Donald Trump and Kamala Harris will finally square up in their first televised debate of the 2024 election cycle on Tuesday evening in what promises to be a defining moment in the race for the White House.
The Republican presidential nominee will seek to associate his Democratic rival with the perceived policy failings of Joe Biden’s administration, hoping to blame her for illegal immigration at America’s southern border and for the high cost of living as the economy continues its recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic.
For her part, Vice President Harris, a veteran prosecutor and former California attorney general, will hope to draw attention to Trump’s disastrous record in office, culpability for inspiring the Capitol riot of January 6 2021 and long history of lawlessness, dishonesty and dysfunction.
After much back and forth, the two candidates have agreed to the same set of rules for tonight’s encounter on ABC News that Trump and President Biden used during the first debate back on June 27, which ultimately spelled the end for the commander-in-chief’s pursuit of a second term.
That means muted microphones, no pre-written notes, no live audience, no sitting and no speaking with campaign staff during commercial breaks.
Key Points
-
Donald Trump and Kamala Harris gear up for crucial presidential debate
-
Who are the moderators for ABC News’s debate?
-
What time is the debate?
-
How to watch the debate live
-
What are the rules for the Trump-Harris debate?
-
Presidential debate schedule: Will there be a second matchup between Harris and Trump?
Watch: Trump arrives in Philadelphia ahead of debate against Harris
01:21 , Mike Bedigan
The Independent’s take: What Harris needs to do
01:10 , Mike Bedigan
The Independent’s DC Bureau chief Eric Garcia writes:
“Kamala Harris’s ascent to the top of the ticket undoubtedly caused a vibe shift on the Democratic side. Now that Democrats no longer have to defend Biden or convince themselves that he can beat Trump, supporters pretty candidly say she’s caused a pep in their step. Multiple attendees at a rally with Doug Emhoff and Gwen Walz told me as much on Monday.
“Of course, despite this vibe shift, Harris has to deal with one big problem: She’s still Joe Biden’s number two. That means she owns much of the unpopular parts of his agenda. A New York Times/Siena College poll from earlier this week showed how this could pose a problem for her. They survey showed that 61 percent of likely voters said that the next president should represent a major change from Biden.
“But only 25 percent of likely voters believe Harris represents that change. By contrast, 53 percent of likely voters think that Trump represents a major change from Biden.
“Harris will need to successfully create some distance between herself and her boss during tonight’s debate.
“On top of that, Harris needs to make a break from style from both Biden and Trump. Where Trump has been erratic and frenetic and Biden was seen as slow, tired, dottering and almost fading in the background, Harris showing a no-nonsense approach and sharp responses can draw a stark contrast from the past.”
ACLU questionnaire from 2019 highlights Harris’s past support for progressive causes
01:00 , Gustaf Kilander
A 2019 questionnaire filled out by then-Senator Kamala Harris illuminates her previous support for more progressive causes, contrasting her more moderate approach as she now seeks to appeal to a broad swath of Americans in the final days of the 2024 presidential election.
Harris’s answers on the form by the American Civil Liberties Union indicate that she once backed funding cuts to Immigration and Customs Enforcement and supported taxes being used to fund gender transition surgeries for federal prisoners and detained immigrants. The now-vice president also backed federally decriminalizing drug possession for personal use, and she pledged to “end” immigration detention.
When she filled out the form, Harris was running for president in the 2020 primary, but she ended up dropping out before voting began.
ACLU questionnaire from 2019 highlights Harris’s past support for progressive causes
Cuomo testifies before House committee that accused him of COVID-19 cover up
Wednesday 11 September 2024 00:30 , Michael Hill
Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo began testifying publicly Tuesday before a congressional subcommittee critical of his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic as it began to spread through the state’s nursing homes in 2020.
Members of the Republican-led House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic released a report ahead of Cuomo’s testimony that accused the Democrat of staging a “cover up” to hide mistakes that endangered nursing home residents.
“The Cuomo Administration is responsible for recklessly exposing New York’s most vulnerable population to COVID-19,” U.S. Rep. Brad Wenstrup, the Ohio Republican who chairs the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic, said in a statement Monday.
Cuomo testifies before House committee that accused him of COVID-19 cover up
Secret Service official overseeing protections is set to retire just months after Trump’s assassination attempt
Wednesday 11 September 2024 00:15 , Mike Bedigan
A high-ranking Secret Service official with more than 26 years of federal law experience will retire from the agency, months after the assassination attempt on Donald Trump’s life.
