September 9, 2024
You already know Vice President Harris and former President Trump are debating each other for the first time tomorrow night on ABC. This is going to be a huge moment in this election cycle. But there are some things you need to be looking for both during the debate and one specific thing you need to look for after the debate.
First – what you should be looking for during the debate.
One – how Trump and Harris interact. Not only is this the first debate between the two of them– it’s also going to be the first time they even meet. That’s right. They’ve been talking a lot about each other for years – but have never been face to face. So that dynamic is going to be interesting to watch.
Two – lots of you have been concerned about written notes. It’s important for you to understand the debate rules specifically say — no pre-written notes are allowed on the debate stage podiums. Period. However you may still see Harris or Trump writing things down or looking down at notes during the debate. That’s because they will have a blank note pad and a pen. So you might see either Harris or Trump walk onto the stage and immediately write a few things down. Usually they’re writing some numbers or notes that they want to make sure they get out of their brain so they can focus on the actual debate. You may also see them writing things down or looking down at those notes as the other person is talking. That’s so when it’s their time to talk they address all the points their rival is discussing.
And three – no one knows the questions the Vice President and the former president will be asked by the moderators. However – it’s not rocket science to figure out what they’re going to talk about and what they should be preparing for. I can almost guarantee they’re going to talk about immigration, abortion, the economy and maybe election integrity. As a side note to all this – lots of you have been asking about real time fact checking. ABC has not committed to live fact checking – that is technically supposed to be the job of the candidate to fact check their opponent. But ABC says there may be some push back from the moderators on something the candidates say in order to keep the debate moving.
Lastly — there’s one thing you should pay attention to after the debate. The candidate who feels like he or she lost – will ask for another debate. See — politics 101 is – if you’re in the lead – you don’t debate that can only hurt you. But if you are behind – debating may help you better your standing with voters. They all do this. In fact, just think back to earlier this year – former President Trump refused to debate at all against the other Republicans who were challenging him in the Republican primary. No surprise – that’s because he was leading so there was no need for him to get involved in a debate. It’s the same concept now. So it is very possible this will be the only time Vice President Harris and former President Trump debate before the November election.
