loomer has pushed multiple conspiracy theories about Harris, including racist and sexist attacks on the vice president.

-ABC News’ Lalee Ibssa and Katherine Faulders

Trump arrives in Philadelphia

Trump landed at Philadelphia International Airport a short while ago for the debate. He could be seen raising his fist as he departed his plane.

Memorable moments from debates past

It’s a hallmark of the American electoral process: the presidential debate.

The first nationally televised debate in history featured John Kennedy and Richard Nixon. The visuals did not play in Nixon’s favor, as he was seen sweating and looking pale after previously being hospitalized for an infection, while Kennedy looked young and gave a more vigorous performance.

More than 20 years later, Ronald Reagan, the oldest sitting president at the time, shut down some questions about his age during his debate with Democrat Walter Mondale.

In 1992’s trilateral debate, President George H.W. Bush was criticized for looking down at his watch. In 2000, Al Gore was mocked for his audible sighs during his debate with George W. Bush.

In the 2020 Democratic primary, one highlight was Harris’ challenge to Joe Biden on the issue of segregation and busing, which prompted her viral quote, “That little girl was me.”

Most recently, the debate between President Biden and Trump changed the course of the 2024 campaign after Biden’s poor performance exacerbated Democratic and voter concerns about his age and fitness to serve another four years. He announced he was exiting the race 24 days later.

Expectations are slightly higher for Harris tonight

Expectations matter in debates. For example, if a candidate goes in with low expectations from the public and turns in a mediocre performance, it probably wouldn’t hurt them as much as if they had gone in with high expectations from the public and turned in the same performance.

Because of this, we were interested in whether Americans had higher expectations of Harris or Trump tonight — so we included this as a question in the most recent ABC News/Ipsos poll. According to that poll, 43% of Americans are expecting Harris to win tonight, while 37% are expecting Trump to win. However, 18% said neither would win or it would be a tie.

—538’s Nathaniel Rakich

Harris, Trump both come into debate with White House track records

Tonight’s debate marks a rare historical moment in that it pits against each other two candidates with significant track records in the White House.

That “political baggage” can be a curse for the candidates, according to experts who’ve studied debates, but also a blessing, depending on how it’s portrayed and defended.

Both Harris and Trump will need to walk a fine line between affirming what they consider their successes during their administrations, experts said.

-ABC News’ Ivan Pereira

Trump is viewed more negatively than Harris

Debates are a rare opportunity for candidates to change their perception among the American people. And right now, Harris is perceived more positively than Trump. According to 538’s polling average, 46 percent of Americans view her favorably, while 47 percent view her unfavorably. While that’s not exactly popular, it’s a remarkable reversal from just a couple months ago. Before Biden dropped out of the presidential race, Harris had a net favorability rating of -16 points. But since she kicked off her campaign, her favorable rating has shot up, while her unfavorable rating has plummeted.

By contrast, according to 538’s polling average, 43% of Americans view Trump favorably, while 53% view him unfavorably. Those numbers have been pretty consistent over the years. Trump’s unfavorable rating has been about 10-15 points higher than his favorable rating since he left office in 2021, and his average job approval rating was in the same range for most of his term as president.

—538’s Nathaniel Rakich

Rick Scott says Trump will be focused

As speculation mounts over how Trump will go after Harris — on policy or personality — Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., a top Senate ally, insisted the former president will stick to issues Americans care about.

“He’s going to do great,” Scott told reporters in the spin room in Philadelphia. “He’s going to talk about the issues.”

-ABC News’ Tal Axelrod

Entering the debate, the race is basically tied

The stakes for this debate are high for both candidates for one very simple reason: The presidential race is extremely close right now. In some of the states most likely to decide the election — such as Pennsylvania, Georgia and North Carolina — 538’s polling averages show Harris and Trump within 1 percentage point of each other.

Nationally, Harris leads Trump by an average of almost 3 points, raising the possibility that she could win the popular vote but lose the Electoral College, as Hillary Clinton did in 2016. According to 538’s average, Harris’s national lead peaked at 3.7 points on Aug. 23, the day after the Democratic National Convention, but her advantage has slipped a bit in the weeks since.

-538’s Nathaniel Rakich

Harris and Trump face major challenges, risks on debate stage

Harris and Trump will need to navigate the pitfall-filled debate of their political lives as each tries to persuade millions of voters and viewers that they’re the one best suited to be president.

Harris, whose wave of momentum has brought Democrats back to a neck-and-neck presidential race, will have to prosecute the case against Trump while also laying out how her agenda could help the country — particularly beleaguered middle- and working-class Americans.

Trump, meanwhile, has the task of casting his record on the economy and immigration as superior to Harris’ while avoiding distracting personal attacks on Harris.

Republicans and Democrats told ABC News how they should meet the crucial moment.

-ABC News’ Tal Axelrod

Tonight’s presidential debate presents rare opportunity to shape election: Experts

How much difference do presidential debates make? In the past, they’ve rarely influenced an election’s outcome, according to historians who spoke with ABC News.

But the June debate between President Joe Biden and former President Trump was a rare exception, they say, ultimately leading to an unprecedented change in the Democratic presidential ticket.

Now as Vice President Harris prepares to take on Trump in their first presidential debate, experts predict the matchup could potentially produce a similar consequential and history-making moment that could sway undecided voters — a key voting bloc that could determine who wins the November election.

Read more here.

-ABC News’ Ivan Pereira

Independent voters want to know more about Harris. Can she fill in the gaps?

A recent New York Times/Siena College poll found a sizable share of likely voters (28%) and registered voters (31%) feel they need to know more about Harris as a candidate. Those numbers were even higher among independent voters: 41% of registered independents and 38% of likely voters who identified as independent said they needed to learn more about her.

Her campaign is well-aware that a large slice of the critical voting bloc feels they don’t know Harris well enough, ABC News Chief White House Correspondent Mary Bruce reports.

Tonight, she’ll want to fill in the blanks in what is her highest-profile appearance since her acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention last month. But beyond that, their real goal is to make clear the stark choice in this election between what she wants to do as president and what Trump intends to do.

Newsom, Shapiro, Duckworth among Harris spin room surrogates

The Harris campaign released its list of surrogates who will be in the spin room during the debate.

Four Democratic governors — Roy Cooper of North Carolina, Michelle Lujan Grisham of New Mexico, Gavin Newsom of California and Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania — are among the group, as well as Sens. Laphonza Butler of California, Tammy Duckworth from Illinois and Chris Murphy of Connecticut.

Four Democratic House members — Jason Crow from Colorado, Veronica Escobar of Texas, Robert Garcia from California and Ted Lieu of California — will also be joining, as well as retired Brig. Gen. Steve Anderson, a former Republican; Reproductive Freedom for All President and CEO Mini Timmaraju and Khizr Khan, a Gold Star father.

Biden says he spoke with Harris, who appears ‘calm, cool and collected’

As he left the White House for New York, where he will watch tonight’s debate, President Joe Biden said he’s spoken with Harris.

Biden wouldn’t divulge what advice he had for her, but said she appeared “calm, cool and collected.”

“I think she’s going to do great,” Biden said.

Trump en route to Philadelphia

The Trump campaign posted a short clip of the former president boarding his plane, saying he’s en route to Philadelphia. Harris arrived in the city Monday evening.

-ABC News’ Soorin Kim

Hillary Clinton said Kamala Harris should ‘bait’ Trump during tonight’s debate

Hillary Clinton gave some advice to Vice President Kamala Harris on tonight’s debate, according to The New York Times.

“She just should not be baited. She should bait him. He can be rattled,” Clinton told The Times during a recent phone interview.

Clinton confirmed to NYT that she had spoken to Harris directly and discussed “a number of things” prior to the debate.

As the 2016 Democratic nominee, Clinton has experience debating the former president.

She said she believes Harris “has a lot of good ammunition” and that she’s “handling him [Trump] very well.”

RNC Chairman Michael Whatley says Trump’s ‘rested,’ ‘relaxed’ and ‘ready to go’

In an interview Tuesday with ABC News’ Kyra Phillips, Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley said it was unfair of the Harris campaign to suggest Trump would lie on stage tonight.

