The Debate, Trump’s Trial, and The Election

Welcome back to Politics Explained! If you’re new, we post concise, non-partisan weekly blogs about all things US politics. This week, we’ll be discussing the upcoming debate, updates on Trump’s trial, and updates on the upcoming election. If you haven’t already, follow our Instagram @PoliticsExplained1776, our X @PoliticsExp1776, and our TikTok @PoliticsExplained1776. Let’s get started.

The highly anticipated debate between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris will take place next Tuesday. The debate will be on ABC News, Disney Plus, and Hulu. Similar to the Trump-Biden debate, the microphones will not remain on the entire time, and instead be muted unless it is the candidate’s turn to speak. Also similar to the Trump-Biden debate, there won’t be a live audience. Finally, it will be hosted in Philadelphia, a blue city in a key battleground state.

Donald Trump’s trial for his criminal case in Manhattan has been postponed until November 26th, after the election. This is good news for the Trump campaign, as they’ll be able to avoid this bad press before Election Day. However, if Trump was sentenced this month, it’s possible it could have added to Trump’s martyrdom* within the Republican party.

Finally, let’s cover some quick updates on the upcoming election. Recent polls from 538 show Kamala Harris up, leading Trump by 3.1% - 47.3% to 44.2%. Additionally, Republicans such as Former Vice President Dick Cheney and Former House Rep. Liz Cheney state that they plan on voting for Harris. Recently, there’s been an uproar against JD Vance’s comments following the devastating Apalachee High School shooting, as he called school shootings a “fact of life.” He also outlined his belief that gun restrictions were not the answer to ending school shootings, but instead improving school security.

*Definition of the Week (Martyrdom): a display of suffering to obtain sympathy or admiration.