Trump-Harris debate live updates: Candidates spar over Project 2025, economy

(PHILADELPHIA) — Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump will meet for the first time on Tuesday for the ABC News presidential debate.

It is the only debate the two have scheduled and comes at a critical point as polls show a neck-and-neck race with just eight weeks until Election Day.

The two will face off on key issues starting at 9 p.m. ET. The debate will air on ABC and stream on ABC News Live, Disney+ and Hulu.

Here’s how the news is developing:

Trump suggests Democrats are responsible for his assassination attempt

In his attack on Harris over his criminal investigations, Trump suggested, with no evidence, that she and the Department of Justice were weaponized against him.

“I probably took a bullet to the head because of the things that they say about me. They talk about democracy, I’m a threat to democracy. They’re the threat to democracy,” he said.

‘Up to the American people to stop’ Trump after immunity ruling: Harris

After Trump tried to claim the criminal cases against him were solely the result of weaponization of law enforcement, Harris turned to the Supreme Court’s recent ruling on presidential immunity.

“What it would mean if Donald Trump were back in the White House, with no guard rails,” she said. “Certainly, now we know the court won’t stop him, we know JD Vance is not going to stop him. It’s up to the American people to stop him.”

Harris is succeeding in getting Trump off policy attacks

Harris hasn’t sparked any major blowups by Trump yet, but she is getting him off his policy attacks.

Instead of hitting Harris on inflation and immigration, Trump has spent time defending his rallies and promoting false claims of migrants in Springfield, Ohio, about eating neighbors’ pets.

CLAIM: ‘If Donald Trump were to be reelected, he will sign a national abortion ban.’

Fact Check: False.

Trump has said he has “no regrets” in selecting the Supreme Court justices who overturned the constitutional right to an abortion. But he also repeatedly has promised that if elected, he will not sign a federal abortion ban into law and will leave the issue up to the states.

One open question this year had been whether he would enforce the Comstock Act, an 1873 law that prohibits mailing materials used in abortions. Among other things, the law would make it illegal to ship the drug mifepristone, which is used to terminate early pregnancies. The Biden administration has said the law is unenforceable because the drug has medical uses other than abortion, and it would be impossible to know how the drug was being used. Trump’s running mate, JD Vance, and other conservatives have called for the enforcement of the law.

In an August interview with CBS News, Trump said that while “we will be discussing specifics of it,” he will not enforce the Comstock Act.

Harris brings up Trump’s criminal cases

After Trump railed against crime, Harris said she thought the comments were “so rich” coming from someone who has been criminally charged multiple times.

Trump has denied all wrongdoing in each of the cases. He responded by continuing to claim, without evidence, the cases are an example of weaponization of the Department of Justice.

CLAIM: Trump ‘intends on implementing’ Project 2025

Fact check: Needs context

Conservative allies and former advisors to Donald Trump published a 900-page policy blueprint in April 2023 to help a new Republican administration transition to power. The effort – dubbed Project 2025 – was organized by the Heritage Foundation, a prominent right-wing think tank. It details proposals for staffing the government and restructuring federal agencies, writing regulations, managing the economy and ensuring national security.

Harris claims Trump “intends on implementing” the “detailed and dangerous” plan if he wins a second term. But Trump denies any association with Project 2025, saying on social media in July: “I have not seen it, have no idea who is in charge of it,” and also publicly denounced its substance as “seriously extreme” and developed by the “severe right.”

“I disagree with some of the things they’re saying and some of the things they’re saying are absolutely ridiculous and abysmal,” Trump posted on social media. Many of the document’s priorities, however, are broadly championed by Trump, including construction of a border wall, mass deportation of undocumented immigrants and banning transgender athletes from women’s sports, among other things.

Dozens of former members of his administration were involved in the project, including former cabinet secretaries and West Wing aides. Many of the same people helped craft the Republican Party platform, ABC News has reported. Speaking at a Heritage Foundation event in April 2022, Trump said: “This is a great group and they’re going to lay the groundwork and detail plans for exactly what our movement will do… when the American people give us a colossal mandate to save America.”

CLAIM: Trump ‘killed’ bill that would have secured border

Fact Check: True

Earlier this year, a bipartisan group of senators unveiled a $20 billion plan to substantially bolster security along the U.S.-Mexico border. It would have added hundreds of border patrol and ICE agents and asylum officers; funded construction of new border wall; expanded detention facilities; ended “catch and release;” effectively closed the border entirely when illegal crossings surge; and raised the bar for asylum claims. (Source: text of bill

The influential Border Patrol union, which has previously endorsed Trump, publicly backed the bill. But hours after the draft legislation was unveiled on Feb. 5, Trump urged his party to oppose the bill, even as many Republicans have spent years lobbying for some of the security measures included in the deal.

“I’ll fight it all the way,” Trump told supporters at a Las Vegas rally Feb. 8. “A lot of the senators are trying to say, respectfully, they’re blaming it on me. I say, that’s okay. Please blame it on me.”

Trump openly invoked election-year politics as a motivation for his position: “This Bill is a great gift to the Democrats, and a Death Wish for The Republican Party. It takes the HORRIBLE JOB the Democrats have done on Immigration and the Border, absolves them, and puts it all squarely on the shoulders of Republicans,” Trump wrote on social media. The bill failed a key Senate procedural vote in May, with all but one Republican voting against it, including all those involved in crafting the deal.

Trump won’t commit to vetoing national abortion ban bill

Trump refused to say if he would veto a national abortion bill if brought to his desk.

The former president claimed he wouldn’t have to.