Michael Plati, the Assistant Director of the Office of Protective Operations, is a member of the Senior Executive Service.
Read more from Ariana Baio here:
Top Secret Service official set to retire months after Trump’s assassination attempt
Height difference to be on display as Harris to use shorter podium during debate
Wednesday 11 September 2024 00:00 , Gustaf Kilander
On the debate stage tonight, one of the largest height differences in the history of presidential nominees will be on display between Trump, who claims to be 6 foot 3, and Harris, who says she’s 5 foot 4.
Harris is set to have a shorter podium than Trump, which will allow her to look closer to the same height in a split screen with Trump. But when they’re both in view in the same shot, the difference will be clear, and the Harris campaign is wary of her appearing small.
“This is normal and both campaigns were given visibility about the different podium sizes,” a source told Axios.
A Trump campaign official told the outlet that Harris’s podium “looks like the kids’ table at Thanksgiving.”
Earlier this year, Harris told Katie Couric: “With heels, which I always wear, I’m 5 foot 7 and a half, thank you very much.”
Just in: Trump arrives in Philadelphia
Tuesday 10 September 2024 23:46 , Alex Woodward
Donald Trump’s Boeing 757, nicknamed Trump Force One, has landed in Philadelphia, where Trump will debate Kamala Harris at the National Constitution Center at 9 p.m. ET.
Watch live as Trump arrives in Philadelphia ahead of presidential debate against rival Harris
Tuesday 10 September 2024 23:45 , Mike Bedigan
Watch as Trump arrives in Philadelphia ahead of debate against rival Harris
How Trump set the Biden administration up for an economic disaster with a bargain made in 2020
Tuesday 10 September 2024 23:30 , John Bowden
As Donald Trump patches up the ever-growing hole in his finances resulting from his ongoing legal escapades with fossil fuel money, it looks as if a late-game gamble the former president made during his last year in office may be finally paying off.
That gamble may have also set up Joe Biden to deal with the effects of higher gas prices just as he was taking office a year later.
When Trump ran for re-election in 2020, he did so with a palpable sense of desperation. Early on, it was clear that the Republican president was worried about his opponent, Joe Biden. That impression was only made clearer after it came out that Trump had sought to pressure the president of Ukraine to open a criminal investigation into Biden with the intention of damaging his rival politically.
How Trump set Biden up for an economic disaster
Biden to attend granddaughter’s birthday in NY before watching debate
Tuesday 10 September 2024 23:15 , Mike Bedigan
President Biden says he plans to make an appearance at his granddaughter’s birthday party in New York before watching the showdown between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump.
Before boarding Marine One on Tuesday, he told reporters: “I’m going up to my granddaughter’s birthday in New York, then we’re going to watch the debate and tomorrow I’m doing 9/11 [related engagements].”
He added: “I’ve spoken to the vice president. She seems calm, cool and collected. I think she’s going to do great. And I’m not going to tell you what advice I gave her.”
Independent voters could decide the election — and they lean very differently in each state
Tuesday 10 September 2024 23:00 , Alicja Hagopian
Kamala Harris and Donald Trump hit the stage tonight for the presidential debate, they will need to appeal to two main groups who may still be swayed: the undecideds, and the independents.
By nature, independent voters can be hard to pin down. The term encompasses demographic groups from all walks of life, who don’t have a strong allegiance to either the Republicans or the Democrats.
For this reason, a nationwide picture of how independents will vote can be difficult to predict — but statewide data can be more telling, as independent voters are shaped by similar local factors, dialogues, and policy issues.
Independent voters lean differently in each swing state, according to latest data
Presidential debate schedule: Will there be a second matchup between Harris and Trump?
Tuesday 10 September 2024 22:58 , Mike Bedigan
As former Donald Trump and Kamala Harris prepare to square up directly for first time during the 2024 campaign cycle, it’s unclear if there will be a second debate between the two candidates ahead of election day on November 5.
Trump previously suggested he might back out of Tuesday’s debate, describing hosts ABC as “fake news network,” and mentioned that one could possibly take place on September 25 on NBC.
No further details about a second debate have been confirmed.
Vice presidential nominees Tim Walz and JD Vance have agreed to debate each other on October 1. The debate will be hosted by CBS News and held in New York City.
