Harris and Trump Face Off in High-Stakes Presidential Debate

Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump will square off in their first and potentially only debate on Tuesday, with the presidency up for grabs.

In what promises to be a pivotal moment in the 2024 presidential election, Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump will face off Tuesday in their first and potentially only debate. With eight weeks to go until Election Day and early voting underway, the stakes are sky-high.

Harris enters the debate with momentum on her side, having taken over as the Democrats' standard-bearer after President Biden ended his campaign in late June. However, Trump's campaign counters that Americans' honeymoon with the vice president is subsiding.

Harris and Trump Face Off in High-Stakes Presidential Debate

Trump has repeatedly insulted Harris, mockingly nicknaming her "Comrade Harris" and questioning her racial identity. He has also accused ABC News, the host of the debate, of being biased against him.

Harris, meanwhile, has spent the past four days preparing for the showdown in an intensive "debate camp" in Pittsburgh. She arrived in Philadelphia on Monday evening, 24 hours ahead of the event.

Harris and Trump Face Off in High-Stakes Presidential Debate

Trump has spent much of the past weekend at his golf club in New Jersey, taking part in less formal 'policy sessions' with aides and allies. He also traveled to swing state Wisconsin on Saturday for a campaign rally.

Fox News has learned that Trump will be spending Tuesday huddling with advisers at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida before flying to Philadelphia just a couple of hours before the start of the debate.

Harris and Trump Face Off in High-Stakes Presidential Debate

Trump campaign senior adviser Jason Miller said the former president is "prepared for every style" because he has been doing unscripted press conferences and interviews on the campaign trail.

Harris aims to avoid major gaffes, appeal to undecided voters, and neutralize Trump's accusations that she is too liberal. Trump, on the other hand, wants to tie Harris to Biden's unpopularity, avoid further insulting her, and effectively contrast their visions for the country.

Harris and Trump Face Off in High-Stakes Presidential Debate

Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas, a Trump ally, said the debate will give Americans a chance to see "two candidates who have a fundamentally different view of what this country should look like."

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, another Trump ally, advised the former president to "let Harris talk," arguing that she will reveal her own weaknesses.

Harris and Trump Face Off in High-Stakes Presidential Debate

Republican consultant and Fox News contributor Ari Fleischer said Trump needs to "hit her on policy. Just like you did to Biden in the first debate. That was a disciplined, tough, policy-oriented Donald Trump."

However, a big question is whether Trump will follow the advice he is getting and stay disciplined throughout the showdown.

Harris and Trump Face Off in High-Stakes Presidential Debate

Both candidates have agreed to the same rules that governed the Biden-Trump debate, including muted microphones during an opponent's responses and no studio audience.

Post-debate, Harris will immediately resume her campaign trail, with stops in crucial battlegrounds like North Carolina. Trump will also return to the campaign, with a stop in swing state Arizona.

Harris and Trump Face Off in High-Stakes Presidential Debate

According to longtime Democratic strategist Maria Cardona, the debate is "an important moment in the campaign, but it is one moment" and the race will remain close afterward.