“There’s no reason to sign a ban because we have gotten what everyone wanted,” he said.

Harris encourages viewers to go to a Trump rally

“I’m going to do something really unusual, and I’m going to invite you to attend one of Donald Trump’s rallies, because it’s a really interesting thing to watch,” Harris said to viewers.

“You will see during the course of his rallies he talks about fictional characters like Hannibal Lector. He will talk about when windmills can cause cancer. And what you will also notice that people start leaving his rallies early out of exhaustion,” she said.

The comment appeared to get under Trump’s skin, as he took time to respond despite being asked by the moderator about the immigration bill he discouraged Republicans from supporting.

“We have the biggest rallies, the most incredible rallies in the history of politics,” Trump responded.

CLAIM: Trump left us the worst unemployment since the Great Depression.

Fact Check: Needs context

The unemployment rate peaked at 14.8% in April 2020 when Trump was in office – that was indeed the highest level since the Great Depression, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. But unemployment rapidly declined to 6.4% in January 2021 by the time Trump left office, as the economy started to rebalance. And that 6.4% unemployment rate is still better than the 10% peak during the Great Recession in October 2009.

If you eliminate pandemic statistics, the lowest unemployment rate under Trump was just slightly higher than the lowest point under Biden. Both were good: 3.5% under Trump and 3.4% under Biden at their lowest respectively, according to data provided by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis and Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Project 2025 is widely unpopular in polls

Tying Trump to Project 2025 has been a big part of the Harris campaign strategy, and she’s already done so a few times during this debate. Polls have consistently shown the plan and its proposals are widely unpopular, so it’s no surprise that Trump is disavowing it yet again.

In mid-July, a YouGov/The Economist poll found that 47% of Americans thought Trump at least somewhat supports the plan, while more than half said it “accurately describes what Trump stands for” in an early August survey by Navigator Research, a progressive-aligned polling outfit.

—538’s Tia Yang

Trump repeats falsehoods about Democrats supporting abortions after birth

Trump was asked about his shifting stances on abortion issues, specifically his flip-flop on support for Florida’s abortion rights ballot measure.

He spent a majority of his response railing against Democrats for being “too liberal” on abortion access and falsely stating they support abortions after birth.

“In other words, we’ll execute the baby,” he claimed.

This is false. There is no state that allows the killing of a baby after birth. Infanticide is illegal in all 50 states.

“There is no state in this country where it is legal to kill a baby after it is born,” ABC News moderator Linsey Davis responded.

Trump labels Harris a Marxist, she laughs it off

Trump is already wading into personal attacks against Harris while answering specific questions about the economy, calling her and her father a Marxist.

“Everything that she believed three years ago and four years ago is out the window. She is going to my philosophy now. In fact, I was going to send her a MAGA hat.” He continued, “She is a Marxist. Everyone knows she is a Marxist. Her father is a Marxist professor in economics. He taught her well.”

Harris could be seen laughing as he delivered the remark.

CLAIM: Trump wants “20% tax on everyday goods” that would cost families “about $4000 more a year”

Fact Check: True, but needs context

Trump has proposed a universal “10-20%” tariff on all U.S. imports, from cars and electronics to wine, food products and many other goods. He has also proposed a 60% tariff on imports from China. Vice President Harris called the plan “Trump’s sales tax,” though the former president has not explicitly proposed such a tax. Independent economists, however, say the proposed import tariffs would unquestionably result in higher prices for American consumers across the board (Tax Foundation, American Action Forum, Tax Policy Center, Center for American Progress, Peterson Institute)>. The precise financial impact on families is hard to predict and estimates vary widely – from additional annual costs per household of $1,700 to nearly $4,000, depending on the study. Trump has not called for any tax hikes for American families. He has proposed exempting Social Security benefits and tips from taxation, as well as extending individual tax cuts enacted in 2017.

The Supreme Court is not popular

Trump just praised the Supreme Court. That’s not going to be a popular position. According to 538’s average, only 37% of Americans approve of the Supreme Court; 54% disapprove.

—538’s Nathaniel Rakich

No, 80-90% of Americans don’t think the economy was better under Trump

Trump claimed that 80, 85, or even 90% of Americans say the economy was better under his watch. But that’s not true. While people feel warmly about the economy under Trump, the share isn’t nearly that high. According to a YouGov/CBS News poll from March, 65% of Americans thought the economy was good under Trump, while 28% thought it was bad.

—538’s Nathaniel Rakich

Claim: Trump says “We have inflation like very few people have ever seen before. Probably the worst in our nation’s history.”

Fact Check: False, but it was very high

It’s true that early in Biden’s presidency, the annual inflation rate peaked at roughly 9% (June of 2022), but that’s not the highest it’s ever been. There are several examples of the inflation rate being much higher than 9% in the U.S, including in the immediate aftermath of WWII and during the oil embargo and shortages of the late 70’s and early 1980s. But, there are several examples of the inflation rate being much higher than 9% in the U.S., including in the immediate aftermath of World War II and during the oil embargo of the late 70’s and early 1980s when the inflation rate peaked at 14.5%. The inflation rate as of July 2024 is at 2.9% annual inflation, the lowest it has been in 3 years. It should also be noted that President Biden has falsely claimed that he inherited a high rate from his predecessor. In fact, inflation was at 1.4 percent when he took office.

*Data for this fact check was gathered from Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, or St. Louis Fed

Fact-checking Harris’ claim that 16 Nobel laureates say Trump’s plan would increase inflation and land us in a recession

Fact Check: Mostly True.