He also confirmed that Trump will stray away from personal attacks, and that the former president was not nervous.

“He feels very comfortable. He’s rested, he’s relaxed, and he’s definitely ready to go,” Whatley said.

Whatley also said “this is the most united the Republican Party has been in generations.”

– ABC News’ Kelsey Walsh

Sen. JD Vance headlining debate watch party fundraiser in Philadelphia tonight: Sources

The Trump campaign’s debate watch party in Philadelphia tonight will take form in a fundraiser with Sen. JD Vance headlining the event, according to sources and an invitation obtained by ABC News.

The invitation doesn’t detail the location, other guests or speakers of the night.

Tickets range from $5,000 to $50,000, with a photo opportunity costing $15,000 and a VIP ticket costing $25,000, the invitation shows.

-ABC News’ Soo Rin Kim, Hannah Demissie, Lalee Ibssa, and Kelsey Walsh

Presidential candidates haven’t shaken hands at debate since 2016

There are no rules requiring Harris and Trump to shake hands before or after the debate.

If they do, it would mark the first time since 2016 that the candidates have shaken hands. Trump and Biden did not shake hands during their two matchups in 2020.

Trump contracted COVID-19 following the first debate.

The two candidates also didn’t shake their hands during the June debate.

Trump campaign says he’s in ‘good spirits’

The Trump campaign during a pre-debate call said Trump is in “good spirits” and will be departing shortly for Philadelphia.

“President Trump is in good spirits. He is currently in Mar-a-Lago. My understanding is that he will be departing shortly to head over to Philadelphia,” said Trump campaign senior adviser Danielle Alvarez when asked about his mood going into the debate.

She suggested that the former president is “ready” to talk about inflation, housing affordability and the border among other issues on the debate stage. Alvarez also suggested that Trump might attack Harris for flip-flopping on some key issues such as fracking, police funding and electric vehicles.

“The president is certainly full of surprises. I know that we can expect him to be, you know, with his, his charming self. We know that he is incredible when it comes to weaving in and out of topics — he’s incredible on those policy issues. So that’s … certainly something that may happen,” she said.

-ABC News’ Soorin Kim, Lalee Ibssa and Kelsey Walsh

Here are the rules for tonight’s debate

Tonight’s consequential presidential debate hosted by ABC News will consist of set rules to govern the matchup, restricting candidates’ speaking time, microphone access, and engagement with campaign staff.

There will be no audience present, and questions will come strictly from the moderators.

After winning the virtual coin flip, former President Trump will offer the final closing statement.

Read more here.

Harris campaign to display drone show before debate

The Harris campaign will fly a drone show over the Philadelphia Art Museum from 8:05 to 8:25 p.m. ET at the famous Rocky Steps, just prior to the debate on Tuesday.

The show will add onto the campaign’s Philly-themed advertising and recent ad mocking Trump and crowd sizes, according to campaign spokesperson Kevin Munoz.

– ABC News’ Gabriella Abdul-Hakim, Fritz Farrow, and Will McDuffie

What to watch for on the economy during the debate

The verbal joust Tuesday night between Trump and Harris will touch on a range of issues, but none may be more important than the economy, which often ranks as the top priority among voters.

ABC News spoke to experts about what they will be watching for when the debate turns to the economy. They said they’ll be looking for everything from the amount of substantive discussion, to the relevance of Biden’s legacy, to the prevalence of topics like inflation and taxes.

Read more here to learn what to watch for on the economy during the match-up, according to experts.

-ABC News’ Max Zahn

Walz calls Trump a ‘showman’ ahead of debate

At a campaign fundraiser Tuesday morning, Gov. Tim Walz said he knew what to expect from Trump during the debate, calling the former president a “showman,” according to a pool reporter in the room.

“Donald Trump’s a showman. This is his seventh general election debate. No one in modern times has done more of these. The good news is that this is his seventh debate and we know exactly what to expect,” Walz said.

-ABC News’ Isabella Murray

First to ABC: Sens. Chris Murphy, Laphonza Butler in spin room for Harris

Sens. Chris Murphy and Laphonza Butler will be in the spin room as surrogates supporting Harris, according to a campaign official. This news is being shared first with ABC News.

Murphy had helped negotiate the bipartisan border deal earlier this year that Trump urged his party to oppose. Harris has been pledging to work to get that deal passed if elected, while hammering Trump for killing the deal.

Butler met Harris 15 years ago when Harris was the district attorney of San Francisco and Butler also served as senior adviser on Harris’ 2020 presidential campaign.

-ABC News’ Selina Wang

Harris, Trump campaigns spin expectations ahead of ABC News debate

Harris said in an interview that aired Monday that she expects former President Donald Trump to lie during the ABC News presidential debate on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the Trump campaign and surrogates continued to insinuate on Monday that the former president’s strategy at the debate will be to tie Harris to what they say are her policy failures and “disasters” as a leader of the Biden-Harris administration.

With time ticking down until the two meet for the debate, both candidates are working to spin expectations in what is expected to be a key moment for both campaigns as they look to appeal to voters ahead of what’s expected to be a close contest in November.

Read more here.

-ABC News’ Gabriella Abdul-Hakim, Fritz Farrow, Will McDuffie, Mary Bruce and Oren Oppenheim

Gold Star father, retired general among those representing Harris in spin room: Official

Gold Star father Khizr Khan, whose son Humayun Khan was a Muslim Army captain who was killed during the Iraq War in 2004, will be among the surrogates supporting Harris in the spin room at the debate, a campaign official confirmed to ABC News.

Khan garnered national attention after he delivered a blistering speech attacking Trump at the 2016 Democratic National Convention.

Harris will also be supported in the spin room by retired Brig. Gen. Steven M. Anderson, according to the campaign official. NBC News first reported Khan and Anderson’s roles as Harris surrogates in the spin room.

-Fritz Farrow, Grabriella Abdul-Hakim and Will McDuffie

Trump campaign spokesperson says he’s not engaged in traditional debate prep

Trump campaign spokesperson Danielle Alvarez said Tuesday morning on ABC News Live that Trump “does not do traditional debate prep” and reiterated that he has been campaigning and engaging in policy discussions instead.

“I would say that the president does not do traditional debate prep. He’s on the campaign trail constantly. We see him in key battleground states every week, joined by tens of thousands of patriots,” she said. “We know that he does tough interviews, both nationally, locally.”

“That’s truly how he prepares for these debates, having those conversations every day. He’s ready to step back into the White House,” she continued. “We also know that he prefers to have those policy discussions, and he’s been doing that with elected members in Congress like Matt Gaetz, with former Congress member Tulsi Gabbard and others — very similar to what he did to prepare for that first debate against Joe Biden. He has prepared in a similar way again, just by getting out there and talking every day to voters and talking to media.”

-ABC News’ Soorin Kim, Lalee Ibssa and Kelsey Walsh

Harris not ‘underestimating’ Trump ahead of debate: Source

Just hours away from the debate, a campaign source is setting expectations that Harris is not “underestimating” Trump’s ability to debate, and that it would be a “mistake” to do so.

The Harris team expects Trump to be “good” at debating, stressing that Trump has done this more than anybody else, while it will be Harris’s first presidential debate.

The Harris campaign is “happy to get under [Trump’s] skin,” and they hope that bringing former Trump officials into the spin room later this evening will accomplish this.

On a campaign call last night, a source said Harris is ready for any version of Trump that shows up — whether it’s the presidential Trump, the more mellow Trump during the Biden debate or a more aggressive version.

-ABC News’ Selina Wang

8 hours until the Harris-Trump ABC debate, here is how to watch tonight

The consequential Harris-Trump face-off will air live tonight at 9 p.m. ET on ABC and stream on ABC News Live, Disney+ and Hulu.

ABC News Live is available on Samsung TV+, The Roku Channel, Amazon Fire TV devices, YouTube, Tubi, the ABC app, and ABC.com.

ABC News Digital and 538 will live blog the latest from the debate stage with coverage, analysis and fact checks.

SiriusXM users can listen to the debate on Channel 370.

The prime-time pre-debate special, “Race for the White House,” will air at 8 p.m. ET and stream on ABC’s platforms.