Twenty educators at Barron Trump’s new school signed an open letter calling dad a ‘threat’ to the republic
Tuesday 10 September 2024 22:30 , James Liddell
New York University freshman Barron Trump may have to face several professors who signed an open letter ahead of the 2020 presidential election, warning that his father poses a “threat” to the U.S.
After leaving Trump Tower accompanied by a Secret Service convoy, Barron rang in his first day of college on Wednesday with a visit to the dean’s office before attending his first class at Stern School of Business, a source told the New York Post.
JP Eggers, who became Stern’s interim dean on July 1, was among 20 educators at NYU Stern who signed the October 2020 open letter to “sound the alarm” about the perils of a Donald Trump presidency to business leaders. The letter ultimately garnered more than 1,000 signatures from staff at top business schools across the US.
Educators at Barron’s new school signed letter calling Trump a ‘threat’
Oprah sends viral ‘childless cat lady’ flowers and a basket of cat toys: ‘Thank you for rising to this moment’
Tuesday 10 September 2024 22:00 , Kelly Rissman
Teresa Woorman, the member of the Maryland House of Delegates who went viral after the DNC cut to her while Oprah Winfrey was discussing “childless cat ladies,” received a flower arrangement and a basket of cat toys from Oprah herself.
Woorman made headlines after cameras at the Democratic National Convention last month inexplicably cut to her in the middle of Oprah’s speech — specifically after the media personality said the phrase “childless cat lady.”
“When a house is on fire, we don’t ask about the homeowner’s race or religion, we don’t wonder who their partner is or how they voted. No. We just try to do the best we can to save them,” Winfrey said during her DNC speech. “And if the place happens to belong to a childless cat lady, well, we try to get that cat out, too.” The camera switched from Oprah to Woorman after she mentioned the now-infamous phrase.
Oprah sends viral ‘childless cat lady’ flowers and basket of cat toys
Missouri Supreme Court keeping abortion rights amendment on November ballots
Tuesday 10 September 2024 21:31 , Alex Woodward
Missouri’s Supreme Court is keeping an abortion rights amendment on November ballots, after challenges from the secretary of state and right-wing legal groups.
“This case was about whether Missourians’ right to engage in direct democracy would be protected or if it was just a right in name only, vulnerable to the whims of politicians,” the Missouri ACLU said in a statement. “The Missouri Supreme Court sent a clear message that the will of the people is stronger than politicians’ attacks. Today’s ruling ensures that Amendment 3, the Right to Reproductive Freedom Initiative, will appear on the November ballot, giving voters—not politicians—the power to decide on this critical issue.”
Melania suggests conspiracy behind Trump’s assassination attempt as she calls for the ‘truth’
Tuesday 10 September 2024 21:30 , Gustaf Kilander
Melania Trump insisted there must be more to the story of her husband’s assassination attempt as she demanded the “truth” in a new social media video promoting her memoir.
“The attempt to end my husband’s life was a horrible, distressing experience,” she said in a video shared on X on Tuesday morning. “Now the silence around it feels heavy. I can’t help but wonder why didn’t law enforcement officials arrest the shooter before the speech. There is definitely more to this story, and we need to uncover the truth.”
Former President Donald Trump was grazed by a bullet that struck him in the ear during an outdoor rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13. One attendee was shot and killed, and two others were wounded. Trump was immediately covered by Secret Service agents who moved him to his secure vehicle, but not before the former president got to the front of the stage, stuck his fist up in the air, and urged his supporters to “fight,” which has since become a rallying cry for the MAGA faithful.
Melania suggests conspiracy behind Trump’s assassination attempt
Trump’s ear looks like it couldn’t have ‘gone through less’ after rally shooting, reporter says
Tuesday 10 September 2024 21:00 , Gustaf Kilander
Donald Trump’s ear appears to have come out relatively unscathed from the July 13 attempt on his life during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, according to a reporter who recently sat down with the former president for an interview.
New York magazine writer Olivia Nuzzi visited Trump at Mar-a-Lago in August, just weeks after the assassination attempt.
The journalist wrote that during their interview, Trump “raised his right hand and grabbed hold of [his ear]. He bent it backward and forward.”
“They didn’t need a stitch,” Trump said at the time.
“Usually, something like that would be considered a surreal experience, where you sort of don’t realize it, and yet there was no surrealism in this case,” he added. “I felt immediately that I got hit by a bullet. I also knew it was my ear.”