Harris correctly describes what the Nobel laureates said about inflation during a Trump presidency: “There is rightly a worry that Donald Trump will reignite this inflation.” But while the group describes Harris’ agenda as “vastly superior” to Trump’s, their letter doesn’t specifically predict a recession by the middle of 2025. Rather, the group wrote: “We believe that a second Trump term would have a negative impact on the U.S.’s economic standing in the world and a destabilizing effect on the U.S.’s domestic economy.”

The 16 economists are George Akerlof, Angus Deaton, Claudia Goldin, Oliver Hart, Eric S. Maskin, Daniel L. McFadden, Paul R. Milgrom, Roger B. Myerson, Edmund S. Phelps, Paul M. Romer, Alvin E. Roth, William F. Sharp, Robert J. Shiller, Christopher A. Sims, Joseph Stiglitz and Robert B. Wilson.

— PolitiFact’s Louis Jacobson

Trump says he did ‘phenomenal’ job with pandemic

Trump complained that people haven’t given him enough credit for the “great job” his administration did in response to the pandemic.

“We did a phenomenal job with the pandemic,” he said, touching on providing ventilators and other supplies.

Harris subtly tries to get under Trump’s skin

Harris is clearly trying to get under Trump’s skin, albeit subtly.

She is mentioning Project 2025, whose popularity his campaign is frustrated by, and mentioned criticism of his economic plan by the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania — Trump’s alma mater, which he frequently cites as evidence of his business bona fides.

And most significantly, Harris panned his record as a “mess.”

“Let’s talk about what Donald Trump left us. Donald Trump left us the worst unemployment since the great depression. Donald Trump left us the worst public health epidemic in a century. Donald Trump left us the worst attack on our democracy since the Civil War. And what we have done is clean up Donald Trump’s mess,” she said.

Harris argues Trump will use ‘same old playbook’ tonight

After a first question on the economy elicited a back-and-forth from Harris and Trump, with Trump veering the conversation toward immigration and attacking the Biden administration’s record, Harris took a moment to try to rebut Trump’s comments.

“But I’m going to tell you all in this debate tonight, you’re going to hear from the same old tired playbook, a bunch of lies, grievances and and name-calling,” she said.

Trump again denies involvement in 2025

Harris criticized Trump for involvement in Project 2025, a 922-page playbook of controversial policy proposals intended to guide the next conservative administration.

Trump denied again that he knows about Project 2025, despite being authored by at least two dozen members of his administration and allies.

“Everyone knows I’m an open book,” he said.

1st question on economy

The first question is on an issue that’s top of mind for voters: the economy and cost of living.

Asked if she believed Americans are better off today than they were four years ago, Harris talked about her plans to help families and small businesses. She targeted Trump, saying he will provide a tax cut for “billionaires and big corporations.”

Harris and Trump take the stage

This marks the first time Harris and Trump have ever met.

Harris, Trump shake hands after intro

Harris and Trump shook hands after they were introduced on stage, ending an eight-year streak of no handshakes on the presidential debate stage.

There are no rules or stipulations requiring a handshake before or after the debate.

High-stakes showdown begins

The ABC News presidential debate is now underway.

It is a crucial moment for both candidates with exactly eight weeks until Election Day.

Rep. Madeleine Dean notes the debate will be many viewers’ introduction to Harris

Rep. Madeleine Dean, a Democrat who represents Pennsylvania’s 4th District in the Philadelphia suburbs, said today’s debate is an opportunity for Harris to introduce herself to swing voters outside the political “bubble” who may not have tuned into the campaign earlier, and share her record as a prosecutor, attorney general, senator and now vice president.

“She is an able public servant, and so she has the chance to introduce that part of herself to those who are too busy to actually know all of those granular details,” Dean told reporters in the spin room.

—538’s Tia Yang

Debate just minutes away

The presidential debate is now just 15 minutes away.

Both candidates have arrived in Philadelphia, and their campaign surrogates are already on the ground providing spin and setting expectations for tonight’s matchup.

Member of exonerated ‘Central Park Five’ in the spin room

New York City Councilman Yusef Salaam, a member of the exonerated “Central Park Five” who was wrongfully incarcerated in connection with a 1989 rape, is in the spin room.

Salaam, who spoke at the DNC, has been a staunch Trump opponent after the former president took out a full-page ad in The New York Times calling for the death penalty for the five suspects at the time.

Rep. Michael Waltz says Trump will pick back up on trade policy

Rep. Michael Waltz, a Florida Republican and veteran who serves on the Armed Services and Foreign Affairs Committees, is one of the Trump surrogates who has been circling the spin room here in Philadelphia. He focused in on Trump’s trade and foreign policy, telling reporters that in a second term, Trump would pick back up on “deals that and “undo executive orders” like the one pausing exports of liquified natural gas.

—538’s Tia Yang

Harris arrives at the debate

Harris has arrived at the National Constitution Center ahead of her face-off with former President Trump.

Harris’ motorcade drove past a billboard on the highway that read “VOTE TRUMP,” according to ABC News’ Gabriella Abdul-Hakim, who is traveling with the vice president.

-ABC News’ Fritz Farrow

The debate rules: muted microphones and more

Harris selected the right podium position on stage. The two candidates will remain standing for the 90-minute debate.

There will be no opening statements, though each candidate will get two minutes at the end to give their closing arguments to the American people. Trump will offer the last closing statement after winning the coin toss.

The candidates can’t bring notes on stage. Candidates will only be given a pen, a pad of paper and a bottle of water. They cannot interact with their campaign staff during commercial breaks.

