The stakes have never been higher as Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump face off in the first presidential debate, with Harris having upended Trump's commanding lead in the polls and the race being closely fought with less than two months to go.
The highly anticipated showdown marks the first time Trump and Harris will go head-to-head, and comes just 51 days after President Biden withdrew from the 2024 presidential race and 75 days after their disastrous debate performances.
With President Trump set to take part in a record seventh general election debate, we take a look at what to expect in tomorrow's debate and a look back at his past performances.
The many faces of Donald Trump revealed in past presidential debates
Former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris face off in Philadelphia on Tuesday night. (Getty Images)
Trump, Harris to debate on September 10
Tuesday's debate is the second of the 2024 election season, but the first in which current candidates face off. The 90-minute debate will be held behind closed doors at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia.
While Harris was holed up in Pittsburgh, Trump forwent traditional debate preparation, but he did hire former Democratic congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard to hone his skills.. Gabbard, who recently endorsed Trump, also famously took to the debate stage in 2020 to attack Harris for her record as a prosecutor in California.
Tulsi Gabbard gives update on Trump debate prep: 'He knows the issues'
Trump is expected to focus on inflation and immigration, which are the biggest issues in the 2024 presidential election. The Trump campaign has linked Harris to Biden's weaknesses, a strategy that Harris is likely to adopt in the debate. Harris is expected to focus on abortion rights, which is tied with inflation at 14% as the second biggest issue in the campaign. Overturning Roe v. Wade has proven to be one of Trump's biggest political weaknesses.
Democratic presidential candidate Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a campaign rally at EnMarket Arena on August 29, 2024 in Savannah, Georgia. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
Trump and Biden to debate on June 27
The only debate between Biden and Trump in the 2024 presidential election was the first time a sitting president and a former president had debated each other, and it was perhaps the most significant in history because it ultimately led to Biden deciding not to run for the 2024 presidential election.
During the debate, the president struggled to deliver coherent defenses and at times to finish his own sentences. After Biden finished discussing his record on border security, Trump quipped, “I have no idea what he said at the end of that statement. I don't think he knows what he said.”
First Trump-Biden debate of 2024: Top leaders at odds on issues from the border to Ukraine
Democratic presidential candidate Vice President Kamala Harris and President Biden arrive at a campaign event at the IBEW Local 5 union hall on Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 2, 2024, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Jacqueline Martin)
Trump and Biden at the Atlanta debate The show, which covered abortion, immigration, foreign policy and inflation, drew 51.3 million viewers, according to Nielsen Media Research. At the time, Real Clear Politics projected Trump leading Biden by 1.5 percentage points.
Trump-Biden debate on October 22, 2020
Trump and Biden faced off in Nashville, Tennessee, just under two weeks before Election Day in a debate that was quieter than the first round, in part due to new rules that muted each candidate's microphone.
As Biden and Trump sparred over his personal finances, Trump has alleged that Biden received money from foreign entities. Trump has also tried to portray Biden as a classic example of a corrupt politician. A recent report by House Republicans said Biden “participated in a conspiracy to cash in on public office to enrich his family.”
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Trump also questioned Biden's record in a nearly 50-year career as a public servant, saying the “poor job performance” of the Obama administration was what prompted him to run for president.
“Joe, I ran for you,” Trump said. “I ran for you.”
Republican presidential candidate and former president Donald Trump attends a Fox News town hall meeting with Sean Hannity at New Holland Arena on September 4, 2024 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
Nielsen Media Research recorded 63 million viewers for the final debate of 2020. On the day of the debate, Biden was leading Trump by 7.9 points.
Trump-Biden debate, September 29, 2020
What people remember most about the debate was Trump's constant interruptions, leading an exasperated Biden to yell, “Will you just shut up?” The debate quickly descended into chaos as the two sparred over abortion rights and Trump's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. Relentless, Trump pressed Biden on whether to “add” the Supreme Court following the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. As the two men got into a heated discussion about the pandemic, Trump declared, “Joe, I'm telling you, you could never do the job that we did. It's not in your blood.”
Trump did not shy away from personal attacks on Biden, hurling insults at him about his intelligence, saying, “There's nothing smart about you, Joe.”
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Former President Donald Trump (right) and members of his legal team attend a press conference at Trump Tower in New York, Friday, September 6, 2024. (Cheney Oh/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The Cleveland debate was watched by 73.1 million people, the third-highest audience of any Trump-Biden matchup. On the day of the debate, Real Clear Politics projected Biden with a 6.1-point lead over Trump.
Trump-Clinton debate, October 19, 2016
In their final debate of 2016, Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton focused on personal weaknesses rather than policy. When Clinton tried to tie Trump to Russia, Trump retorted that Russian President Putin “doesn't respect” Clinton or then-President Barack Obama, and claimed he didn't know Putin. As the two debated Obamacare and Social Security, Trump went on to call Clinton “a bitch.”
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Clinton repeatedly made disparaging remarks about Trump's character during the debate. Her strongest words came when she challenged Trump's attitude toward women. Trump fired back, vehemently denying the allegations that he had behaved inappropriately toward women. “Nobody has more respect for women than I do,” Trump said.
A highlight of the debate was Trump's refusal to explicitly say he would accept the election results (similar to his 2020 response), instead insisting the process was “rigged” and stressing that “we will review it at the time.”
Republican presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally with Republican vice presidential candidate Senator J.D. Vance on August 3, 2024, in Atlanta. (Reuters)
Trump-Clinton debate, October 9, 2016
Trump used the debate as an opportunity to launch a fierce attack on Clinton and her husband, former President Bill Clinton. When asked about his behavior toward women, Trump said of Clinton, “No one in the history of politics has been more abusive toward women.” Hillary Clinton declined to address Trump's comments about her husband.
Trump says no 'lifts' or 'stands' allowed at debate with Kamala Harris
Trump and Clinton also clashed over Russian aggression, Trump's refusal to release his tax returns and plans for “intense vetting” of immigrants coming from countries with ties to crime.
Trump-Clinton debate, September 26, 2016
Trump's first presidential debate was the first in 40 years to be tuned in to more than 70 million viewers, garnering a record 84 million viewers.
Trump came out on the offensive, speaking about the economy and jobs. When Clinton tried to defend her economic policies, Trump attacked her political record, declaring her “the quintessential politician who's all talk and no action.” But as the debate went on, Clinton put Trump on the defensive. At one point, she pursued Trump over past comments he made about race and gender, to which he said, “They're all words, they're all short statements.”
16 highlights from the first 2016 presidential debate
Former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton speaks on the first day of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on August 19, 2024. (Reuters/Alyssa Poynter)
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“The president has been a huge supporter of the Democratic Party, and we are very grateful to him for that,” Harris said.
