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2024 ABC debate: Kamala Harris, Donald Trump prepare for presidential debate in very different ways

2024 ABC debate: Kamala Harris, Donald Trump prepare for presidential debate in very different ways

CHICAGO (WLS) — Kamala Harris and Donald Trump swing sharply in how they dress up Tuesday’s presidential debatesetting up a showdown that reflects not just two separate visions for the country but two politicians who approach big moments very differently.

Harris spent the weekend holed up in a historic downtown Pittsburgh hotel where she focused on honing sharp two-minute answers, according to the debate’s rules.

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Meanwhile, Trump has publicly dismissed the value of studying for the debate. The former president is instead selected to fill his days with campaign-related events.

“He can say outrageous things. That’s not going to detract from his support. Harris, on the other hand, has the potential to let go, lose some enthusiasm, or she could have it all, right?” said Wayne Steger, professor of political science at DePaul University.

Steger said that while Harris, a former prosecutor, is detail-oriented, she has to keep policy issues simple.

READ MORE: What the polls say ahead of the presidential debate between Harris and Trump

“If she can paint Donald Trump like he doesn’t have new ideas and she’s the future, then she creates that candidate for change, and then I think that’s the frame she wants to go for,” he said.

Trump is expected to improvise with the same predictable themes he used against President Joe Biden: immigration and inflation.

“I think Kamala Harris will see a lot of this coming, and of course her strengths as a former prosecutor are being prepared and having a game plan on how to respond when the expected and the unexpected occur,” said Northwestern University Director of Debate Dan Fitzmier .

MORE ELECTION 2024: Where Harris, Trump stands on key issues

Debate experts say Trump’s strength is debate experience and his love for the camera, but the rules are different from previous debates. There will be no opening statements, no studio audience, no scripted notes or huddles with staff during commercial breaks, and microphones will be turned off when it’s not the candidate’s turn to speak.

Since the last presidential debate resulted in an incumbent dropping out of the race, Tuesday’s debate will be quite significant.

“Debates are consequential again, and over so many years we’ve gotten used to them being a bit boring. In this case, it’s going to be a huge crowd,” Fitzmier said.

The 90-minute debate will have two commercial breaks. So far, the ABC debate is the only one scheduled between Harris and Trump. A debate on the vice president is set for October 1.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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