US Elections 2024: Donald Trump, Kamala Harris Ready For First Face Off On Key Issues | What To Expect

Vice President Kamala Harris and former president Donald Trump are all set for their very first presidential debate this week. The presidential candidates are scheduled to appear on ABC News on September 10 as they debate the most pressing issues all across America.

Despite the "hot mic" dispute, Trump and his team have agreed to appear for the debate as Harris continues to beat in the national polls ahead of the November elections.

The ABC Debate on Tuesday will mark Kamala Harris first presidential debate of the season. This debate also marks Trump's second presidential face off as the first one was conducted by CNN with President Joe Biden.

During the June 27 debate, Biden and Trump performed poorly. However, Biden's performance raised major alarms across Democrats, ultimately leading to his exit from the race and endorsement for Harris.

With Kamala Harris now in the race and Democrats are hoping for a better performance. From abortion rights to the dire need for gun control across the United States, here are some of the key issues voters wish to hear Harris and Trump debate.

Trump-Harris Presidential Debate - What To Expect?

During Tuesday's debate, Harris, a former prosecutor is definitely expected to bring up the former President's 34 felony convictions and Trump's habit of making false statements.

And with Trump's "racist and communist" jibes at Harris, some a little drama is expected during the ABC debate.

More than personal jibes and attacks towards each other, this time around, voters want an actual debate where the candidates discusses issues that matter and impact the day-to-day life of Americans.

The key Republican focus during the debate with Harris is expected to be Immigration. In the previous debate with Biden, Trump brought up immigration and the US-Mexico border every chance he got. The debate with Harris is not expected to be any different.

However, the Democrats wish to focus on abortion rights and the Roe v. Wade judgement which was overturned by three Trump-appointed Supreme Court justices. Along with abortion care and rights, the matter and affordability of childcare is also expected to be discussed.

In light of the recent shooting at Apalachee High School in Georgia and the I-75 Highway in Kentucky, gun control and the laws are also expected to be discussed.

The Georgia shooting last week marked the 385th mass shooting in the United States this year and the 45th school shooting. With easy access to guns and no strict laws, the rate of gun crime continues to rise in the US.

Matters of foreign policy - such as US' stance towards Russia, China and the ongoing wars in Ukraine and Gaza - will also be discussed. In the previous debate, Trump hailed himself and stated that if he were in power, "Putin would have never invaded Ukraine and Hamas would have never attacked Israel."

With both presidential candidates being staunch allies of Israel, the matter of Palestinian right and sovereignty is expected to be brought up, especially in view of the mass student protests across America and the world - the biggest student movement since the Vietnam War in the 1970s.

Furthermore, recent reports have stated that both Democrats and Republicans have prepared their views on the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, which ultimately led to the fall of Kabul to the Taliban regime.

The Biden administration has been criticised heavily by Republicans and many others for the "erratic" withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan in 2021.

With Afghanistan expected to be a topic, the Republicans have pointed fingers at the Biden administration for hastily pulling troops out. Whereas, the Democrats, including the White House, are blaming the Trump administration for striking a deal with the Taliban in the first place which set the US withdrawal into motion.

The Trump-Harris debate will be hosted by ABC News and moderated by its anchors David Muir and Linsey Davis. The 90-minute meeting will begin at 9 PM ET (6:30 AM IST) on Tuesday in Philadelphia’s National Constitutional Centre.