The debate in Philadelphia gives Harris the chance to tell Trump directly: “Say it to my face”

Kamala Harris and Donald Trump have agreed to debate in Philadelphia on September 10.

The nationally televised one-on-one conversation at the National Constitution Center will be broadcast on ABC and without a studio audience.

This means that the decision about the winner lies with the voters sitting at home or in the sports bars of the city and the country.

And most likely the next president.

I mention sports bars for a reason. A debate is the closest thing American politics has to a sporting contest. It’s a test of mettle, but also of courage.

It’s a chance to show what’s important to you, but also your personal strength. After all, you’re in the same room as your party political rival.

Harris’s policy priorities are still unknown to millions of voters. And despite all the recent enthusiasm in her ranks, she remains a historic outsider.

She is a woman of color. If Trump achieves his goal – a goal he has clearly set for himself – she will also stand out as a candidate of the far left.

Harris therefore has two tasks at the debate on September 10 in Philadelphia.

First, she must build on the strength she already showed in introducing her running mate, Governor Tim Walz of Minnesota. That night at Temple University, the vice president demonstrated what I would call “command authority.”

This room belonged to her.

When she stands on the same stage as Trump, the pressure will be even greater. In a direct duel with her rival, she will be the first woman of color with a real chance of becoming American president.

Trump will try to reclaim every inch of that history. He will use everything he has against her. He will label the attacks on her race and gender, accusations that she wants “open borders” and supports urban crime as “left-wing.”

After watching Harris’ performance lately, I am convinced that she can more than hold her own against the former president.

The big question is whether Trump can pull off the same machinations as he did against Hillary Clinton.

Many of us cannot forget: Eight years ago, he crossed the stage and stood directly behind the former First Lady and Secretary of State as she took the time to speak.

I’ve often wondered what Clinton should have done in those moments: Should she have turned on him and derided him as a rule-breaker? Or an out-of-control abuser?

Today we have an answer. It comes from Kamala Harris herself.

“Say it to my face!”

It’s as aggressive a response as Trump tries to be. That’s how you address a monster.

And people will love it, as the masses already have. It will bring even more joy to her campaign. It reminds rally viewers of how Harris, the former prosecutor, referred to Trump – a convicted felon – as a criminal “guy” she knows well, a guy who mistreats women, a guy who cheats in every transaction.

“Say it to my face!”

It reminds me of how author Scott Turow began his classic novel, For lack of evidenceIt is an instruction on how a new prosecutor should always begin a murder trial.

“You always have to point your finger at someone,” said an old court clerk. “If you don’t have the courage to point your finger at someone, you can’t expect them to have the courage to convict someone.”

Harris has the ability to point the finger at Trump across the debate stage and say it straight to his face.

Your second challenge in the debate is to position yourself politically.

A recent poll shows that she is right to call herself a “typical” Democrat. In other words, she cannot be dismissed as a radical left progressive. The reason for this is that she presents herself as a tough prosecutor, someone who will enforce the laws of the land.

Having risen from district attorney in San Francisco to attorney general in California, this seems like the right approach for this three-month sprint to Election Day. She’s the tough prosecutor, Vice President Kamala Harris, against the accused Donald Trump.

She needs to stick to that position, especially at the debate in Philadelphia next month. Why? Because if you don’t define yourself in American politics, someone else will. And you won’t like the picture.

The voters who will decide this election are looking for an alternative to Donald Trump – but not an alternative at the extreme end of the political spectrum. For now, she is seen as a regular Democrat. Let’s leave it at that.

As a Democrat, she has many opportunities. She is safe from the far left. She will not be turned away on the outskirts of the city and in the suburbs, where undecided voters are fighting for her vote.

If she wins, it will be because a woman of color has overcome our country’s difficult racial history – and that will be better for all of us.

So she should continue to be a little tougher on the border than Biden and present herself as the pro-police candidate she sees herself as in California. That will play a big role in winning votes on the northeast edge of the city and in the surrounding suburbs.

This September’s debate in Philadelphia is expected to draw a huge audience, and Americans on both sides will be eager for the chance to see these political antagonists in the same ring together.

This will be Kamala Harris’s greatest challenge and could well lead to her becoming the next President of the United States.

Chris Matthews hosted MSNBC’s “Hardball” and previously served as the president’s speechwriter.