Read more here.

Biden to watch debate from New York

President Joe Biden will be watching the debate from New York, where he’s going to be for 9/11 memorial events, according to White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.

“The president will definitely be watching,” she said in Monday’s briefing.

Jean-Pierre wouldn’t give details on any conversations about the debate between Harris and Biden or whether he’s given her any takeaways from his own last face-off with Trump, but she said the president was “very proud” of Harris.

“What I can say is, that he’ll be watching, he supports, obviously, the vice president, is very proud of her, and I just don’t have anything else to add,” she said.

– ABC News’ Cheyenne Haslett

5 things to watch in the high-stakes Harris-Trump faceoff

Harris and Trump square off Tuesday at what could be their only presidential debate, setting high stakes for an event expected to be viewed by millions of Americans and a key sliver of undecided voters. Here’s what to look out for.

Can Trump stay focused on policy? Staying on message on his four-year economic record is key, while veering into personal attacks would be counterproductive, allies told ABC News.

Harris has dual goals: make the case for herself as someone who would be a capable president and get under Trump’s skin. How will she introduce herself to undecided voters?

Read the rest of the five things to watch for in the debate here.

Walz fundraising email says ‘Trump is sure to talk about his twisted version of freedom’

Gov. Tim Walz, Harris’ running mate, previewed the vice president’s upcoming debate with Trump in a fundraising email on Tuesday morning — contrasting their campaign’s message on the economy and freedom with Trump’s platforms.

“She’s going to show everyone watching what this movement is all about: supporting families like yours and mine and building a future where everyone has the opportunity not just to get by, but to get ahead,” the email reads. “Donald Trump is sure to talk about his twisted version of freedom,” Walz claimed in the email.

-ABC News’ Isabella Murray

Harris and Trump to have various surrogates in spin room

Harris and Trump will have a handful of surrogates representing them in the spin room following the debate.

Harris will have Govs. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, Gavin Newsom of California, Roy Cooper of North Carolina and Michelle Lujan Grisham of New Mexico representing her in the spin room post debate, a campaign official confirmed to ABC News.

In addition to attending a watch party hosted by the Trump campaign, GOP vice presidential nominee Sen. JD Vance will also participate in the spin room.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Gov. Doug Burgum, tech entreprenuer Vivek Ramaswamy, Sen. Marco Rubio, Rep. Bryon Donalds, and Sen. Rick Scott are also expected to appear on behalf of Trump.

-ABC News’ Fritz Farrow, Gabriella Abdul-Hakim, Will McDuffie, Kelsey Walsh, Lalee Ibssa, and Soo Rin Kim

Debate will show ‘strength and success’ of Trump vs. ‘devastation and weakness’ of Harris: Stefanik

House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik teed up her expectations for tonight’s presidential debate, telling reporters that Harris “cannot hide forever.”

“Tonight at the debate, the country will finally get to see the stark contrast between the strength and success of President Trump’s America-first policies and the devastation and weakness of Kamala Harris’s radical, failed, far-left agenda,” Stefanik, the fourth-ranked House Republican, claimed at a news conference in the Capitol Tuesday morning.

-ABC News’ John Parkinson

Harris campaign says it’s hosting 1,300 watch parties, Walz to deliver remarks in Arizona

Harris’ campaign said it’s hosting more than 1,300 debate watch parties across the country, and running mate Gov. Tim Walz will deliver remarks at one of them in Phoenix Tuesday night.

The watch parties will be in all 50 states, with more than 100 planned on college campuses, according to the campaign. The events will be used for volunteers to make calls to battleground-state voters and share debate content on digital platforms.

More than 300 of the planned watch parties will be group specific, including Republicans for Harris-Walz and Veterans for Harris-Walz events in Arizona, North Carolina and Georgia. There will also be Latino house parties in Arizona and labor-organized events in Pennsylvania, according to the campaign.

-ABC News’ Fritz Farrow, Gabriella Adbul-Hakim and Will McDuffie

Harris tweet: ‘America, see you tonight’

Looking ahead to Tuesday night’s debate, Vice President Kamala Harris tweeted “America, see you tonight.”

Before departing for Philadelphia on Monday, Harris told reporters that she’s feeling “good.” She also gave a thumbs up.

The vice president’s tweet also included a link to a list of debate watch parties the campaign is hosting across the country.

-ABC News’ Fritz Farrow

Harris releases new ad repurposing Obama’s dig at Trump

Vice President Kamala Harris repurposed former President Barack Obama’s suggestive dig at Trump over what Obama called his “weird obsession with crowd sizes” while speaking at the Democratic National Convention last month.

“Here’s a 78-year-old billionaire who has not stopped whining about his problems …” Obama said in the clip used in the ad, just before a clip of Trump at rally plays.

“Ooh, she had a big crowd! Ooh, that crowd,” Trump said in the snippet, mocking news reports about turnout for Harris.

“This weird obsession with crowd sizes… it just goes on, and on, and on,” Obama says as the ad returns to him, followed by shots of small Trump crowds and sounds of crickets chirping.

“America’s ready for a new chapter. We are ready for a President Kamala Harris,” Obama says.

The Harris campaign said the ad, titled “Crowd Size,” will air on Fox News the day of the debate because “Trump is known to watch” the network.

The 30-second ad is set to air nationally on cable news and in local West Palm Beach and Philadelphia markets.

– ABC News’ Fritz Farrow, Gabriella Abdul-Hakim, and Will McDuffie

Anthony Scaramucci among former Trump officials to serve as Harris surrogates in Philadelphia

Anthony Scaramucci and Olivia Troye, former Trump administration officials, will serve as Kamala Harris surrogates in Philadelphia today, the Harris campaign announced.

“Listen, don’t take it from us: Take it from the ones who know Donald Trump the best and who are telling the American people exactly how unfit Trump is to serve as president,” Harris spokesman Michael Tyler said.

Scaramucci served as Trump’s White House communications director. Troye served as the Homeland Security adviser to Vice President Mike Pence, as well as a top aide on the Trump White House coronavirus task force.

According to the campaign, they plan to discuss their support of Harris ahead of tonight’s debate.

They are among numerous former Trump staffers who continue to speak out.

– ABC News’ Will McDuffie, Fritz Farrow, and Gabriella Abdul-Hakim

Debate day arrives in Philadelphia

The stage is set for tonight’s high-stakes showdown in Philadelphia.

The lecterns are placed six feet apart at the National Constitution Center – where Donald Trump and Kamala Harris will meet in person for the first time.

The 9 p.m. ET matchup comes with just eight weeks to go until Election Day amid a tumultuous and unpredictable campaign.

The debate, moderated by David Muir and Linsey Davis, will air on ABC and stream on ABC News Live, Disney+ and Hulu. Viewers can also stream the debate on the ABC app on a smartphone or tablet, on ABC.com and connected devices. A prime-time pre-debate special will start at 8 p.m. ET.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(PHILADELPHIA) — Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump will meet for the first time on Tuesday for the ABC News presidential debate.

It is the only debate the two have scheduled and comes at a critical point as polls show a neck-and-neck race with just eight weeks until Election Day.

The two will face off on key issues starting at 9 p.m. ET. The debate will air on ABC and stream on ABC News Live, Disney+ and Hulu.

Here’s how the news is developing:

Trump campaign spokesperson says he’s not engaged in traditional debate prep

Trump campaign spokesperson Danielle Alvarez said Tuesday morning on ABC News Live that Trump “does not do traditional debate prep” and reiterated that he has been campaigning and engaging in policy discussions instead.

“I would say that the president does not do traditional debate prep. He’s on the campaign trail constantly. We see him in key battleground states every week, joined by tens of thousands of patriots,” she said. “We know that he does tough interviews, both nationally, locally.”

“That’s truly how he prepares for these debates, having those conversations every day. He’s ready to step back into the White House,” she continued. “We also know that he prefers to have those policy discussions, and he’s been doing that with elected members in Congress like Matt Gaetz, with former Congress member Tulsi Gabbard and others — very similar to what he did to prepare for that first debate against Joe Biden. He has prepared in a similar way again, just by getting out there and talking every day to voters and talking to media.”

