Presidential debate 2024: Donald Trump and Kamala Harris to face off on ABC as new poll shows who's leading

By Katelyn Caralle, Senior U.S. Political Reporter in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Kamala Harris is losing support among independent voters with just eight weeks until the 2024 election.

Donald Trump leads the vice president in this demographic 49 percent to 46 percent, according to a new PBS News/NPR/Marist poll released the day of their first debate.

Of all voters, the two candidates are only split by 1 percentage point.

The Tuesday results among independents show a 7-point dip for Harris from August, which was her first full month in the presidential race.

It's likely that third party candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. suspending his campaign last month helped with Trump's uptick in support among independent voters.

In 2020, President Joe Biden won independent voters by 15 points.

'Those are two important groups that are likely to be the ones who the campaigns are going to be targeting very heavily throughout the campaign,' said Cook Political Report Editor-in-Chief Amy Walter, referencing independent and Lantino voters.

Of all voters polled in the latest survey, a third say that the debate in Philadelphia on Tuesday will help determine who they will cast their ballot for in November.

Melania Trump released a new video on Tuesday, questioning law enforcement's role in the assassination attempt on her husband Donald Trump.

She indicated the full story wasn't being told and hinted at a conspiracy, saying there' s 'more to the story' and 'we need to uncover the truth.'

'The attempt to end my husband's life was a horrible, distressing experience,' she said in the 10 second video posted to her social media accounts.

'Now the silence around it feels heavy. I can't help but wonder why didn't law enforcement officials arrest shooter before the speech. There is definitely more to this story. And we need to uncover the truth,' she added.

The video ends with a shot of her forthcoming memoir 'Melania.'

In the video, the former first lady, 54, is dressed in black, speaking with a black screen behind her. Ominous music plays in the background.

By Katelyn Caralle, Senior U.S. Political Reporter in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

The time has come for Donald Trump and Kamala Harris to meet on stage for what could be one of the most consequential presidential debates in decades.

The race is on a knife's edge with polls showing the candidates - who have never met - neck and neck with just eight weeks to go until Election Day in November.

Their performances in the primetime showdown on ABC at 9pm in Philadelphia could make or break their chances of taking the White House in what has been an already historic campaign.

Just seven weeks into her campaign, the stakes couldn't be higher for Harris in the biggest moment of her career.

The millions expected to tune in already know Trump, but the vice president has yet to fully introduce herself as the Democratic candidate. She has only engaged in one sit-down interview and has not held a press conference as the nominee.

Trump is expected to go after Harris' record and make her answer for it publicly on stage for the first time.

Meanwhile, some speculate that Harris will try to goad Trump into making a mistake.

Pennsylvania, where the debate takes place, is one of the seven battleground states that will determine the outcome of the 2024 presidential election.

And the stakes for Harris couldn't be higher when it comes to winning Pennsylvania. No Democratic presidential nominee has won the White House without clinching the Keystone State since 1948.

The battle for the White House now comes down to a choice between freedom or power, according to a survey of likely voters.

It shows how the idea of Kamala Harris and the idea of Donald Trump has crystallised into a single word in the minds of Americans.

When 300 voters in seven swing states were asked for one word to describe what they thought Harris most wanted to achieve in office, the most popular answers were: 'Freedom,' 'equality' and the words 'middle' and 'class.'

For Trump the answer was 'power,' alongside 'dictator and 'revenge. ('Revenge' was the most popular response when DailyMail.com and J.L. Partners asked the question at the end of last year.)

It suggests that the two campaigns have had some success in getting their messages through to voters.

The Democrat and the Republican will participate in the second 2024 general election debate, but with some major changes since the Atlanta showdown in late June between Trump and President Joe Biden.

The biggest change - obviously - is that Biden has bowed out of the race, with Harris now topping the Democratic ticket, picking Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz to be her running mate.

It was his disastrous June debate performance - and pleas from a number of top Democrats - that compelled the 81-year-old president to do so, in late July.

Also since the last debate, Trump survived a July 13 assassination attempt at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

The rules are officially set for the much anticipated presidential debate between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris after the campaigns went head-to-head over whether microphones would be muted raising questions over the showdown would even happen.

The high-stakes event hosted by ABC News is set to take place on Tuesday, September 10 in Philadelphia. It will be the first and potentially only time the ex-president and vice president ever come face-to-face.

Both candidates are facing pressure to deliver a knockout performance on the debate stage which will take less than 60 days before Election Day as some voters will already be able to cast ballots.

The 90 minute must-see event will be moderated by ABC News anchors David Muir and Linsey Davis who will be the only ones asking questions.

Vice President Kamala Harris will participate in the most important political debate of her career on Tuesday evening, but she has a very mixed record on the stage.

Harris participated in multiple presidential debates with a gaggle of aspirational Democrats during her failed 2020 presidential campaign, as she struggled to break free of the pack and go viral.

Tuesday's debate with Harris marks Trump's seventh general election debate since 2016, while this is Harris' first with a Republican presidential candidate.

Political strategists who have prepared Republican candidates spoke to the DailyMail about her strengths and weaknesses in debates.

Harris is very good about preparing, rehearsing, and deploying prepared lines, even though her attempts to go viral do not always come off with a hit.