2024-09-10 23:18:23
In the first and probably the only televised debate, presidential candidates Kamala Harris and Donald Trump will face each other on the night of Tuesday to Wednesday.
Harris is under more pressure. The duel is an opportunity for her to convince undecided or undecided voters that she has more to offer than her Republican rival. Surveys and analyzes by American agencies and media show that many Americans do not know much about what to expect from Harris and what her program stands for.
Trump has a solid base of voters who will very likely stick with him even if he loses the debate. Harris has more to lose with a failed performance, say experts. “Compared to Democratic candidates in the past, Harris is not so well-known. Trump will try to prove that his opponent does not have the right to the presidency,” reports Reuters.
“There is more at stake for Harris than for Trump. For the first time, Americans will see her defend her positions in a direct confrontation, to respond to Trump’s attacks,” political scientist Hans Noel of Georgetown University in Washington told the Financial Times.
Harris can speak from behind, which she proved for many years as a state attorney in California, Trump traditionally speaks with confidence. “I’m sure various experts will tell you that Harris was better in the debate. Don’t worry about it,” Trump urged voters at a rally last week.
The latest polls indicate that the Democratic candidate is beginning to lose the advantage she had after Joe Biden withdrew from the election at the end of July. She had a slight lead over Trump in national polls until the end of August, and the estimates of the results in key states, where the overall victory will be decided, also looked good for her. For example, in Pennsylvania or Michigan.
Seven key states (so-called swing states) that will decide the winner of the election. Polls in these states are so balanced that both candidates can win there. | Photo: Aktuálně.cz
But the latest poll by the Siena agency and the New York Times newspaper showed that 48 percent of registered voters would vote for Trump and 47 percent for Harris. In key states, the positions of the two candidates are extremely balanced. It follows that a female candidate has to convince more voters, and the televised debate in Philadelphia is an opportunity to do so. Elections take place on November 5.
Given that this is apparently the only pre-election debate – the staffs of both politicians have not yet agreed on another – a large audience is expected. The current record is held by the first duel between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump in 2016, which was watched by 84 million viewers in the USA.
However, the debates before these elections proved that they do not have to be decisive. The public rated Clinton better in all three debates, but she still lost. She won the election based on the number of votes, but that did not ensure her victory due to the American electoral system.
The most memorable shootout of those debates was Clinton’s attack on Trump for his sexist behavior toward women. Trump countered by saying Hillary should remember how her husband, former President Bill Clinton, treated women. He was alluding to Clinton’s affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky.
The first televised debate of the US presidential candidates in 1960, when Richard Nixon and John F. Kennedy faced each other, was also memorable. Nixon appeared on television shortly after his illness, sweating, stuttering and looking uncertain. He then lost the election. In 2012, Barack Obama failed in his first debate with Republican challenger Mitt Romney. He seemed tired, as if without interest and desire to run again. In other duels, however, he corrected this bad impression and then defended the presidency.
Undoubtedly, the biggest shock in the history of American televised primaries was this year’s performance of current President Biden in the debate with Donald Trump in Atlanta on June 27. The 81-year-old president was difficult to understand, slow to respond and at times looking confused. His poor performance after less than a month eventually resulted in his withdrawal from the campaign.
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Spotlight Aktuálně.cz – Jan Kaliba | Video: Team Spotlight