There is less than a month until the second presidential debate of the year on Tuesday, Sept. 10. The debate will be the first debate between Vice President and Democratic nominee Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump.
This debate will mark not only their first time sharing a stage but also the first time Harris and Trump have ever spoken to each other in person, according to The New York Times.
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Both candidates are beginning their debate preparations, bringing in key individuals familiar with high-stakes settings. The presidential debate will be hosted by ABC.
In the weeks leading up to the debate, both campaigns are already prepping.
The Trump team has brought in Tulsi Gabbard, a former Democrat who once shared the stage with Harris in a 2019 Democratic presidential primary debate.
Gabbard has reportedly visited Mar-a-Lago for “practice sessions” with Trump, though the former president is known for foregoing traditional debate prep such as mock debates. Instead, Trump is said to prefer discussions about potential topics and lines of questioning.
For the Harris campaign, mock debates are being hosted with someone familiar to the job standing in as Trump.
Philippe Reines, a long-time Democratic operative, is reprising his role as Trump in these mock sessions. Reines previously served in this role in 2016 to prepare Hillary Clinton for her debates against Trump.
Harris has already participated in at least two mock debates with her campaign team, including one at Howard University, her alma mater where Reines was also seen.
Harris and Trump have never met or spoken face-to-face, and the only time they have been in the same room was when Harris attended Trump’s State of the Union address.
As for a potential second debate between the two, that remains uncertain as the campaigns continue to go back and forth. Currently, only the Sept. 10 debate is confirmed.
