Washington:

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and his Democratic rival Kamala Harris will take the stage for their first televised debate today. Ahead of the November 5 presidential election in the US, this will be the first and probably the only chance for around 240 million voters to watch their candidates debate and argue over policies of national and international concern.

TRUMP-HARRIS PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE

The June presidential debate between Donald Trump and Joe Biden was a disappointing one for the outgoing President. Weeks after that, President Biden decided to withdraw from the race, setting the stage for US Vice President Kamala Harris to run for the top office.

While today’s debate is a chance for Harris to establish her political identity for millions of people who will tune in to watch, it also affords Trump yet another opportunity to showcase that he is prepared to lead the country again.

For Kamala Harris, it is an opportunity to lay out her priorities and prove her mettle against Trump, who has in recent times subjected her to racist and sexist attacks. The former US president will once again attempt to blunt Harris’ momentum in the presidential race, which has tightened considerably after she was named the Democratic nominee, as per polls.

WHEN AND WHAT TIME IS THE TRUMP-HARRIS DEBATE?

Hosted by ABC News, the 90-minute debate is scheduled at 9 PM ET on September 10 (6:30 AM on September 11 in India) at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

The debate will be moderated by David Muir and Linsey Davis.

WHERE TO WATCH?

The first presidential debate between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris will be aired on ABC and streamed across ABC News Live as well as Disney+ and Hulu. Besides them, several networks have also agreed to carry the event live.

RULES OF THE DEBATE

As far as the rules are concerned, ABC News will likely mirror the format used during the Trump- Biden debate in June by CNN.

The two candidates – Trump and Harris – will get two minutes to answer along with two-minute rebuttals. There will be an additional minute for each candidate for any clarifications and follow-ups.

This debate will also have no live audience, while the two candidates will stand for the entire debate.
 

Donald Trump recently revealed that he once offered United States President Joe Biden $1 million if he could “he could break 100 in a game of golf.” The former President was speaking at a rally in St Cloud, Minnesota. “I said I will take you to any course you want…I would give you $1 million if you could break 100 in a game of golf,” Mr Trump told the audience. He continued, “He turned me down.”

The real estate tycoon added that he changed his offer. “Then I said, I’ll give you ten strokes a side…I’ll give you one million dollars if you could beat me. He had no chance,” he stated. “They talk a good game, but it’s all talk,” Mr Trump added.

Watch the video below:

Donald Trump talks about his video playing golf with @b_dechambeau Trending #1 on YouTube and then brings up how Joe Biden challenged him to a round of golf but then chickened out. pic.twitter.com/ualDgiNa1O

— ALX (@alx) July 28, 2024

Notably, the discussion around golf began early in June, during Mr Biden and Mr Trump’s first presidential debate. Mr Trump said that he had won two club championships and two regular club crowns, despite doubts about his age and level of physical fitness. He claimed that to do so, one must be “very smart” and capable of long-range hitting. “I just won two club championships – not even senior. Two regular club championships. To do that, you have to be quite smart, and you have to be able to hit the ball a long way. He doesn’t do it. He can’t hit a ball 50 yards. He challenged me to a golf match; he can’t hit a ball 50 yards,” he said.

Responding to the same, Mr Biden said, “I’d be happy to have a driving contest. I got my handicap when I was vice president down to a six. By the way, I told you before, I’m happy to play golf with you if you carry your own bag. Think you can do it?”

The 45th President of the US then went on to mock Mr Biden and said that it was a “lie.” “That’s the biggest lie – that he was a six handicap – of all,” he said.

When confronted, Mr Biden withdrew his statement and admitted that he was actually eight handicap. However, Mr Trump did not take his remarks at their value and said, “I’ve seen your swing. I know your swing. Let’s not act like children.”

After a shaky debate performance on Thursday night, political analysts and several US media organisations have been calling for US President Joe Biden to drop out of the 2024 election race. Democratic leaders rallied behind Mr Biden following his poor performance last week, as the White House denied a report he was meeting with family to assess his candidacy. Now, his wife and First Lady Jill Biden has spoken about the debate and has said that they “will continue to fight”.

Talking to Vogue from Camp David where the family was spending the weekend, she told the magazine “will not let those 90 minutes define the four years he’s been president.”

She continued, “We will continue to fight,” and claimed that Mr Biden “will always do what’s best for the country.”

Notably, President Biden’s age is a particular concern with voters and there have been calls from some Democrats for him to step aside for a new candidate. Despite weak poll numbers and questions about his age, he has stuck to his plan to seek a second term.

On June 27, the 81-year-old’s performance in the presidential debate, rekindled calls for him to step away. When responding to a question about the economy posed by a CNN anchor, the POTUS, who is often observed stuttering and freezing during public events, seemed to lose his train of thought. When asked if voters felt “worse off” under his presidency, the Democrat committed yet another error.

Meanwhile, President Joe Biden said after the debate that he would defeat Republican rival Donald Trump in the presidential election, giving no sign he would consider dropping out of the race. He said, “I know I’m not a young man, to state the obvious. I don’t walk as easy as I used to, I don’t speak as smoothly as I used to, I don’t debate as well as I used to.”

“I would not be running again if I didn’t believe with all my heart and soul that I could do this job. The stakes are too high,” he said at a rally.

After a rocky debate performance on Thursday night, political analysts and several US media organisations have been calling for US President Joe Biden to drop out of the 2024 race. Now, the former White House deputy director of photography under the Biden administration has also joined the growing chorus.

In an Instagram story after the debate, Chandler West wrote, “It’s time for Joe to go,” Axios reported.

“I know many of these people and how the White House operates. They will say he has a ‘cold’ or just experienced a ‘bad night,’ but for weeks and months, in private, they have all said what we saw last night—Joe is not as strong as he was just a couple of years ago. The debate was not the first bad day … it’s not gonna be the last,” Mr West wrote.

He further claimed that White House aides have known for months that Joe Biden’s mental health has been deteriorating but covered it up ahead of the debate. 

Several unnamed current and former Biden aides told Axios that the president is mentally engaged from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., but outside of this time frame, he is more likely to have verbal lapses and fatigue.

Notably, President Biden’s age is a particular concern with voters and there have been calls from some Democrats for him to step aside for a new candidate. Despite weak poll numbers and questions about his age, he has stuck to his plan to seek a second term.

However, the 81-year-old president’s alarming presidential debate performance on June 27, has renewed calls for him to step aside. Biden, frequently seen fumbling and freezing during public events, appeared to lose his train of thought while answering a question by a CNN anchor on the economy. The Democrat made yet another mistake while answering a question on voters feeling “worse off” under his presidency.

If Joe Biden withdraws his name, delegates from 50 states will have to look for a replacement at the earliest. Vice President Kamala Harris, California Governor Gavin Newsom, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer and Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro are among the names that can represent the party.