The first presidential debate of 2024 shook up the race for the White House, leading to the end of President Joe Biden’s reelection bid and possibly changing the country’s future.
With so much at stake in the upcoming debate next month—the first time former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris will face each other—their teams are already busy preparing. Harris began her formal debate training this week at her alma mater, Howard University, working with an experienced stand-in for Trump. Meanwhile, Trump has enlisted Tulsi Gabbard, a former Democratic presidential candidate and one of Harris’s past rivals, to help him prepare.
After some negotiation, Trump and Harris agreed to the September 10 debate, which was originally arranged by the Trump and Biden campaigns. The debate will be hosted by ABC and held at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia.
The political landscape in the U.S. has shifted dramatically since the first debate between Trump and Biden on June 27. Biden’s poor performance in that debate shook the confidence of his party and donors, leading to intense pressure for him to drop out, which he did on July 21. Biden endorsed Harris, revitalizing the Democratic Party and boosting enthusiasm among its members.
Polls in swing states and nationwide show the race tightening as Harris gains support within her party and attracts voters who were previously uninterested in another Biden-Trump match-up. Trump has struggled with the reality of his success in forcing Biden out of the race, saying he might have been too harsh in the debate.
Harris’s debate preparation is ramping up, especially after the Democratic National Convention next week in Chicago. She is working with experienced advisers, including Karen Dunn, who helped her in 2020, along with former aides Rohini Kosoglu and Sean Clegg.
Trump is sticking to the strategy he used before his June debate with Biden, holding informal policy sessions with close aides and allies while balancing campaign events and golf. Gabbard’s involvement, confirmed by Trump’s campaign, is noteworthy because of her past exchanges with Harris during their 2020 presidential race.