Their microphones will only be live when it is their turn to speak and muted otherwise. Harris and Trump will get two minutes to respond to questions by the moderators and two minutes for rebuttals. They cannot ask each other questions.

Latest look at the debate stage

Here’s the latest look at the debate stage, as Harris and Trump face off in less than an hour.

The candidates will be standing six feet apart. There will be no live audience.

Gavin Newsom tears into Trump, calls him ‘boring’

California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a top Trump antagonist, tore into the former president as unable to resist personal attacks and “boring” on the trail.

“He doesn’t know any other way. He’s incapable of not doing that,” Newsom said when asked if Trump would attack Harris’ personality. “This is a guy who’s just weakness masquerading as strength.”

Newsom said he expects Harris to “rise above” the attacks but to also “counterpunch.”

“She’s new, she’s the next generation. He’s old, he’s stale, he’s derivative, he’s, dare I say it, boring,” Newsom added.

-ABC News’ Tal Axelrod

Vivek Ramaswamy says success for Trump is a focus on policy

Vivek Ramaswamy, a former presidential candidate and vocal Trump supporter, said the former president would win a debate centered around policy.

“I think a win looks like a policy-focused debate,” he said.

“If we have a policy-focused debate, Donald Trump hits it out of the park.”

-ABC News’ Tal Axelrod

ABC News’ pre-debate special ‘Race for the White House’ begins

“Race for the White House,” ABC News’ prime-time pre-debate special, premiered at 8 p.m. ET.

The special is anchored by chief global affairs correspondent and “This Week” co-anchor Martha Raddatz, chief Washington correspondent and “This Week” co-anchor Jonathan Karl, chief White House correspondent Mary Bruce and senior congressional correspondent Rachel Scott.

You can watch live on ABC, ABC News Live, Disney+ and Hulu.

Pennsylvania a critical battleground this election

Tonight’s debate is being held at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia.

Pennsylvania has emerged as a central battleground once again after sealing President Biden’s victory over Trump in 2020.

Right now, Harris and Trump are separated by less than 1 percentage point in 538’s polling average of the Keystone State.

Of the seven or so states believed to be in play this cycle, Pennsylvania holds the most electoral votes at 19.

Will the tables turn on Trump’s age and mental fitness?

In the most recent ABC News/Ipsos poll, Harris had an advantage over Trump when it came to who Americans think has better “physical health” and “mental sharpness” to serve effectively as president.

Trump has recently gotten attention for his rambling and often-incoherent speaking style, and while that’s nothing new for him, this will be his first time directly facing a new opponent, who’s nearly 20 years younger than him. Whether or not Trump’s age or mental acuity come up explicitly in tonight’s debate, how he handles himself — and how viewers respond afterward — could help him put some of those concerns to rest, or exacerbate them and give Harris an opening.

—538’s Tia Yang

Kristi Noem says Trump needs to hold Harris ‘accountable’

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, R, said Trump should hold Harris’ feet to the fire on policy, referencing policies this campaign on things like fracking and health care that differ from stances she took during her 2019 run.

“He needs to hold her accountable to what she truly believes and what she’s done when she was given more power in a bigger position,” Noem told ABC News.

Noem added that accountability should be more focused on policy than personality, but added, “His personality always shines through, it just does, and she’s going to have a tough time dealing with that.”

-ABC News’ Tal Axelrod

Which issues do Americans trust Harris, Trump on?

We’re obviously going to hear about a lot of different issues tonight — and some of those issues will be comfortable ground for Trump, while others will be Harris’ home turf. The latest ABC News/Ipsos poll asked Americans whether they trusted Trump or Harris more to handle 11 different issues. Harris was trusted more on six, Trump was trusted more on four, and one (crime and safety) was tied.

Harris also had the biggest trust advantage on any issue: 16 points, on both abortion and race relations. However, Trump was trusted more than Harris on the three issues that Americans usually say are the most important to their vote: the economy, inflation and immigration.

—538’s Nathaniel Rakich

Melania Trump not in attendance at debate

Members of the Trump family attending the debate with him tonight are his son Eric Trump and his son’s wife — and co-chair of the Republican National Committee — Lara Trump, sources familiar with the matter tell ABC News. Melania Trump is not there.

On the plane with him from Florida to Philadelphia were Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz and former Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, who have been helping Trump with debate prep. Also on board — one of his lawyers, Alina Habba, as well as senior staffers Chris LaCivita, Susie Wiles, Steven Cheung, Corey Lewandowski and Jason Miller.

Notably, controversial conservative media influencer Laura Loomer was also flying with Trump. Loomer has pushed multiple conspiracy theories about Harris, including racist and sexist attacks on the vice president.

-ABC News’ Lalee Ibssa and Katherine Faulders

Trump arrives in Philadelphia

Trump landed at Philadelphia International Airport a short while ago for the debate. He could be seen raising his fist as he departed his plane.

Memorable moments from debates past

It’s a hallmark of the American electoral process: the presidential debate.

The first nationally televised debate in history featured John Kennedy and Richard Nixon. The visuals did not play in Nixon’s favor, as he was seen sweating and looking pale after previously being hospitalized for an infection, while Kennedy looked young and gave a more vigorous performance.

More than 20 years later, Ronald Reagan, the oldest sitting president at the time, shut down some questions about his age during his debate with Democrat Walter Mondale.

In 1992’s trilateral debate, President George H.W. Bush was criticized for looking down at his watch. In 2000, Al Gore was mocked for his audible sighs during his debate with George W. Bush.

In the 2020 Democratic primary, one highlight was Harris’ challenge to Joe Biden on the issue of segregation and busing, which prompted her viral quote, “That little girl was me.”

