By Daanyaal Matthews
As the United States draws closer to its election in November, the debate is expected to take place tomorrow in the city of Philadelphia, wherein Democrat nominee Kamala Harris and Republican nominee Donald Trump are set to go head-to-head.
The debate holds importance in American politics, even though in recent years the decorum of the debate has slumped to a splurge of ad-hominem attacks between the two candidates, but largely is seen as a measuring stick by the American electorate on the mental competency of candidates and their ability to handle pressure. This has materialized in recent debates, particularly when reflecting upon the debate between Donald Trump vs. Clinton and Donald Trump vs. Biden, with the latter being viewed as the catalyst for the calls against President Biden leading to his resignation from the race and the backing of Kamala Harris.
For Professor John J. Stremlau, Honorary Professor of International Relations at the University of the Witwatersrand, this debate is going to be a great test for both candidates, especially given the animosity building in the United States where various issues are rearing their heads.
“Issues like the Middle East or climate change are such evident issues, but immigration and cost of living are two issues that are on the voters’ minds the most, at least according to the polling, so we’ll see how she navigates those questions, particularly immigration,” ended Stremlau.
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