Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and Democratic presidential candidate kamla Harris will meet for the first time in the first and perhaps only debate in the United States US presidential election this time on Tuesday 10 9 2024 local time the debate is considered a key moment in the tight contestation leading up to the November 5th election the nationally televised debate will begin at 800 p.m ET Wednesday 8 and a M EDT and takes place just weeks before early voting begins in several States Trump promised to show the difference between the left-wing policies Harris proposed in her 2020 presidential campaign and the moderate positions she supports now we don't know what to expect Harris has changed her policies over the years Trump said in an interview with NBC News meanwhile Harris plans to highlight Trump's habit of frequently making untrue statements Donald Trump has a serious problem with the truth he wrote on social media anticipated meeting the debate is especially important for Harris because polls show more than a quarter of potential voters still don't think they know her well enough this opportunity will give him space to demonstrate his capabilities and explain his position on Trump who has a controversial history with many false claims and support for his supporters involved in the attack on the US capital on January 6th 2021 it was also the first meeting between the two after a series of personal attacks from Trump and his allies which often took on racist and sexist undertones against Harris still Trump's team hopes he remains focused on issues like inflation and immigration that have risen during Joe Biden's Administration potential impact of the debate presidential debates don't always change voters views but they can change the dynamic of the race in what is expected to be a very tight contest in several key States even small shifts in public opinion could affect the outcome this debate will take place at the national Constitution Center in Philadelphia with a duration of 90 minutes there is no live audience and microphones will be muted when it is another candidate's turn to speak Harris has been preparing for her debate in Pittsburgh since last Thursday while Trump has relied on informal discussions with his advisers and media interviews to prepare