Most recently, the debate between President Biden and Trump changed the course of the 2024 campaign after Biden’s poor performance exacerbated Democratic and voter concerns about his age and fitness to serve another four years. He announced he was exiting the race 24 days later.

Expectations are slightly higher for Harris tonight

Expectations matter in debates. For example, if a candidate goes in with low expectations from the public and turns in a mediocre performance, it probably wouldn’t hurt them as much as if they had gone in with high expectations from the public and turned in the same performance.

Because of this, we were interested in whether Americans had higher expectations of Harris or Trump tonight — so we included this as a question in the most recent ABC News/Ipsos poll. According to that poll, 43% of Americans are expecting Harris to win tonight, while 37% are expecting Trump to win. However, 18% said neither would win or it would be a tie.

—538’s Nathaniel Rakich

Harris, Trump both come into debate with White House track records

Tonight’s debate marks a rare historical moment in that it pits against each other two candidates with significant track records in the White House.

That “political baggage” can be a curse for the candidates, according to experts who’ve studied debates, but also a blessing, depending on how it’s portrayed and defended.

Both Harris and Trump will need to walk a fine line between affirming what they consider their successes during their administrations, experts said.

-ABC News’ Ivan Pereira

Trump is viewed more negatively than Harris

Debates are a rare opportunity for candidates to change their perception among the American people. And right now, Harris is perceived more positively than Trump. According to 538’s polling average, 46 percent of Americans view her favorably, while 47 percent view her unfavorably. While that’s not exactly popular, it’s a remarkable reversal from just a couple months ago. Before Biden dropped out of the presidential race, Harris had a net favorability rating of -16 points. But since she kicked off her campaign, her favorable rating has shot up, while her unfavorable rating has plummeted.

By contrast, according to 538’s polling average, 43% of Americans view Trump favorably, while 53% view him unfavorably. Those numbers have been pretty consistent over the years. Trump’s unfavorable rating has been about 10-15 points higher than his favorable rating since he left office in 2021, and his average job approval rating was in the same range for most of his term as president.

—538’s Nathaniel Rakich

Rick Scott says Trump will be focused

As speculation mounts over how Trump will go after Harris — on policy or personality — Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., a top Senate ally, insisted the former president will stick to issues Americans care about.

“He’s going to do great,” Scott told reporters in the spin room in Philadelphia. “He’s going to talk about the issues.”

-ABC News’ Tal Axelrod

Entering the debate, the race is basically tied

The stakes for this debate are high for both candidates for one very simple reason: The presidential race is extremely close right now. In some of the states most likely to decide the election — such as Pennsylvania, Georgia and North Carolina — 538’s polling averages show Harris and Trump within 1 percentage point of each other.

Nationally, Harris leads Trump by an average of almost 3 points, raising the possibility that she could win the popular vote but lose the Electoral College, as Hillary Clinton did in 2016. According to 538’s average, Harris’s national lead peaked at 3.7 points on Aug. 23, the day after the Democratic National Convention, but her advantage has slipped a bit in the weeks since.

-538’s Nathaniel Rakich

Harris and Trump face major challenges, risks on debate stage

Harris and Trump will need to navigate the pitfall-filled debate of their political lives as each tries to persuade millions of voters and viewers that they’re the one best suited to be president.

Harris, whose wave of momentum has brought Democrats back to a neck-and-neck presidential race, will have to prosecute the case against Trump while also laying out how her agenda could help the country — particularly beleaguered middle- and working-class Americans.

Trump, meanwhile, has the task of casting his record on the economy and immigration as superior to Harris’ while avoiding distracting personal attacks on Harris.

Republicans and Democrats told ABC News how they should meet the crucial moment.

-ABC News’ Tal Axelrod

Tonight’s presidential debate presents rare opportunity to shape election: Experts

How much difference do presidential debates make? In the past, they’ve rarely influenced an election’s outcome, according to historians who spoke with ABC News.

But the June debate between President Joe Biden and former President Trump was a rare exception, they say, ultimately leading to an unprecedented change in the Democratic presidential ticket.

Now as Vice President Harris prepares to take on Trump in their first presidential debate, experts predict the matchup could potentially produce a similar consequential and history-making moment that could sway undecided voters — a key voting bloc that could determine who wins the November election.

Read more here.

-ABC News’ Ivan Pereira

Independent voters want to know more about Harris. Can she fill in the gaps?

A recent New York Times/Siena College poll found a sizable share of likely voters (28%) and registered voters (31%) feel they need to know more about Harris as a candidate. Those numbers were even higher among independent voters: 41% of registered independents and 38% of likely voters who identified as independent said they needed to learn more about her.

Her campaign is well-aware that a large slice of the critical voting bloc feels they don’t know Harris well enough, ABC News Chief White House Correspondent Mary Bruce reports.

Tonight, she’ll want to fill in the blanks in what is her highest-profile appearance since her acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention last month. But beyond that, their real goal is to make clear the stark choice in this election between what she wants to do as president and what Trump intends to do.

Newsom, Shapiro, Duckworth among Harris spin room surrogates

The Harris campaign released its list of surrogates who will be in the spin room during the debate.

Four Democratic governors — Roy Cooper of North Carolina, Michelle Lujan Grisham of New Mexico, Gavin Newsom of California and Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania — are among the group, as well as Sens. Laphonza Butler of California, Tammy Duckworth from Illinois and Chris Murphy of Connecticut.