-ABC News’ Soorin Kim, Lalee Ibssa and Kelsey Walsh

Harris not ‘underestimating’ Trump ahead of debate: Source

Just hours away from the debate, a campaign source is setting expectations that Harris is not “underestimating” Trump’s ability to debate, and that it would be a “mistake” to do so.

The Harris team expects Trump to be “good” at debating, stressing that Trump has done this more than anybody else, while it will be Harris’s first presidential debate.

The Harris campaign is “happy to get under [Trump’s] skin,” and they hope that bringing former Trump officials into the spin room later this evening will accomplish this.

On a campaign call last night, a source said Harris is ready for any version of Trump that shows up — whether it’s the presidential Trump, the more mellow Trump during the Biden debate or a more aggressive version.

-ABC News’ Selina Wang

8 hours until the Harris-Trump ABC debate, here is how to watch tonight

The consequential Harris-Trump face-off will air live tonight at 9 p.m. ET on ABC and stream on ABC News Live, Disney+ and Hulu.

ABC News Live is available on Samsung TV+, The Roku Channel, Amazon Fire TV devices, YouTube, Tubi, the ABC app, and ABC.com.

ABC News Digital and 538 will live blog the latest from the debate stage with coverage, analysis and fact checks.

SiriusXM users can listen to the debate on Channel 370.

The prime-time pre-debate special, “Race for the White House,” will air at 8 p.m. ET and stream on ABC’s platforms.

Read more here.

Biden to watch debate from New York

President Joe Biden will be watching the debate from New York, where he’s going to be for 9/11 memorial events, according to White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.

“The president will definitely be watching,” she said in Monday’s briefing.

Jean-Pierre wouldn’t give details on any conversations about the debate between Harris and Biden or whether he’s given her any takeaways from his own last face-off with Trump, but she said the president was “very proud” of Harris.

“What I can say is, that he’ll be watching, he supports, obviously, the vice president, is very proud of her, and I just don’t have anything else to add,” she said.

– ABC News’ Cheyenne Haslett

5 things to watch in the high-stakes Harris-Trump faceoff

Harris and Trump square off Tuesday at what could be their only presidential debate, setting high stakes for an event expected to be viewed by millions of Americans and a key sliver of undecided voters. Here’s what to look out for.

Can Trump stay focused on policy? Staying on message on his four-year economic record is key, while veering into personal attacks would be counterproductive, allies told ABC News.

Harris has dual goals: make the case for herself as someone who would be a capable president and get under Trump’s skin. How will she introduce herself to undecided voters?

Read the rest of the five things to watch for in the debate here.

Walz fundraising email says ‘Trump is sure to talk about his twisted version of freedom’

Gov. Tim Walz, Harris’ running mate, previewed the vice president’s upcoming debate with Trump in a fundraising email on Tuesday morning — contrasting their campaign’s message on the economy and freedom with Trump’s platforms.

“She’s going to show everyone watching what this movement is all about: supporting families like yours and mine and building a future where everyone has the opportunity not just to get by, but to get ahead,” the email reads. “Donald Trump is sure to talk about his twisted version of freedom,” Walz claimed in the email.

-ABC News’ Isabella Murray

Harris and Trump to have various surrogates in spin room

Harris and Trump will have a handful of surrogates representing them in the spin room following the debate.

Harris will have Govs. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, Gavin Newsom of California, Roy Cooper of North Carolina and Michelle Lujan Grisham of New Mexico representing her in the spin room post debate, a campaign official confirmed to ABC News.

In addition to attending a watch party hosted by the Trump campaign, GOP vice presidential nominee Sen. JD Vance will also participate in the spin room.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Gov. Doug Burgum, tech entreprenuer Vivek Ramaswamy, Sen. Marco Rubio, Rep. Bryon Donalds, and Sen. Rick Scott are also expected to appear on behalf of Trump.

-ABC News’ Fritz Farrow, Gabriella Abdul-Hakim, Will McDuffie, Kelsey Walsh, Lalee Ibssa, and Soo Rin Kim

Debate will show ‘strength and success’ of Trump vs. ‘devastation and weakness’ of Harris: Stefanik

House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik teed up her expectations for tonight’s presidential debate, telling reporters that Harris “cannot hide forever.”

“Tonight at the debate, the country will finally get to see the stark contrast between the strength and success of President Trump’s America-first policies and the devastation and weakness of Kamala Harris’s radical, failed, far-left agenda,” Stefanik, the fourth-ranked House Republican, claimed at a news conference in the Capitol Tuesday morning.

-ABC News’ John Parkinson

Harris campaign says it’s hosting 1,300 watch parties, Walz to deliver remarks in Arizona

Harris’ campaign said it’s hosting more than 1,300 debate watch parties across the country, and running mate Gov. Tim Walz will deliver remarks at one of them in Phoenix Tuesday night.

The watch parties will be in all 50 states, with more than 100 planned on college campuses, according to the campaign. The events will be used for volunteers to make calls to battleground-state voters and share debate content on digital platforms.

More than 300 of the planned watch parties will be group specific, including Republicans for Harris-Walz and Veterans for Harris-Walz events in Arizona, North Carolina and Georgia. There will also be Latino house parties in Arizona and labor-organized events in Pennsylvania, according to the campaign.

-ABC News’ Fritz Farrow, Gabriella Adbul-Hakim and Will McDuffie

Harris tweet: ‘America, see you tonight’

Looking ahead to Tuesday night’s debate, Vice President Kamala Harris tweeted “America, see you tonight.”

Before departing for Philadelphia on Monday, Harris told reporters that she’s feeling “good.” She also gave a thumbs up.

The vice president’s tweet also included a link to a list of debate watch parties the campaign is hosting across the country.

-ABC News’ Fritz Farrow

Harris releases new ad repurposing Obama’s dig at Trump

Vice President Kamala Harris repurposed former President Barack Obama’s suggestive dig at Trump over what Obama called his “weird obsession with crowd sizes” while speaking at the Democratic National Convention last month.

“Here’s a 78-year-old billionaire who has not stopped whining about his problems …” Obama said in the clip used in the ad, just before a clip of Trump at rally plays.

“Ooh, she had a big crowd! Ooh, that crowd,” Trump said in the snippet, mocking news reports about turnout for Harris.

“This weird obsession with crowd sizes… it just goes on, and on, and on,” Obama says as the ad returns to him, followed by shots of small Trump crowds and sounds of crickets chirping.

“America’s ready for a new chapter. We are ready for a President Kamala Harris,” Obama says.

The Harris campaign said the ad, titled “Crowd Size,” will air on Fox News the day of the debate because “Trump is known to watch” the network.

The 30-second ad is set to air nationally on cable news and in local West Palm Beach and Philadelphia markets.

– ABC News’ Fritz Farrow, Gabriella Abdul-Hakim, and Will McDuffie

Anthony Scaramucci among former Trump officials to serve as Harris surrogates in Philadelphia

Anthony Scaramucci and Olivia Troye, former Trump administration officials, will serve as Kamala Harris surrogates in Philadelphia today, the Harris campaign announced.

“Listen, don’t take it from us: Take it from the ones who know Donald Trump the best and who are telling the American people exactly how unfit Trump is to serve as president,” Harris spokesman Michael Tyler said.

Scaramucci served as Trump’s White House communications director. Troye served as the Homeland Security adviser to Vice President Mike Pence, as well as a top aide on the Trump White House coronavirus task force.

According to the campaign, they plan to discuss their support of Harris ahead of tonight’s debate.

They are among numerous former Trump staffers who continue to speak out.

– ABC News’ Will McDuffie, Fritz Farrow, and Gabriella Abdul-Hakim

Debate day arrives in Philadelphia

The stage is set for tonight’s high-stakes showdown in Philadelphia.

The lecterns are placed six feet apart at the National Constitution Center – where Donald Trump and Kamala Harris will meet in person for the first time.

The 9 p.m. ET matchup comes with just eight weeks to go until Election Day amid a tumultuous and unpredictable campaign.

