With September upon us, it is time for the first televised presidential debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump. This will be aired live on ABC News at 6pm PT / 9pm ET for 90 minutes.

While I may not be the world's preeminent subject matter expert on the topic, I was the captain of my high school debate team. I’ll explain how to watch tonight’s debate, hot topics that may be addressed and how either Trump or Harris could emerge victorious.

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How To Watch The First Presidential Debate

You can watch the first presidential debate tonight at 9pm ET on the ABC News website. This will be simulcast on NBC, CBS, and news stations nationwide.

Hot Topics to Watch for on the Presidential Debate Stage

Immigration

Childcare

The Child Tax Credit

Russia / Ukraine

Israel / Palestine

Proposed “Tax on Tips” Law

Capital Gains Tax

Gun Safety

LGBT Issues

The Supreme Court 

Rules of the First Presidential Debate

According to ABC News, each of the candidates will have their mics muted while the other candidate is speaking. The debate moderators will ask all of the questions and candidates will not be permitted to ask questions of each other.

How Kamala Harris Can Win

Harris can win by deflecting critiques and maintaining authoritative positions on policy statements. This may be a challenge because as a sitting Vice President, Harris may be subject to criticism for Biden Administration policies and their current effects.

How Donald Trump Can Win

Trump can win by going after Harris about the current policies of the Biden Administration, the economy, and immigration. His debate style is aggressive and he typically uses personal attacks. This may be an area where Harris is not as comfortable.

Issues Trump May Be Confronted With

Business Failures / Bankruptcies

2024 Republican Primary Debates (Trump did not participate)

Indictments / Pending Cases

Issues Harris May Be Confronted With

Record As Attorney General For The State Of California

2024 Democratic Primaries (Biden participated without debating, left the race In July)

Current Policy Platform / Biden/Harris Administration Policies

Previous Debates from Each Candidate

Vice Presidential Debate between Mike Pence and Kamala Harris

Presidential Debate between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump

How Donald Trump Reacts to Interruption

"Excuse me."

"I'm the one who's talking here."

How Kamala Harris Reacts to Interruption

"I'm speaking."

"If you could let me finish.."

Why Aren’t Third Party Candidates on the Debate Stage?

In May of 2024, 71% of respondents of a Harvard CAPS / Harris poll said that independent and third-party candidates should debate alongside Democrats and Republicans. Candidates are excluded due to arbitrary thresholds.

Enjoy the debates and let me know your thoughts about who came out on top and whose performance fizzled.

When the DNC decided to push through a rapid fire, one day, nearly unanimous pledge of most states’ delegates to Vice President Kamala Harris, they either failed to consider or blatantly disregarded the devastating impact in November.

The obvious coordination and plot here hearken back to another place and time, right before Super Tuesday in the 2020 race. Bernie Sanders was surging, had just won the state of Nevada, and he was the favorite for the Democratic nomination. But all of a sudden, after unimpressive showings in Iowa (4th place) and New Hampshire (5th place), Joe Biden did well in South Carolina and soon, it was all the news could talk about. Pete Buttigieg and Amy Klobuchar left the race the Monday before Super Tuesday and, like dominoes, endorsements from other candidates soon fell into place. Out of twenty-four Democratic primary candidates that cycle, only Marianne Williamson and Bill de Blasio endorsed Bernie Sanders.

Many of us remember the start of the pandemic in March of 2020, when it became clear that polling places were not a safe place for poll workers or the general public, and no one was wearing masks. Poll workers were getting sick. Ohio was up next and I still remember the emphatic calls for everyone to go to the polls from Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic Party account, and several other Democratic influencers. The result? Biden won that contest, but people got sick. There were accounts that were tracking the spread. The decision at the time was irresponsible and the obvious pivot directly afterwards was clear. Delaying the primary would have changed the trajectory of the results Biden needed to secure the nomination. And, in a more progressive state, Bernie could have won and risen to the top again.

Canon 2 of the Code of Conduct for United States Judges states that judges should “avoid impropriety and the appearance of impropriety in all activities.” It’s a precept the Democratic Party would be wise to consider well. It doesn’t matter that the nomination process is relatively opaque or that the general public may not be aware of how it works — at least, as of yet.

Presidential historians with a strong understanding of precedent have called for an open convention, not because they are not in favor of any particular candidate, but because a real, open democratic process would establish authenticity and honesty — and, to put it bluntly — voters’ trust.

For weeks now, voters who watched President Biden’s performance on the national debate stage on June 27th have been told he would not be stepping down. For weeks, we have been told that the issues we could all see with our own eyes were not a problem and that the real problem was anyone talking about the issue in any regard whatsoever. After Biden stepped down — which I believe was the right choice — we all watched the same accounts who claimed they would never allow such a thing pivot on a dime and make almost evangelical posts about Harris. The claim that this was not coordinated just doesn’t pass the smell test.

President Biden stepped down and the delegates pledged to him were not obligated to immediately pledge to Kamala Harris, even after he personally endorsed her candidacy. Again, the rush to action and unanimous decision in each of the states these results came in from do not come across as if each delegate made their own decisions — which is the exact problem with not having an open convention.

The real issue here is not their “choice of candidate” — any process that “chose” a candidate within this context would make voters uneasy. Remember, we are not just talking about Democratic voters now — in order to win, the nominee will have to win over Independents, Republicans and a constituency of voters who have never voted before. This is a case where even the “appearance of impropriety” would be sufficient to raise eyebrows.

The 2024 presidential primary season on the Democratic side doesn’t help matters. A sitting congressman, a political commentator, and a progressive activist who has founded several nonprofits were all in the running alongside the president but were not offered debates. Each paid millions of dollars in order to get on ballots, including court costs for ballot access challenges across the country. Instead of welcoming the democratic process and encouraging healthy competition, there was a near total media blackout on these candidates while Republican candidates graced the stage. By the end of the Republican primary debates — even without their leading contender — all of the Republican primary candidates were nationally known. Few Americans watching were aware the Democratic primary candidates were even running.

It’s time to confront the reality: Attacks from the Republican side are already coming. They claim there was a “coup” and a “coronation.” Only one candidate, Marianne Williamson, has challenged Harris, and news articles and pundits are already saying she “has no challenger.” This is the same refrain we all saw during the Democratic primaries this past year, during the primaries in 2020 with South Carolina and Super Tuesday, and with the DNC nomination process in 2016, which resulted in a majority win but electoral college loss — and, for the first time, elected Donald Trump.

Whether you support Harris unequivocally or are against her candidacy entirely, it remains true that not holding a formal contest and allowing an open process will never allow the Democrats to fully debunk the accusations of impropriety that are being levied at the party from Republicans, Independents, and Democrats alike.

An open convention in Chicago could still change this.