Four Democratic House members — Jason Crow from Colorado, Veronica Escobar of Texas, Robert Garcia from California and Ted Lieu of California — will also be joining, as well as retired Brig. Gen. Steve Anderson, a former Republican; Reproductive Freedom for All President and CEO Mini Timmaraju and Khizr Khan, a Gold Star father.

Biden says he spoke with Harris, who appears ‘calm, cool and collected’

As he left the White House for New York, where he will watch tonight’s debate, President Joe Biden said he’s spoken with Harris.

Biden wouldn’t divulge what advice he had for her, but said she appeared “calm, cool and collected.”

“I think she’s going to do great,” Biden said.

Trump en route to Philadelphia

The Trump campaign posted a short clip of the former president boarding his plane, saying he’s en route to Philadelphia. Harris arrived in the city Monday evening.

-ABC News’ Soorin Kim

Hillary Clinton said Kamala Harris should ‘bait’ Trump during tonight’s debate

Hillary Clinton gave some advice to Vice President Kamala Harris on tonight’s debate, according to The New York Times.

“She just should not be baited. She should bait him. He can be rattled,” Clinton told The Times during a recent phone interview.

Clinton confirmed to NYT that she had spoken to Harris directly and discussed “a number of things” prior to the debate.

As the 2016 Democratic nominee, Clinton has experience debating the former president.

She said she believes Harris “has a lot of good ammunition” and that she’s “handling him [Trump] very well.”

RNC Chairman Michael Whatley says Trump’s ‘rested,’ ‘relaxed’ and ‘ready to go’

In an interview Tuesday with ABC News’ Kyra Phillips, Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley said it was unfair of the Harris campaign to suggest Trump would lie on stage tonight.

He also confirmed that Trump will stray away from personal attacks, and that the former president was not nervous.

“He feels very comfortable. He’s rested, he’s relaxed, and he’s definitely ready to go,” Whatley said.

Whatley also said “this is the most united the Republican Party has been in generations.”

– ABC News’ Kelsey Walsh

Sen. JD Vance headlining debate watch party fundraiser in Philadelphia tonight: Sources

The Trump campaign’s debate watch party in Philadelphia tonight will take form in a fundraiser with Sen. JD Vance headlining the event, according to sources and an invitation obtained by ABC News.

The invitation doesn’t detail the location, other guests or speakers of the night.

Tickets range from $5,000 to $50,000, with a photo opportunity costing $15,000 and a VIP ticket costing $25,000, the invitation shows.

-ABC News’ Soo Rin Kim, Hannah Demissie, Lalee Ibssa, and Kelsey Walsh

Presidential candidates haven’t shaken hands at debate since 2016

There are no rules requiring Harris and Trump to shake hands before or after the debate.

If they do, it would mark the first time since 2016 that the candidates have shaken hands. Trump and Biden did not shake hands during their two matchups in 2020.

Trump contracted COVID-19 following the first debate.

The two candidates also didn’t shake their hands during the June debate.

Trump campaign says he’s in ‘good spirits’

The Trump campaign during a pre-debate call said Trump is in “good spirits” and will be departing shortly for Philadelphia.

“President Trump is in good spirits. He is currently in Mar-a-Lago. My understanding is that he will be departing shortly to head over to Philadelphia,” said Trump campaign senior adviser Danielle Alvarez when asked about his mood going into the debate.

She suggested that the former president is “ready” to talk about inflation, housing affordability and the border among other issues on the debate stage. Alvarez also suggested that Trump might attack Harris for flip-flopping on some key issues such as fracking, police funding and electric vehicles.

“The president is certainly full of surprises. I know that we can expect him to be, you know, with his, his charming self. We know that he is incredible when it comes to weaving in and out of topics — he’s incredible on those policy issues. So that’s … certainly something that may happen,” she said.

-ABC News’ Soorin Kim, Lalee Ibssa and Kelsey Walsh

Here are the rules for tonight’s debate

Tonight’s consequential presidential debate hosted by ABC News will consist of set rules to govern the matchup, restricting candidates’ speaking time, microphone access, and engagement with campaign staff.

There will be no audience present, and questions will come strictly from the moderators.

After winning the virtual coin flip, former President Trump will offer the final closing statement.

Read more here.

Harris campaign to display drone show before debate

The Harris campaign will fly a drone show over the Philadelphia Art Museum from 8:05 to 8:25 p.m. ET at the famous Rocky Steps, just prior to the debate on Tuesday.

The show will add onto the campaign’s Philly-themed advertising and recent ad mocking Trump and crowd sizes, according to campaign spokesperson Kevin Munoz.

– ABC News’ Gabriella Abdul-Hakim, Fritz Farrow, and Will McDuffie

What to watch for on the economy during the debate

The verbal joust Tuesday night between Trump and Harris will touch on a range of issues, but none may be more important than the economy, which often ranks as the top priority among voters.

ABC News spoke to experts about what they will be watching for when the debate turns to the economy. They said they’ll be looking for everything from the amount of substantive discussion, to the relevance of Biden’s legacy, to the prevalence of topics like inflation and taxes.

Read more here to learn what to watch for on the economy during the match-up, according to experts.

-ABC News’ Max Zahn

Walz calls Trump a ‘showman’ ahead of debate

At a campaign fundraiser Tuesday morning, Gov. Tim Walz said he knew what to expect from Trump during the debate, calling the former president a “showman,” according to a pool reporter in the room.

“Donald Trump’s a showman. This is his seventh general election debate. No one in modern times has done more of these. The good news is that this is his seventh debate and we know exactly what to expect,” Walz said.