The debate, moderated by David Muir and Linsey Davis, will air on ABC and stream on ABC News Live, Disney+ and Hulu. Viewers can also stream the debate on the ABC app on a smartphone or tablet, on ABC.com and connected devices. A prime-time pre-debate special will start at 8 p.m. ET.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(PHILADELPHIA) — Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump square off Tuesday at what could be their only presidential debate, setting high stakes for an event expected to be viewed by millions of Americans and a key sliver of undecided voters.

Harris’ momentum — after her unusual rise as the Democrats’ nominee shot her into a neck-and-neck race — has now stalled, making the head-to-head matchup an opportunity to get that started again if she can adequately make the argument for her own candidacy and cast Trump as unfit for another term.

Trump, meanwhile, has struggled to find a way to consistently and effectively attack his new opponent but has remained highly competitive, thanks to a large base of immovable supporters and the broad swath of Americans who already have fixed views of him. Tuesday’s debate offers him an opportunity to solidify his support while painting Harris in a negative light to an electorate that has less cemented perceptions of her.

The ABC News debate, moderated by David Muir and Linsey Davis, will take place on Tuesday, Sept. 10 at 9 p.m ET. A prime-time pre-debate special will air at 8 p.m. ET. It will air on ABC and stream on ABC News Live, Disney+ and Hulu. Viewers can also stream the debate on the ABC app on a smartphone or tablet, on ABC.com and connected devices.

Here are five things to watch at Tuesday’s debate:

Can Trump stay focused on policy?

Trump has worked to peg Harris as a “California liberal,” letting voters’ perceptions of the progressive bastion paint a picture of a candidate who served as the state’s attorney general and junior senator. He’s also hammered her on immigration and inflation — two voter concerns on which polls suggest he has an edge.

However, he’s also veered into personal remarks, including falsely questioning Harris’ racial identity (she’s Black and south Asian), touting what he says are his superior good looks and promoting vulgar and false allegations that past romantic relationships of Harris’ helped propel her political career.

Staying on message on his four-year economic record, which saw low inflation before the pandemic and less fervor over unauthorized border crossings, is key, allies told ABC News.

Veering into personal attacks would be counterproductive, they argued, drawing media attention away from what they view as a favorable policy issue set.

“I think he does,” former White House press secretary Sean Spicer said when asked if Trump makes an effective contrast on the trail. “If I had a critique, it would be that he’ll make the case sometimes and then, with all due respect, he will sometimes go beyond the case and give the media something else to focus on.”

“He needs to avoid creating a moment that takes the focus away from her record. So, if it’s about her personality or her appearance as opposed to her record, that will change the focus of what people talk about the next day,” Spicer said.

How does Harris introduce herself to undecided voters?

While Trump comes in with nearly universal name recognition, 28% of likely voters in a recent New York Times/Siena College poll said they feel they “need to learn more about Kamala Harris.” That means that while many voters have heard of Harris, she is less defined than Trump in their eyes and thus has more work to do to introduce herself — lest she be defined by her opposition.

Harris has dual goals in Tuesday’s debate: make the case for herself as someone who would be a capable president and get under Trump’s skin to spark a reaction to suggest he isn’t worthy of another four years in the White House.

“I think there needs to be a long litany of just pummeling Donald Trump while also being extremely clear about what your vision is for the future,” said Bakari Sellers, a prominent Harris ally and Democratic media commentator.

Harris on the trail has sought to do both.

Monday, she fleshed out her policy proposals in a new page on her website, her most expansive explanation yet of her platform. And in early stump speeches, she boasted of her time working as a prosecutor and state attorney general combating gangs and other criminal activity, saying to crowds that she knows “Donald Trump’s type,” in a clear reference to his legal travails.

The way she balances those two dictates could offer clues as to the way she and her campaign best think she can march to victory in November.

Will there be any hot mics?

Harris had a memorable debate performance in 2020, when she faced off against then-Vice President Mike Pence. Pence was muscling in on her answers, allowing her to declare, “I’m speaking,” in one of the more viral instances of the night.

It’s unclear whether she’ll be able to replicate such a moment.

The candidates’ microphones will be muted while their opponent is answering a question, something Harris’ team argued against in the hopes of tempting Trump to aggressively interrupt her and come off as unpresidential.

In an election in which policy is largely taking a backseat to personality, producing such a clash might possibly spark one of the debate’s most notable moments.

How big of a role will President Joe Biden play?

Harris has been walking a tightrope since the start of her campaign between recognizing her role in Biden’s administration and touting its achievements while also casting herself as a candidate in her own right, particularly after the unusual way in which she became her party’s nominee.

A recent New York Times/Siena College poll showed that roughly 61% of likely voters said the next president should represent a major change from Biden. Only 25% of them said Harris represented that change, compared to 53% who said Trump did.

Harris so far has appeared mostly on the campaign trail by herself, and in a joint appearance in Pittsburgh and at Democrats’ convention last month, Biden spoke first before handing the stage off to Harris, underscoring her role in the electoral spotlight.

Trump, meanwhile, has at times focused extensively on Biden, particularly in the days and weeks after the president ended his campaign and handed the reins to Harris.

Such a strategy risks focusing too much on Biden rather than Trump’s own opponent — but, allies said, tying Harris to voter disapproval of the way the current president has handled the economy and inflation could be a boon.

“For him to be viewed as having a successful debate, he has to continue that assault,” said one former campaign aide in touch with Trump’s current team. “She’s the vice president United States seeking the second term of Joe Biden. We can make that case.”

Is there a major moment that moves the electoral needle?

The last debate between Biden and Trump was clearly consequential — it ended the former’s campaign. That doesn’t mean Tuesday’s debate will pack the same punch.

Surely, millions will tune in to the latest salvo in a race packed with unpredictable twists and turns, raising the stakes. But many debates make little more than ripples in presidential races — an outcome that might benefit neither candidate.

As it stands, it’s a neck-and-neck race. Harris would like a moment that revives her momentum, which jolted her into contention but now is stalled; Trump would like a moment to erase some of the gains Harris has made and actually reverse her improved poll numbers.

Now it’s up to the candidates to make it happen.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(HAMPTON BEACH, N.H.) — New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu jumped into action to save a contestant after they began choking at a lobster roll eating contest on Sunday.

In a statement to ABC News, Sununu said he hurried to help the Hampton Beach Lobster Roll Eating Competition participant after he noticed he was choking.

“In the commotion and excitement of the contest, I was the first to notice that the gentleman at the far end of the row of contestants was choking. So, I moved forward and immediately started giving him the Heimlich,” Sununu said.

The contestant, Christian Moreno, had begun tapping on his chest to indicate he couldn’t breathe, according to New Hampshire ABC affiliate WMUR.

Sununu gave Moreno four or five abdominal thrusts before emergency responders jumped in, continuing the Heimlich maneuver until the chunk of lobster was dislodged from his windpipe.

Despite the dangerous medical incident, Moreno didn’t give up on the seafood eating competition.

“After the lobster roll was dislodged Christian went right back to the contest, which I couldn’t believe,” Sununu added. “He ate another seven lobster rolls after that!”

Moreno told WMUR he was not wearing his glasses at the time of the incident, so he did not initially realize it was the governor who had come to his rescue.

“My counter came up to me and, like, made a joke. And was like, ‘Oh, like, I bet nobody else can say that they’ve gotten the Heimlich from the governor before,'” he said. “And I looked at him, was just like, that was, that was the governor?”

Moreno lost the contest, but vowed to try again next year.

“I will be there for my redemption, 100%,” Moreno said.

Sununu said he was grateful to the first responders who treated Moreno.

“Here in New Hampshire we never hesitate to jump in to help,” he added. “I’m just glad I paid attention in my high school health class.”

Sununu, 49, is a rising star in the Republican Party and flirted with running for president in 2024 until blaming a “crowded field” for his decision to hold off. He’s been governor of New Hampshire since 2017.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(WASHINGTON) — Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump will meet for the first time on Tuesday for a presidential debate hosted by ABC News.

The two are facing off at a pivotal time, with just weeks until Election Day and days before some states begin the early voting process.

The ABC News presidential debate will take place on Sept. 10 at 9 p.m. EDT and air on ABC and stream on ABC News Live, Disney+ and Hulu.

Hot-button political issues that are likely to be discussed by Harris and Trump include the economy, immigration, reproductive rights, crime, and more.

