Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, and Trump, the GOP candidate, will debate at 9 p.m. EDT on ABC News.
Michael McFaul, a former U.S. ambassador to Russia, said there are “crystal clear differences between Harris and Trump on foreign policy,” arguing that only Harris stands for promoting democratic values abroad and defending freedom.
“Questions that show these differences will be very useful,” he wrote on X.
The biggest attack point for Trump is the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan, which Republicans have continued to hound the Biden administration on.
The GOP-led House Foreign Affairs Committee released its long-awaited report this week on the Afghanistan exit that faulted President Biden for a rushed withdrawal against the advice of senior officials.
Trump will likely make the case that the Afghanistan withdrawal was not only fumbled by Harris and Biden, but also showed U.S. weakness and set the stage for other deadly conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza.
Rep. Mike Waltz (R-Fla.), a member of the House Armed Services Committee, told CNN on Tuesday that Harris was “the last in the room,” repeating a GOP argument that she was a key decisionmaker in the Afghanistan exit.
“Was she either a wallflower and had no part in this major decision, or was she at the table?” he said, adding the Biden administration should come clean on the botched exit and have someone take accountability.
Still, Afghanistan could give Harris an opening to hit Trump for his Arlington National Cemetery visit last month.
The GOP candidate was invited by some of the Gold Star families of the 13 U.S. servicemembers killed in the the deadly Kabul airport bombing on the anniversary of the Afghanistan attack, but his campaign got into a physical confrontation with cemetery staff who were trying to enforce rules against politicizing the grounds.
Harris and Democrats slammed Trump for being disrespectful of the military and have tied that to other controversial comments he has made in the past about the armed forces.
ABC moderators are also expected to press Trump about Ukraine as the Republican candidate has claimed he will end the war with Russia by the time he is in office.
Harris could accuse him of bowing to Russian President Vladimir Putin and other dictators, but she will likely face her own questions about support for Israel and how to ease the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza, a divisive issue in the Democratic party.
Trump could also face questions about his plan to end the war in Gaza as a cease-fire deal between Israel and Hamas remains out of reach, but Harris will be most closely watched.
Hussain Abdul-Hussain, a research fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said he does not expect Harris to “to say more than the usual talking points” on foreign policy at the debate.
“She will certainly demand a ceasefire in Gaza as a prelude to a two-state solution,” he wrote on X. “Ceasefire leaves in place Hamas, which undermines two states. Talking points are not designed to add up, but to win over voters.”
Read debate coverage at TheHill.com.