Trump’s ear looks like it couldn’t have ‘gone through less’ after rally shooting
VOICES: JD Vance is trying to rehabilitate his image with cats in the most bizarre, racist way
Tuesday 10 September 2024 20:30 , Mike Bedigan
In a small town in Middle America, a group of terrified and adorable kittens are being cornered by an illegal immigrant brandishing weapons. A shadow falls across the scene – “Stop! Leave those cats alone!” cries a powerful baritone. He’s not the hero the felines of America deserve, but he is the hero they need. It’s JD Vance.
Or at least that may be what is inside the head of the Republican vice presidential nominee, following his latest — and most bizarre — attempt yet to pivot away from his image as an enemy of cat-lovers.
On Monday, Vance hopped on a bandwagon bursting out of Springfield, Ohio, following bogus reports that a community of Haitian immigrants were abducting, and subsequently eating, neighborhood pets.
JD Vance tries to rehabilitate his image with cats in the most bizarre, racist way
Morning Joe hosts mock Vance’s ‘obsession’ with cats after he spreads pet-eating immigrant conspiracy
Tuesday 10 September 2024 20:00 , James Liddell
Morning Joe hosts have mocked JD Vance’s cat “obsession” after the Ohio senator pushed a bizarre conspiracy theory that immigrants are stealing and eating pets.
Vance is among the most vocal Republican voices peddling baseless claims that Haitians are roaming across his state to steal, kill, and finally devour cats and other domesticated animals.
“Months ago, I raised the issue of Haitian illegal immigrants draining social services and generally causing chaos all over Springfield, Ohio,” Vance wrote on X on Monday.
Morning Joe hosts mock Vance’s ‘cat obsession’ after his pet-eating immigrant rumor
Former Project 2025 leader accuses Trump campaign advisers of ‘malpractice’
Tuesday 10 September 2024 19:30 , Rhian Lubin
The former leader of Project 2025 — the far-right blueprint for Donald Trump’s potential second term in the White House —has accused Trump’s campaign staff of “malpractice.”
Paul Dans, who headed the group that developed the plans, blasted two of Trump’s top aides, Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles, for their role in helping to push President Joe Biden out of the race and for having “no plans for Harris” when she replaced him on at the top of the ticket.
Dans, who left Project 2025 in July, told The New York Times: “They pushed Biden off the stage and they had no plans for Harris. That is on par with historic campaign malpractice.”
Former Project 2025 leader accuses Trump campaign advisers of ‘malpractice’
Republican pollster says Trump is determined to ‘blow’ the election
Tuesday 10 September 2024 19:00 , Joe Sommerlad
What experts on your own side are coming out with pronouncements like this, things just cannot be going well for you.
Here’s more from Alex Lang.
Republican pollster says Trump is determined to “blow” the election
Jimmy Kimmel pokes fun at rumor Harris is using ‘Method actor Trump’ ahead of debate
Tuesday 10 September 2024 18:30 , Joe Sommerlad
Here’s Myriam Page with the latest from late-night as Kimmel asks of Harris: “Is she trying to win an election or a Tony Award here?”
‘You can’t debate that’: Jimmy Kimmel prepares for Trump-Harris showdown
Live: Biden welcomes NCAA men’s basketball team to White House
Tuesday 10 September 2024 18:29 , The Independent
‘I spoke to people who have debated Harris and Trump. This is what they told me’
Tuesday 10 September 2024 18:00 , Joe Sommerlad
Eric Garcia interviews Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, Michael Bennet, Elizabeth Warren and Kirsten Gillibrand about what makes Harris and Trump so effective – and what it’s like to be insulted or bested by them.
I spoke to people who have debated Harris and Trump. This is what they told me
Harris’s family to be in attendance for debate
Tuesday 10 September 2024 17:30 , Joe Sommerlad
The Democrat’s loved ones will be there in Philly tonight to cheer her on.
Debate day often is a family experience. Harris campaign official tells me @VP Harris will be joined tonight by her husband, Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, sister Maya Harris and her husband Tony West.
— Kelly O’Donnell (@KellyO) September 10, 2024
She sounds ready.
RFK Jr urges supporters not to vote for him in swing states: ‘Vote Trump!’
Tuesday 10 September 2024 17:00 , Joe Sommerlad
The independent, who recently suspended his flagging campaign to back the Republican ticket, is currently struggling to remove himself from ballot papers in states like Michigan and North Carolina so has issued the following message to his remaining loyalists:
