Tonight, all eyes will be on Kamala Harris.
We’ve seen her as a vice president. We’ve seen her take the Democratic National Convention stage as a historic presidential nominee.
And now, for the first time, she will be in the room with her opponent, Donald Trump, going head to head in their first presidential debate. At least as much as a candidate possibly can, with microphones muted after every response (sorry to fans of Kamala’s big prosecutor energy).
But while much of the attention will naturally fall on Harris, I will also be watching a different set of people in the room: the journalists.
It’s already known that expectations for Trump’s behavior are so low that if he simply refrains from extreme personal attacks or weird claims by Hannibal Lecter, a few people might deem him “presidential” or matured.
Some folks don’t expect much.
It’s one of the many unfortunate consequences of the Trump era. The public has grown so numb, desensitized, or even apathetic to the former president’s behavior that even being slightly less offensive gets applauded.
A recent New York Times/Sienna poll reported that almost half of respondents felt personally offended by something Trump said or did, and yet they would still vote for him.
But even if Trump manages to play “nice” in the debate sandbox with Harris tonight, the media has a responsibility not to be charmed by a veneer of presidential leadership.
Journalists on stage must ask hard questions about Trump’s actual policy plans for the country, and not just his gripes.
It was easy for Trump to spend much of the time in interviews and during campaign rallies dragging Joe Biden for being old and the “worst” president, avoiding answering questions about his plans by deflecting with complaints about America. But now it’s time to hear details — and for Trump to be held accountable for what he’s already said he’ll do.
Mass deportations of millions of undocumented immigrants? How exactly will that happen?
Deporting “pro-Hamas” college students? What law will allow it, and how does he justify kicking American students out of the country? (Yes, that’s really on his website).
Defunding schools perceived to be teaching “critical race theory” and other “inappropriate” and “racial” content? Who gets to decide, and what happens to children in already underfunded schools who are determined to be guilty?
My hunch is that Trump will not have real answers, but we’ll never know unless we ask. And if he tones it down and doesn’t act a fool, that leaves journalists to ask real questions that reveal that truth.
Similarly, Kamala Harris should be pressed about her policy plans as well. The vice president has outlined 19 areas of interest on her campaign website that include several policy positions, from affordable housing and protecting reproductive rights to fighting the opioid and fentanyl crises.
If journalists would only ask VP Harris about what matters instead of the petty insults Trump has lobbed her way, people could actually get to know her and what she stands for.
They just shouldn’t only do it to her while letting Trump off the hook.
With seasoned and respected ABC journalist Linsey Davis at the helm of co-anchoring the debate with David Muir, I’m more optimistic that this will happen on stage.
But the journalists and pundits watching will also be part of the conversation.
Tonight, all of the media needs to hold Donald Trump accountable, not by treating him as a normal candidate, but as the candidate he actually is — a convicted former president who tried to overthrow the peaceful transfer of power and is threatening to change government from the inside out so that “Christians” don’t have to worry about voting again.
That’s not my opinion — those are the facts, proven by his words and his actions. And with just two months to go until Election Day, every word will count to help the people decide who deserves their vote.