-ABC News’ Isabella Murray

First to ABC: Sens. Chris Murphy, Laphonza Butler in spin room for Harris

Sens. Chris Murphy and Laphonza Butler will be in the spin room as surrogates supporting Harris, according to a campaign official. This news is being shared first with ABC News.

Murphy had helped negotiate the bipartisan border deal earlier this year that Trump urged his party to oppose. Harris has been pledging to work to get that deal passed if elected, while hammering Trump for killing the deal.

Butler met Harris 15 years ago when Harris was the district attorney of San Francisco and Butler also served as senior adviser on Harris’ 2020 presidential campaign.

-ABC News’ Selina Wang

Harris, Trump campaigns spin expectations ahead of ABC News debate

Harris said in an interview that aired Monday that she expects former President Donald Trump to lie during the ABC News presidential debate on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the Trump campaign and surrogates continued to insinuate on Monday that the former president’s strategy at the debate will be to tie Harris to what they say are her policy failures and “disasters” as a leader of the Biden-Harris administration.

With time ticking down until the two meet for the debate, both candidates are working to spin expectations in what is expected to be a key moment for both campaigns as they look to appeal to voters ahead of what’s expected to be a close contest in November.

Read more here.

-ABC News’ Gabriella Abdul-Hakim, Fritz Farrow, Will McDuffie, Mary Bruce and Oren Oppenheim

Gold Star father, retired general among those representing Harris in spin room: Official

Gold Star father Khizr Khan, whose son Humayun Khan was a Muslim Army captain who was killed during the Iraq War in 2004, will be among the surrogates supporting Harris in the spin room at the debate, a campaign official confirmed to ABC News.

Khan garnered national attention after he delivered a blistering speech attacking Trump at the 2016 Democratic National Convention.

Harris will also be supported in the spin room by retired Brig. Gen. Steven M. Anderson, according to the campaign official. NBC News first reported Khan and Anderson’s roles as Harris surrogates in the spin room.

-Fritz Farrow, Grabriella Abdul-Hakim and Will McDuffie

Trump campaign spokesperson says he’s not engaged in traditional debate prep

Trump campaign spokesperson Danielle Alvarez said Tuesday morning on ABC News Live that Trump “does not do traditional debate prep” and reiterated that he has been campaigning and engaging in policy discussions instead.

“I would say that the president does not do traditional debate prep. He’s on the campaign trail constantly. We see him in key battleground states every week, joined by tens of thousands of patriots,” she said. “We know that he does tough interviews, both nationally, locally.”

“That’s truly how he prepares for these debates, having those conversations every day. He’s ready to step back into the White House,” she continued. “We also know that he prefers to have those policy discussions, and he’s been doing that with elected members in Congress like Matt Gaetz, with former Congress member Tulsi Gabbard and others — very similar to what he did to prepare for that first debate against Joe Biden. He has prepared in a similar way again, just by getting out there and talking every day to voters and talking to media.”

-ABC News’ Soorin Kim, Lalee Ibssa and Kelsey Walsh

Harris not ‘underestimating’ Trump ahead of debate: Source

Just hours away from the debate, a campaign source is setting expectations that Harris is not “underestimating” Trump’s ability to debate, and that it would be a “mistake” to do so.

The Harris team expects Trump to be “good” at debating, stressing that Trump has done this more than anybody else, while it will be Harris’s first presidential debate.

The Harris campaign is “happy to get under [Trump’s] skin,” and they hope that bringing former Trump officials into the spin room later this evening will accomplish this.

On a campaign call last night, a source said Harris is ready for any version of Trump that shows up — whether it’s the presidential Trump, the more mellow Trump during the Biden debate or a more aggressive version.

-ABC News’ Selina Wang

8 hours until the Harris-Trump ABC debate, here is how to watch tonight

The consequential Harris-Trump face-off will air live tonight at 9 p.m. ET on ABC and stream on ABC News Live, Disney+ and Hulu.

ABC News Live is available on Samsung TV+, The Roku Channel, Amazon Fire TV devices, YouTube, Tubi, the ABC app, and ABC.com.

ABC News Digital and 538 will live blog the latest from the debate stage with coverage, analysis and fact checks.

SiriusXM users can listen to the debate on Channel 370.

The prime-time pre-debate special, “Race for the White House,” will air at 8 p.m. ET and stream on ABC’s platforms.

Read more here.

Biden to watch debate from New York

President Joe Biden will be watching the debate from New York, where he’s going to be for 9/11 memorial events, according to White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.

“The president will definitely be watching,” she said in Monday’s briefing.

Jean-Pierre wouldn’t give details on any conversations about the debate between Harris and Biden or whether he’s given her any takeaways from his own last face-off with Trump, but she said the president was “very proud” of Harris.

“What I can say is, that he’ll be watching, he supports, obviously, the vice president, is very proud of her, and I just don’t have anything else to add,” she said.

– ABC News’ Cheyenne Haslett

5 things to watch in the high-stakes Harris-Trump faceoff

Harris and Trump square off Tuesday at what could be their only presidential debate, setting high stakes for an event expected to be viewed by millions of Americans and a key sliver of undecided voters. Here’s what to look out for.

Can Trump stay focused on policy? Staying on message on his four-year economic record is key, while veering into personal attacks would be counterproductive, allies told ABC News.

Harris has dual goals: make the case for herself as someone who would be a capable president and get under Trump’s skin. How will she introduce herself to undecided voters?

Read the rest of the five things to watch for in the debate here.

Walz fundraising email says ‘Trump is sure to talk about his twisted version of freedom’

Gov. Tim Walz, Harris’ running mate, previewed the vice president’s upcoming debate with Trump in a fundraising email on Tuesday morning — contrasting their campaign’s message on the economy and freedom with Trump’s platforms.