Here is a brief look at where each of them stand on key election-year topics as reflected in recent ABC News/Ipsos polling.

Economy, inflation

Trump has been a vocal critic of the Biden-Harris administration’s handling of the economy, saying their policies are to blame for inflation, which reached a 40-year high in 2022 but has since cooled to 2.9% year-over-year as of July.

On policy, he’s pledged to cut costs by restoring “energy independence” through drilling more oil and lowering gas prices. He’s also said he would reduce the national debt, eliminate regulations and implement a variety of tax cuts for domestic corporations as well as tariffs on foreign imports.

Harris has presented a plan for what she’s calling an “opportunity economy” that builds on what the administration’s done on drug pricing and the Child Tax Credit but also goes further on several fronts.

Her proposal includes $25,000 in down-payment support for first-time homeowners, construction of 3 million new housing units, raising the minimum wage and a federal ban on corporate price-gouging on food and groceries. She’s also pitched a $50,000 tax benefit for new small businesses and a lower long-term capital gains tax of 28%.

Immigration

Trump has made immigration and border security a focal point of his campaign, often going further in his anti-immigrant rhetoric than he did in 2016.

He said if elected, he plans to finish the U.S.-Mexico border wall, revive “Remain in Mexico” and asylum restrictions and “carry out the largest domestic deportation operation in American History” of immigrants living in the U.S. without legal permission. Trump has also promised to sign an executive order to end birthright citizenship.

Harris has defended the administration’s handling of the issue, specifically her role in taking on root causes of migration from Central America.

She’s also railed against Republicans for rejecting a bipartisan border bill that would have tightened asylum rules and implemented other immigration restrictions while also increasing resources to improve legal immigration pathways. Harris said if elected, she would continue to push for the legislation and pledged to sign it if it came to her desk. She also wants comprehensive reform that includes an earned pathway to citizenship.

Reproductive rights

Harris became the face of the administration’s fight for reproductive rights and abortion access after the fall of Roe. v. Wade, traveling the country to speak on the issue.

She has called on Congress to pass a law restoring protections to the right to abortion that were guaranteed by Roe. She’s been highly critical of state-level restrictions, questioning why Republican lawmakers don’t “trust women.”

Trump frequently touts his role in nominating three Supreme Court justices who voted to overrule Roe but has changed his stance on some issues as the campaign’s gone on. While he previously voiced support for a nationwide ban, he now says it should be up to states to regulate abortion access.

Recently, he declared that under his administration, the government or company insurance would be mandated to pay for all costs associated with in vitro fertilization or IVF. Though he didn’t specify how exactly the program would work or be funded.

Crime, gun violence

Gun violence is back in the news after two students and two teachers were killed in a shooting at Apalachee High School in Georgia.

Harris called the shooting a “senseless tragedy” and said it “doesn’t have to be this way.” She has called for nationwide red flag laws, universal background checks and an assault weapons ban.

Trump blamed a “sick and deranged monster” for the shooting. He has often argued in the wake of mass shootings that guns were not to blame but rather mental health issues. He’s referred to himself as the “most pro-gun” president in history and has not signaled he would enact any gun control measures if elected.

Overall, Trump has frequently claimed crime rates are rising despite violent crime being down across the country overall compared to last year. Harris, meanwhile, has leaned into her background as a prosecutor, saying she has a record of taking on drug cartels and corporations in the interest of everyday Americans. She also pledged to continue funding law enforcement agencies, touting the Biden administration’s American Rescue Plan for investing $15 billion in public safety.

Foreign policy

Harris has, so far, adopted much of President Biden’s foreign policy stances. She said as president, she would continue to stand with Ukraine and NATO. She’s also pledged to “never hesitate to take whatever action is necessary to protect U.S. forces and interests from Iran and Iran-backed terrorist groups.”

On the Israel-Hamas war, Harris has reiterated support for Israel’s security but also expressed sympathy for the plight of civilians suffering in Gaza. She’s called for a cease-fire with hostages returned and said she is working with Biden to secure such a deal.

Trump has claimed neither the Israel-Hamas war nor the Russia-Ukraine war would have started if he were president. He’s signaled he would cut back U.S. aid to Kyiv and continues to criticize NATO allies who he says are not doing enough. He’s also expressed staunch support for Israel’s right to defense and to go after Hamas, but has also called for a quick end to the war.

Trump’s also sought to make Afghanistan a key topic in recent weeks after the third anniversary of the U.S. withdrawal of troops from the country. He’s slammed the Biden-Harris administration for the chaotic withdrawal, blaming them for the death of 13 U.S. service members who were killed in a suicide bombing at Abbey Gate. Harris defended the decision to end America’s “longest war” and said she would take action to protect Americans against terrorist threats.

Democracy

Trump continues to make false claims about the 2020 election, asserting without evidence it was rigged or stolen. He currently faces state and federal charges stemming from his efforts to overturn his election loss, to which he pleaded not guilty. Last week, he appeared to admit he lost the 2020 election, saying he got more votes in his reelection campaign than in 2016 but still “lost by a whisker.”

In a major escalation of that rhetoric, Trump said that if he wins this race, those who “cheated” would “be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the Law, which will include long term prison sentences.” He suggested his apparent threat of “legal exposure” applies to “Lawyers, Political Operatives, Donors, Illegal Voters, & Corrupt Election Officials.”

Trump’s also sent mixed messages on voting methods this cycle, often doubling down on his calls for Election Day voting only and making groundless claims that mail-in voting is ripe for abuse while also encouraging supporters to cast their ballot whether it’s early voting, mail-in voting or other forms of voting.

Trump’s also accused Democrats of a “coup” after President Biden exited the race and endorsed Harris, who quickly secured enough party support to become the nominee.

Harris has been critical of efforts to cast doubt on the election, claiming Trump tried to “throw away” people’s votes and blaming him for what happened at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

She’s said as president, she would advocate for the John Lewis Voting Rights Act and the Freedom to Vote Act to bolster voting rights and vowed to “hold sacred America’s fundamental principles, from the rule of law, to free and fair elections, to the peaceful transfer of power.”

ABC News’ Gabriella Abdul-Hakim, Hannah Demissie, Fritz Farrow, Lalee Ibssa, Soo Rin Kim, Will McDuffie and Kelsey Walsh contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) — Much of the work of election campaigning goes on beneath the radar, where campaigns fight furiously to identify and register potential supporters and ensure their participation. Identifying likely voters, as such, is a moving target — but with absentee voting now beginning, an initial look reveals some intriguing patterns.

As previously reported, Kamala Harris leads Donald Trump by a slight 4 percentage points, 50-46%, among all adults and registered voters alike, and by 6 points, 52-46%, among likely voters in the latest ABC News/Ipsos poll. While those numbers are virtually identical, closer assessment shows movement to Harris in some groups when comparing all adults with likely voters — notably, those younger than 40, younger women in particular and Black people.

This analysis, produced for ABC News by Langer Research Associates, finds that support for Harris goes from 54% of all adults younger than 40 to 64% of those identified as likely voters. Trump’s support, meanwhile, drops from 42% of adults in this age group to 33% of those likely to vote.

That shift is driven largely by women: Harris’ support increases from 60% of all women younger than 40 to 73% of those in this age group who are likely to vote. Trump sees a corresponding drop in support, from 35% among all women younger than 40 to 24% of those likely to vote.

Harris has 82% support among all Black people, rising to 93% among those who are likely voters. Trump, for his part, goes from 15% support among all Black people to 7% among those who are likely to vote. Harris also gains among liberals.

Countervailing movement in Trump’s direction doesn’t reach the level of statistical significance in any group. He has, for example, 52% support among all 50- to 64-year-olds (his best age group) and 56% among likely voters in this group. He goes from 85% to 88% among conservatives and from 52% to 54% among people who don’t have a four-year college degree.

But it’s not all about who receives more support in likely voter groups; it’s also about the size of those groups. Harris, for example, leads Trump by 23 points, 60-37%, among likely voters with four-year degrees — and, as such, benefits from the fact that this group makes up 45% of likely voters, vs. 35% of the general population.

