Preparations are underway for the anticipated debate that will bring together the two US presidential candidates, Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Kamala Harris, for the first time on September 10, two months before the elections that are expected to be very close and will witness huge amounts of spending by both sides.
This day is an event that the United States and perhaps the world have been waiting for, less than two months before Election Day.
For her part, Harris is enlisting the help of consultant Karen Dunn, who led preparations for the 2012 Obama and 2016 Clinton debates, as well as senior adviser Ruhini Kosaoglu.
Trump said he was preparing as he did when he faced Biden through meetings and discussions with a group of his aides, noting that he “had been preparing his whole life for this debate.”
The debate, which will last 90 minutes with commercial breaks, will be the first-ever meeting between Harris and Trump, as the former president declined to attend Biden’s 2020 inauguration.
ABC News is hosting the debate at a museum dedicated to the U.S. Constitution in Philadelphia.
Trump has accused ABC News of bias, calling the network and one of its most prominent anchors “hateful.”
Similar to the Biden-Trump showdown, each candidate’s microphone will be turned off when it is the other candidate’s turn to speak.
There will also be no studio audience and no opening statements.
The debate will be moderated by David Muir, host of ABC News’ World News Tonight, and anchor Lindsey Davis, both of whom moderated the 2016 and 2020 presidential primary debates.
The 50-year-old candidate will rely on the huge financial support she has received, as her campaign team announced that it raised $361 million in August, which is “three times more” than what the Trump camp raised.
Thus, “the amount raised since Harris entered the election campaign has reached $615 million,” according to a statement from the campaign.
The Democratic candidate has a cash reserve of $404 million, and Harris will spend at least $370 million on television and online advertising between September 2 and the election on November 5.
For its part, the Trump campaign team announced on Wednesday that it had raised $130 million since August, and that a $295 million fund was immediately available.
Last updated: September 7, 2024 – 15:33
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2024-09-09 04:36:35