QUESTIONS MODERATORS SHOULD ASK
Donald Trump and Kamala Harris have both shown themselves skilled at avoiding questions they don’t want to answer. The former president does it by burying questioners under a barrage of unrelated assertions, many of them false. The vice president does it the oldfashioned way, by taking refuge in vague talking points.
If they succeed at dodging and weaving their way through Tuesday’s debate, it will be a real loss for voters — especially the undecided voters in swing states who will decide the election.
The 90-minute session is probably the only time Americans will see the two nominees on one stage.
Here are some questions that should be on moderators’ list:
FOR TRUMP
› Election violence
The big question for Trump isn’t about policies; it’s whether he will encourage his followers to resort to violence if he loses, as they did on Jan. 6, 2021. Trump has refused to commit to accepting the result of the election, and says he believes Democrats can win only if they cheat.
Here’s a question:
At a debate with Joe Biden in 2020, you were asked if you had a message for extremist militias. You told the far-right Proud Boys to “stand back and stand by.” Three months later, they stormed the Capitol, and you praised them as patriots.
Do you want to take this opportunity to tell your followers that violence has no place in our political system?
› Abortion
Since the Supreme Court decision, 14 states have banned abortion under almost all circumstances. Five of those states outlaw abortion with no exceptions for rape, incest or the health of the mother. Are you OK with that? Would you do anything to protect women’s reproductive freedom in those states?
› Climate change
Scientists say we just had the hottest summer on record. Phoenix has sweltered through more than 100 days of the temperature topping 100 degrees.
But you have called climate change a hoax.
Do you believe climate change is a serious problem? As president, what would you do to protect us against escalating climate change?
› Child care
Last week, in New York, you were asked what you would do to lower the cost of child care . You said: “It’s a very important issue … . Child care is child care … You have to have it … . So we’ll take care of it.”
Do you know how much child care costs these days? And what specifically would you do to lower those costs?
› Tariffs
You’ve insisted that raising tariffs on imports from China won’t increase costs for American consumers. But when you raised tariffs on washing machines in 2019, their prices went up by almost $100, according to the conservative Heritage Foundation.
Consumers ended up paying more. Why will this time be any different?
FOR HARRIS
› ‘Turn the page’?
The big question for Harris, who is trying to hold President Biden’s political coalition together while promising to “turn the page” is whether a Harris presidency would be any different from a second Biden term.
Here are two ways to pursue that question (and it will probably take two tries):
You’re promising “a new way forward.” Aside from your name at the top of the ticket, what’s new about it?
A follow-up: Can you name any issues on which you’ve disagreed with Biden? Are there any decisions the Biden administration made that you wish had come out differently?
› Electric vehicle mandates
In 2019, you supported a mandate to require automakers to stop making gasoline-powered vehicles by 2035. Last week, your campaign told Axios that you don’t support an electric vehicle mandate of any kind.
Did you have a change of heart over the policy, or are you simply trying to improve your chances of winning autoworkers’ votes in states like Michigan?
› Immigration
In 2019, you said you favored decriminalizing unauthorized border crossings, making them a civil offense instead of a criminal offense. In your CNN interview last month, you said you had changed your position, and that you now think unauthorized crossings should come with a “consequence.”
What did you mean? What consequence should migrants or asylum seekers face if they cross the border without authorization?
› Price gouging
Last month, you blamed high grocery prices on “price gouging” by corporations, and proposed federal action to crack down. Would your plan apply to prices now, or only in a national emergency?
FOR BOTH
› Social Security and Medicare
Social Security and Medicare are both headed for serious financial problems in about 10 years. What specific steps would you take to shore up Social Security and Medicare to make sure they are still there for people when people now in their 40s and 50s retire?
› The war in Gaza
The latest Israel-Hamas war has been going on for 11 months. What specifically would you do in your first 100 days in office to end the war? Tell us at least three specific steps you would take. › The war in Ukraine
Russia invaded Ukraine 2 ½ years ago. What national interest does the United States have in this war?
What specific actions would you take to help bring the war to an honorable end?
Would you continue funding and supplying Ukraine? Would you press Ukraine to give up the territory Russia has occupied? The chances of getting answers?
Will the candidates answer all those questions in a crisp, clear way? Not a chance.
But if the moderators can elicit clear answers to even one or two questions, they will have done their jobs — and given voters new and useful information as they choose the next president of the United States.