Trump pushes back with his 10 point likely voter advantage among white people: they account for 61% of all adults but 71% of likely voters. He’s also aided by a lower prevalence of adults younger than 40; they make up 36% of all adults vs. 25% of those identified as likely to vote.

All told, it’s the combination of group sizes and preferences among groups that add up to keep the race a close one. Likely voters are defined here, in part, by people saying they are certain to vote. Motivating them actually to do so is what both campaigns are all about — starting now.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(WASHINGTON) — Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump will need to navigate the pitfall-filled debate of their political lives on Tuesday as each tries to persuade millions of voters and viewers that they’re the one best suited to be president.

Harris, whose wave of momentum has brought Democrats back to a neck-and-neck presidential race, will have to prosecute the case against Trump while also laying out how her agenda could help the country — particularly beleaguered middle- and working-class Americans.

Trump, meanwhile, has the task of casting his record on the economy and immigration as superior to Harris’ while avoiding distracting personal attacks on Harris.

The ABC News presidential debate will take place on Sept. 10 at 9 p.m. ET and air on ABC and stream on ABC News Live, Disney+ and Hulu.

The showdown in Philadelphia is taking place months after the last debate ended President Joe Biden’s reelection bid, sending Harris rushing to stand up an eleventh-hour campaign and Trump scrambling to figure out how to negatively define a new opponent voters are less familiar with.

“I think there’s an outsized expectation of ‘gosh, the last guy dropped out, let’s watch it.’ So, I think that there’s a lot more at stake than normally I would ever say is at stake,” said Sean Spicer, Trump’s first White House press secretary.

“I’m not a huge believer that debates move the needle that much,” he added, “but I do think that because of the nontraditional nature of what’s happening right now, there’s going to be an outsized degree of attention.”

Democrats who spoke to ABC News said that Harris has two main goals: affirm to voters that she is ready to lead the country and the free world and to describe in more detail what policies she’d pursue as president.

Some Democratic sources said that voters could be concerned by Harris’ rapid ascension as the Democrats’ nominee and — unjustly, they said — her gender when thinking of the kind of president they’d feel comfortable with.

A strong debate performance could allay worries and cement the momentum she’s enjoyed to date.

“I think she has to answer the overarching question, which is, can she lead the country, and what type of president will President Harris be? People just want to be comfortable in that decision,” said Bakari Sellers, a prominent Harris ally. “I don’t want her to be timid at all. Just be yourself, be comfortable, answer questions and turn around and hammer him.”

Trump has sought to cast Harris as “dangerous” by painting her as a “California liberal” who was soft on crime and generally out of step, referencing her time as state attorney general and senator and relying on voters’ perceptions of the progressive bastion to fill in the blanks.

That’s something Harris could use the debate stage to push back on, possibly repeating parts of her stump speech in which she details her efforts as California attorney general combating transnational gangs operating across the southern border.

One source familiar with the Harris campaign’s thinking said the vice president should “clearly [stake] out where she stands on issues like the border and crime and [talk] about her record on those issues as a prosecutor and attorney general to demonstrate that the portrayals are misrepresenting her actual views on those issues.”

That defense will likely be complemented by an effort to highlight Harris’ economic policies, which she’s recently begun to roll out, to also address voter worries about inflation.

Harris has introduced plans to make it easier to buy a house and start a small business, while, in a nod to the business community, saying she’d also increase the capital gains tax by less than Biden has proposed.

“It’s an important opportunity for her to continue to lay out her economic vision, to demonstrate both through talking about her experience and her vision, that she will be a strong leader, as she has said, for all Americans,” one source close to Harris’ team said.

However, Harris is facing off against maybe the most unpredictable non-traditional figures in modern politics, and Trump is likely to throw in curveballs that could take the vice president off her talking points.

Trump has already launched a fusillade of personal attacks, including questioning Harris’ race and intelligence and highlighting vulgar suggestions about sexual acts.

So far, Harris has barely responded, casting the barbs as the “same old, tired playbook.”

Now, some allies would like to see her fight back.

“I think there is a mechanism whereby you stand up to bullies and you call it out for what it is and simply say that, ‘while the former president is using racism as political currency, I represent a new future, one where we don’t divide people and use such degrading terms to anyone,’ Sellers said. “I would look him dead in the eye and say, ‘former President Trump, we are better than you right now.'”

Others weren’t so sure.

“I would ignore what are likely to be rude, disrespectful behaviors from Trump, and stay focused on the substance, because by doing so, it will further highlight for people just how disgusting his behavior can be,” said the source close to Harris’ team.

Republicans, for their part, hope to avoid that scenario altogether.

GOP operatives who spoke to ABC News said Trump should focus on policy contrasts, boasting that he has the edge on issues like inflation and immigration and can try to pin her down on her policy reversals on things like fracking – while he himself searches for consistent stances on issues like abortion.

“He’s not going to have many other windows where Kamala Harris is going to be asked tough questions and tough follow up questions, and so he needs to keep his responses and very focused on her issue positions that have come out of her mouth and make her reconcile what she’s saying now with what she said in 2020,” said GOP strategist Brad Todd.

“When she says, ‘I’m not for banning fracking,’ then he needs to say, “so, you wrong before? What caused you to believe that your previous position was wrong? Or are you just worried about Pennsylvania?'” Todd said, referencing the swing state’s economic reliance on the practice.

Trump has at times knocked leaned into that message, knocking her promises for “day one” by noting she’s already been in office for almost four years serving a president facing severe disapproval ratings when he dropped out of the race.

It’s unclear precisely how effective that tie could be — an ABC News/Washington Post poll last month showed that only 11% of voters said Harris had a great deal of influence over economic policy, and just 15% said the same of immigration policy. But Republicans urged Trump to hammer the connection.

“For him to be viewed as having a successful debate, he has to continue that assault,” said one former campaign aide in touch with Trump’s current team. “She’s the vice president United States seeking the second term of Joe Biden. We can make that case.”

Still, Trump has a proven penchant for veering off into unrelated attacks, whether it be against opponents or moderators — a strategy that has helped him on the stump but one that could backfire on Tuesday.

“If he takes the bait and makes some kind of one-off comment about her and calls her names, I think that’s going to be the story the next day,” Spicer said.

“He’s a field player and he’s an improviser, and that’s what’s made him effective as a communicator,” Todd added. “But this is a time for discipline.”

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(DALLAS) — Former President George W. Bush doesn’t plan to make an endorsement or voice how he or his wife Laura will vote in November, his office told ABC News Saturday.

The announcement came a day after Bush’s vice president, Dick Cheney, announced he would cross party lines and vote for Vice President Kamala Harris.

Cheney said former President Donald Trump “can never be trusted with power again.”

“In our nation’s 248-year history, there has never been an individual who is a greater threat to our republic than Donald Trump. He tried to steal the last election using lies and violence to keep himself in power after the voters had rejected him,” he said in a statement.

Cheney’s daughter, former Wyoming member of the House Liz Cheney, also announced this week that she would be voting for Harris.

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(WASHINGTON) — Former Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., a once-rising star in the GOP who fell out with her party over her criticism of Donald Trump, slammed the former president as an “unrecoverable catastrophe” in her call for other Republicans to vote against him this year.

“We see it on a daily basis, somebody who was willing to use violence in order to attempt to seize power, to stay in power, someone who represents unrecoverable catastrophe, frankly, in my view, and we have to do everything possible to ensure that he’s not reelected,” Cheney told “This Week” co-anchor Jonathan Karl.

“You have many Republicans out there who are saying, ‘Well, you know, we’re not going to vote for him, but we will write someone else in.’ And I think that this time around, that’s not enough, that it’s important to actually cast a vote for Vice President Harris,” Cheney added.

Cheney made her endorsement of Harris official this week, also announcing her father, former Vice President and liberal antagonist Dick Cheney, would follow suit.

The announcements from the Cheneys marked the highest profile endorsements from Republicans for Harris yet as the vice president looks to peel off disgruntled GOP voters frustrated with Trump’s hardline and personal brand of politics.

For his part, Trump appeared unconcerned with the endorsements, calling the former vice president “an irrelevant RINO, along with his daughter,” on his Truth Social platform. “RINO” stands for “Republican in name only.”

Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung responded in kind when asked about the endorsements, replying, “who the f— is Liz Cheney?”

Liz Cheney cited both Harris’ policy stances this year — some of which have moved to the center since her first run in 2019 — and a speech Harris gave at the Democratic convention this summer which leaned heavily on themes of patriotism.

“I have never viewed this as a policy election, but I think that it’s very important point. If you look at Vice President Harris’s speech, for example, at the Democratic Convention, it is a speech that Ronald Reagan could have given. It’s a speech that George Bush could have given. It’s very much an embrace and an understanding of the exceptional nature of this great nation,” she said.

“I think that she has changed in a number of very important ways on issues that matter. And I would encourage independents to look at where she is on these policy issues today. I would encourage independents to compare where she is today with where Donald Trump is on these issues,” she added. “And on top of all of that, the Republicans have nominated somebody who you know is depraved.”

Cheney seemed to recognize the stark departure from carrying on a career as a conservative warrior in the House to now endorsing a Democrat for president, suggesting that the GOP has shifted its values while she has remained consistent.

When pressed by Karl if she’s still a Republican, Cheney responded, “I’m a conservative.”

“I am certainly not a Trump Republican. I am a conservative. I think that what’s happened to the Republican party today is indefensible, and I hope to be able to rebuild, as I said, after this cycle,” Cheney said.

“But I also think it’s really important for us as we’re thinking about rebuilding, as we’re thinking about the future the country, to recognize that at the end of the day, the vast majority of people in this country want to know fundamentally that their elected officials are going to defend the peaceful transfer of power,” she said. “And as someone who’s been a lifelong Republican, it’s heartbreaking to me to see what has happened to so many of the elected officials in my party, and I know we can do better.”

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(WASHINGTON) — Forty-two years ago, Lita Rosario-Richardson was the only woman on Howard University’s debate team. She made sure that changed — successfully recruiting Kamala Harris.

“I noticed Kamala’s analytical skills and critical thinking skills and that she had a very cogent way of making arguments,” said Rosario-Richarson.

Rosario-Richardson and Harris’ former debate opponents are some of the people who know her debating style best. Many of them are now expressing for the first time how Harris’ earlier debates could impact her upcoming one on Sept. 10 against former President Donald Trump.

The ABC News presidential debate will take place on Sept. 10 at 9 p.m. ET and air on ABC and stream on ABC News Live, Disney+ and Hulu.

Seizing a moment

When then-San Francisco District Attorney Kamala Harris took the stage against Los Angeles District Attorney Steve Cooley in the general race for California attorney general in 2010, Harris was trailing in the polls.

A reporter asked Cooley about accepting both his pension as a former LA district attorney and an attorney general salary, which would bring him over $400,000 from taxpayers.

“I definitely earned whatever pension rights I have and I will certainly rely upon that to supplement the very low – incredibly low salary that’s paid to the attorney general,” Cooley responded.

Harris’ campaign turned Cooley’s answer into a campaign ad.

Her former aides tell ABC News that Harris had hoped to focus the race on her accomplishments and vision, but she signed off on the ad regardless.

In an interview with ABC News, Cooley said “I think she had very good consultants who constructed an ad,” but added he thought Harris “was not smart.”

On election night, Cooley was narrowly ahead and initially claimed victory, but Harris emerged as the winner when the votes were fully counted weeks later.

Cooley said he had not watched the debate since it happened, but he predicted that in the upcoming debate against Trump “a lot is going to depend upon the rules of the debate, and if she is there for an hour and a half on generally important issues and the questions are fair, she will not be well in a debate setting. She needs her teleprompter. She needs her notes that are probably written by someone else in order to do well.”

Cooley and Harris’ former aides both said neither had a teleprompter during the AG debate and both had notes on stage.

Former California Assembly Majority Leader Alberto Torrico, who lost to Harris in the primary for the AG race, said it would be a mistake for Trump to assume Harris is “dumb” going into the debate. “She’s not dumb, and she’s going to prosecute him. She’s not going to debate him … She’s going to treat him like one of the defendants that she prosecuted when she was a rank and file DA in Oakland.”

A perceived Achilles’ heel

Just a few months before the 2010 general election debate, Torrico, former Facebook executive Chris Kelly, Congressman Ted Lieu, former LA City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo and former state assembly member Pedro Nava were among Harris’ opponents in the AG primary race.

Congressman Lieu remembered, “She came from a law enforcement background, and that really came out. She didn’t take any crap. I wouldn’t want to debate her.”

Nava was one of the five men who faced Harris in the primary debate held by Los Angeles ABC station KABC. He described her as unfazed, saying, “There’s nothing more scary than a woman who doesn’t fear men.”

Delgadillo, who was next to Harris at the debate, said what stood out to him most was a call she made to him after the race. “She was extraordinarily magnanimous and gracious after defeating all of us,” he said.

Torrico said he knew Harris was the frontrunner going into the race.

He said, “The question that I always had in my mind was, can we trap her? Can we get her to say something? Can we get her to lose her cool?”

Torrico said in one forum they were seeking the Service Employees International Union’s endorsement. Torrico said he reminded the members in attendance that he had represented many of them, and knowing many spoke Spanish, answered part of a question in Spanish. “They went crazy … and I just looked at her and I thought, ‘Okay, bring it now.'”

He said Harris deflected the original question. “She just went after corporate America and the rich,” he said. “She just totally diffused all of the enthusiasm.”

“I was just sitting there fuming and saying, ‘She’s not answering the question at all. I just answered the question. I hit a home run … and everyone’s clapping for you.'”

Torrico said, “I always thought it was an Achilles’ heel for her … she’s very good at saying a lot of things without answering the actual question.”

He said once at a forum, when he didn’t know she was in attendance, he initially felt he had a great response on stage to a question about criminal justice. “I said something like, whoever the next attorney general is, he would have to do such and such.” Torrico said Harris “just popped out of nowhere, threw her finger in the air and declared, ‘or she will have to!'”

“I was like, ‘Oh God, what are you doing here? Where’d you come from?'” said Torrico.

“The room loved it,” he said.

Torrico said he grew reflective at the DNC. “I’m among the many people she vanquished on the path to where she is now,” he said.

Changing a moment

During her first public office debate for San Francisco district attorney, Harris had been in single digits in the polls, but her former campaign manager says that would change during one of the forums.

Someone in the audience asked Harris how she’d lead independently of the current mayor of San Francisco, Willie Brown. Harris had dated Brown about a decade before when he was the Speaker of California’s State Assembly. Harris responded by walking over to her opponents, Bill Fazio and the current DA, Terrance Hallinan, and mentioned the scandals that had been highlighting about each other.

Then she said, “I want to make a commitment to you that my campaign is not going to be about negative attacks.”

Former Harris aides say moments like that helped her beat Fazio, and got her to the runoff.

Fazio said he doesn’t recall that specific moment, but told ABC News that he had more experience as a trial attorney than Harris. But “she certainly was a much more accomplished and natural politician than I ever was. It’s probably the reason I lost.”

“She didn’t back down”

As the only woman at the time on Howard’s debate team, Rosaro-Richardson noticed how Harris challenged men.

“Oftentimes men use their physical prowess and the strength of their voices to win an argument. But I noticed that she didn’t allow that to deter her,” she said.

She remembers one specific moment when Harris was debating a man during her time on the Howard team.

“She was in cross examination, and [the opponent] hit her hand … I don’t know if it was intentional,” she said.

She said Harris stated out loud, “He hit my hand.” But Harris, according to Rosario-Richardson, did a “good job of it at the time … it didn’t throw her off. She was able to gather herself back after a few seconds and get back to the point.”

Rosario-Richardson said she will be watching Tuesday’s debate with other Howard alums and believes Donald Trump will be her most unpredictable opponent yet.

“I would say this is a unique situation because of the unpredictability of how Donald Trump will approach this debate and whether or not she can focus on substantive issues or focus on personal attacks,” Rosario-Richardson said.

She added that regardless of having known Harris’ debate style for over four decades, she has little idea of what to expect like everyone else. “I’m going to be excited. I’m going to feel some of the anticipation,” she said.

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