With Kamala Harris' methodical preparation style vs. Trump's more casual approach, the No. 1 event left on the campaign trail launches tonight in Philadelphia

Harris vs. Trump: Debate Night (Rolling Stone)

The 2024 presidential election is 56 days away, and the most important event on a dwindling campaign calendar comes tonight when Kamala Harris and Donald Trump square off in what likely will be their only debate. What has been going on behind the scenes as the big night approaches? The New York Times, at its Evening newletter, provides insights from both sides. Matthew Culin writes:

Vice President Kamala Harris has spent much of the past several days holed up in a Pittsburgh hotel, practicing for her debate tonight against Donald Trump. There’s a stage, replica TV lighting and an adviser acting as Trump.

Trump has opted for a much more casual debate prep, with his advisers urging him to avoid looking like a bully. One of the key questions going into the event is whether Trump can restrain himself despite his history of being physically and rhetorically hostile to women on the debate stage.

The clash will be especially important for Harris, who began her campaign for president less than two months ago. A recent Times poll found that she was narrowly trailing Trump nationwide in part because nearly a third of voters said that they needed to learn more about her.

The debate will also be a test of Harris’s carefully rehearsed, aggressive debate style. “When Harris has not methodically prepared, she sometimes has trouble,” our politics reporter Lisa Lerer said. “That could end up being a problem with Trump because he is, above all other things, a highly unpredictable debater.”

Here’s what else to know:

• Trump’s rambling, sometimes incoherent public statements have raised questions about his cognitive health and stirred concern among voters.
• After a summer of political upheaval, the polls are finally showing what analysts expected all along: a dead heat.
• We talked to voters who want to leave the country because of the political environment.

Your questions:

We’re asking readers what they’d like to know about the election and taking those questions to our reporters. We gave one to Edward Wong, who covers foreign policy.

“Europe is watching. How come the candidates don’t talk about the global view on America and the necessity to reconnect to allies?” — Yasha Young, Berlin

Edward: Most American voters do not see foreign policy as a decisive issue or a priority in U.S. elections, unless American troops are directly involved in a disastrous war, so candidates generally do not spend much time talking about U.S. alliances or global affairs. However, we might see journalists ask both Harris and Trump questions about their foreign policy views in the televised debate on Tuesday.