“She’s going to show everyone watching what this movement is all about: supporting families like yours and mine and building a future where everyone has the opportunity not just to get by, but to get ahead,” the email reads. “Donald Trump is sure to talk about his twisted version of freedom,” Walz claimed in the email.

-ABC News’ Isabella Murray

Harris and Trump to have various surrogates in spin room

Harris and Trump will have a handful of surrogates representing them in the spin room following the debate.

Harris will have Govs. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, Gavin Newsom of California, Roy Cooper of North Carolina and Michelle Lujan Grisham of New Mexico representing her in the spin room post debate, a campaign official confirmed to ABC News.

In addition to attending a watch party hosted by the Trump campaign, GOP vice presidential nominee Sen. JD Vance will also participate in the spin room.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Gov. Doug Burgum, tech entreprenuer Vivek Ramaswamy, Sen. Marco Rubio, Rep. Bryon Donalds, and Sen. Rick Scott are also expected to appear on behalf of Trump.

-ABC News’ Fritz Farrow, Gabriella Abdul-Hakim, Will McDuffie, Kelsey Walsh, Lalee Ibssa, and Soo Rin Kim

Debate will show ‘strength and success’ of Trump vs. ‘devastation and weakness’ of Harris: Stefanik

House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik teed up her expectations for tonight’s presidential debate, telling reporters that Harris “cannot hide forever.”

“Tonight at the debate, the country will finally get to see the stark contrast between the strength and success of President Trump’s America-first policies and the devastation and weakness of Kamala Harris’s radical, failed, far-left agenda,” Stefanik, the fourth-ranked House Republican, claimed at a news conference in the Capitol Tuesday morning.

-ABC News’ John Parkinson

Harris campaign says it’s hosting 1,300 watch parties, Walz to deliver remarks in Arizona

Harris’ campaign said it’s hosting more than 1,300 debate watch parties across the country, and running mate Gov. Tim Walz will deliver remarks at one of them in Phoenix Tuesday night.

The watch parties will be in all 50 states, with more than 100 planned on college campuses, according to the campaign. The events will be used for volunteers to make calls to battleground-state voters and share debate content on digital platforms.

More than 300 of the planned watch parties will be group specific, including Republicans for Harris-Walz and Veterans for Harris-Walz events in Arizona, North Carolina and Georgia. There will also be Latino house parties in Arizona and labor-organized events in Pennsylvania, according to the campaign.

-ABC News’ Fritz Farrow, Gabriella Adbul-Hakim and Will McDuffie

Harris tweet: ‘America, see you tonight’

Looking ahead to Tuesday night’s debate, Vice President Kamala Harris tweeted “America, see you tonight.”

Before departing for Philadelphia on Monday, Harris told reporters that she’s feeling “good.” She also gave a thumbs up.

The vice president’s tweet also included a link to a list of debate watch parties the campaign is hosting across the country.

-ABC News’ Fritz Farrow

Harris releases new ad repurposing Obama’s dig at Trump

Vice President Kamala Harris repurposed former President Barack Obama’s suggestive dig at Trump over what Obama called his “weird obsession with crowd sizes” while speaking at the Democratic National Convention last month.

“Here’s a 78-year-old billionaire who has not stopped whining about his problems …” Obama said in the clip used in the ad, just before a clip of Trump at rally plays.

“Ooh, she had a big crowd! Ooh, that crowd,” Trump said in the snippet, mocking news reports about turnout for Harris.

“This weird obsession with crowd sizes… it just goes on, and on, and on,” Obama says as the ad returns to him, followed by shots of small Trump crowds and sounds of crickets chirping.

“America’s ready for a new chapter. We are ready for a President Kamala Harris,” Obama says.

The Harris campaign said the ad, titled “Crowd Size,” will air on Fox News the day of the debate because “Trump is known to watch” the network.

The 30-second ad is set to air nationally on cable news and in local West Palm Beach and Philadelphia markets.

– ABC News’ Fritz Farrow, Gabriella Abdul-Hakim, and Will McDuffie

Anthony Scaramucci among former Trump officials to serve as Harris surrogates in Philadelphia

Anthony Scaramucci and Olivia Troye, former Trump administration officials, will serve as Kamala Harris surrogates in Philadelphia today, the Harris campaign announced.

“Listen, don’t take it from us: Take it from the ones who know Donald Trump the best and who are telling the American people exactly how unfit Trump is to serve as president,” Harris spokesman Michael Tyler said.

Scaramucci served as Trump’s White House communications director. Troye served as the Homeland Security adviser to Vice President Mike Pence, as well as a top aide on the Trump White House coronavirus task force.

According to the campaign, they plan to discuss their support of Harris ahead of tonight’s debate.

They are among numerous former Trump staffers who continue to speak out.

– ABC News’ Will McDuffie, Fritz Farrow, and Gabriella Abdul-Hakim

Debate day arrives in Philadelphia

The stage is set for tonight’s high-stakes showdown in Philadelphia.

The lecterns are placed six feet apart at the National Constitution Center – where Donald Trump and Kamala Harris will meet in person for the first time.

The 9 p.m. ET matchup comes with just eight weeks to go until Election Day amid a tumultuous and unpredictable campaign.

The debate, moderated by David Muir and Linsey Davis, will air on ABC and stream on ABC News Live, Disney+ and Hulu. Viewers can also stream the debate on the ABC app on a smartphone or tablet, on ABC.com and connected devices. A prime-time pre-debate special will start at 8 p.m. ET.