Trump Vs. Harris Debate: Do Voters Want To Hear More About Economy, Healthcare Or Bitcoin?

Donald Trump and Kamala Harris will meet face-to-face for the first time in a televised presidential debate Tuesday — less than two months before the 2024 presidential election.

Here's a look at where Benzinga readers stand on the highly anticipated television event.

Watching The Debate: Benzinga recently asked readers if they intend to watch the debate, which kicks off at 9 p.m. ET.

Benzinga asked: "Will you be watching the presidential debate between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris on Tuesday?"

In the poll:

• 66% said they plan on watching the debate
• 34% said they don't plan to watch.

Benzinga also asked: "Would you consider changing your vote based on what you hear during the debate?"

• 70% of readers said they would not consider changing their vote based on the debate
• 30% said they would at least consider changing their vote with less than two months to go until the election.

Observers expect the debate to cover a wide range of topics. Benzinga polled readers to see which topic they were most interested in hearing about from Trump and Harris. Here are the results:

• Economy and Jobs: 45%
• Immigration: 24%
• National Security: 15%
• Healthcare: 10%
• Cryptocurrency: 6%

It's not a huge surprise to see the economy, immigration and national security top the list. Each topic typically ranks among the most talked about topics by voters in election polls.

The first debate did not mention cryptocurrency. Trump changed his opinion on Bitcoin BTC/USD and has been working to appeal to pro-crypto voters in recent months.

Harris’ Super PAC accepts crypto donations, but sector enthusiasts criticized the candidate for not listing it among the policies on her website.

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Why It's Important: The debate could prove crucial for undecided voters, whereas those leaning or belonging to one political party have likely already decided who to support before the election.

The first 2024 presidential debate, which featured President Joe Biden and Trump, proved to be a pivotal event in the election as it may have led directly to the current president withdrawing from the race.

Potential voters could tune in to see how the two candidates differ on key topics and also to hear more about Harris’ platform, which has been the subject of debate. Some voters think Harris hasn’t done enough to share her policy with minimal interviews and public speeches since being named the Democratic Party candidate.

Harris may face scrutiny over shifting positions on key issues. Trump is likely to be questioned about his alleged ties to Project 2025 and his felony convictions from earlier this year.

Tuesday’s debate could serve as the only debate for the two candidates. There are currently no additional debates scheduled ahead of the 2024 election for Harris and Trump.

ABC News, which is a unit of The Walt Disney Company DIS, will host the debate and allow simulcasting to other media networks. It will be 90 minutes in length with two commercial breaks.

Viewership for Tuesday’s debate is expected to be high. The first 2024 presidential debate between Trump and Biden set several records for CNN and was watched by 48 million viewers.

Since Trump and Biden had already faced off in previous debates, viewers may have been less interested in the first debate, which had lower viewership than the first debates of 2020 and 2016.

A record 84 million viewers tuned in for the 2016 first presidential debate between Trump and Hillary Clinton.

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Benzinga conducted the study from Sept. 9 through Sept. 10, 2024, and included the responses of a diverse population of adults 18 or older. Opting into the survey was completely voluntary, with no incentives offered to potential respondents. The study reflects results from 133 adults.

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