Kamala Harris and Donald Trump meet in Philly for presidential debate tonight

Kamala Harris and Donald Trump are gearing up to take the stage for Tuesday night’s debate in Philadelphia, where they’ll fight to sway 2026 election voters on the biggest stage in U.S. politics.

The event will offer Americans their most detailed look at a campaign that’s dramatically changed since the last debate in June.

Polling shows that Vice President Kamala Harris enters the presidential debate as the candidate who Americans are more likely to perceive as honest, committed to democracy, and as someone who cares about people like them, according to an August AP-NORC poll.

But former President Donald Trump has an edge over her when it comes to Americans thinking he’s being better positioned to handle the issues of the economy and immigration. Harris has more of an advantage over Trump when it comes to handling issues related to race and racial inequality, abortion policy, and health care.

Americans may also expect her to appear as a composed candidate — about half (47%) of Americans say the phrase “disciplined” better describes her over Trump (28%). And although Trump has spent the campaign championing himself as a strong leader who is capable of handling tough crises facing the country, the AP-NORC poll shows that Americans overall do not give him an advantage over Harris on those traits.

Trump’s strength currently lies in the fact that Americans are slightly more likely to trust Trump over Harris when it comes to handling the economy or immigration. Independents are about twice as likely to trust Trump over Harris on economic issues.