What to know about the Harris-Trump debate

>> HELLO. THANK YOU FOR JOINING US. >>> WE BEGIN OUR REPORT WITH A QUIET DAY IN THE CAMPAIGN BECAUSE IT'S ABOUT TO GET NOISY. THE FIRST DEBATE BETWEEN KAMALA HARRIS AND DONALD TRUMP WILL TAKE PLACE TUESDAY, SO THE DAY BEFORE THEY WERE OFF THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL PREPARING. WHAT ADVISERS FOR EACH CAMPAIGN HAVE BEEN SAYING ABOUT HOW THE CANDIDATES ARE PREPARING REFLECTS THE EVER PRESENT EFFORT TO SHAPE THE CANDIDATES' PUBLIC IMAGE. TRUMP WE ARE TOLD IS GOING OVER HIS POLICIES AND PLANS, BUT HE SAID THERE'S NOT MUCH PREP TO DO SINCE HE'S "BEEN PREPARING ALL MY LIFE" FOR THIS DEBATE. MEANWHILE HARRIS, A FORMER PROSECUTOR, IS PREPARING AS SHE MIGHT HAVE FOR THAT JOB, TRYING TO REPLICATE REALITY WITH MOCK DEBATES WHICH INCLUDE A LECTERN, LIGHTS, CAMERA, AND AN AIDE PLAYING THE ROLE OF THE FORMER PRESIDENT. THE LATEST CBS NEWS POLLING SHOWS HARRIS AND TRUMP REMAIN IN A VIRTUAL TIE IN THE BATTLEGROUND STATES OF MICHIGAN, WISCONSIN, AND PENNSYLVANIA, NOT MUCH CHANGE FROM OUR POLLING A COUPLE WEEKS AGO. CBS NEWS CHIEF WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT MAJOR GARRETT JOINS ME NOW. WHAT ARE YOU FOCUSED ON WITH THIS DEBATE TOMORROW? >> Reporter: FORMER PRESIDENT TRUMP WILL TELL AMERICANS THEY ARE UNHAPPY WITH THEIR PRESENT. THEY DON'T LIKE INFLATION. THEY DON'T LIKE IMMIGRATION. THEY MAY NOT LIKE THE INSTABILITY IN THE WORLD AND HE WILL SAY VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS IS TO BLAME FOR VIRTUALLY ALL OF THAT, BUT WHAT FORMER PRESIDENT TRUMP SAYS ABOUT THE FUTURE I THINK IS WHERE THIS DEBATE HINGES BECAUSE IN HIS WORDS, HE WANTS MASS DEPORTATIONS THAT AS HE SAID OVER THE WEEKEND COULD TURN BLOODY. HE WANTS VERY HIGH TARIFFS ACROSS THE BOARD, HIS WORDS, NOT MINE. HE WANTS TO FIND LONG JAIL SENTENCES FOR DONORS AND ELECTION WORKERS IF HE'S UNHAPPY WITH THE RESULTS, AGAIN, HIS WORDS, NOT MINE. VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS' CHALLENGE IS TO TALK ABOUT THE DIRECTION AND THE VISION SHE HAS FOR THE FUTURE AND TO CONVEY THAT SHE HAS THE SINGULAR STRENGTH TO NOT ONLY TAKE ON FORMER PRESIDENT TRUMP ISSUE BY ISSUE, BUT ON THE DEBATE OVER AMERICA'S FUTURE. >> MAJOR, HOW SHOULD WE WATCH A DEBATE BOTH FOR SUBSTANCE, BUT THEN ALSO YOU KNOW WHAT HAPPENS TO DEBATES, HOW CAMPAIGNS STRATEGIZE WHAT THEY DO WITH THE MATERIAL AFTER IT'S DONE. GIVE US A SENSE OF HOW TO THINK ABOUT IT AS A CITIZEN AND THEN TAKE US BEHIND THE SCENES AND HOW THESE DEBATES ARE USED IN THE PROCESS OF EXECUTING A CAMPAIGN. >> Reporter: THIS IS NOT A FULLY FORMED CAMPAIGN YET, JOHN, BECAUSE KAMALA HARRIS AS THE VICE PRESIDENT, IS NOT AS WELL KNOWN AS ALMOST EVERYONE WHO HAS BEEN IN THIS POSITION BEFORE IN MODERN AMERICAN HISTORY. SHE'S NOT A HOUSEHOLD NAME. SHE'S NOT FULLY FORMED IN TERM OF DEFINITION. POLL AFTER POLL SHOWS PEOPLE AREN'T QUITE EXACTLY SURE WHAT SHE IS ALL ABOUT. THAT CREATES FOR A HUGE OPENING FOR HER TO FILL IN SOME OF THOSE VAGUE NOTIONS ABOUT WHO SHE IS OR ISN'T. THERE'S A REAL UPSIDE POTENTIAL FOR THE VICE PRESIDENT TO DEFINE HERSELF IN CONTRAST TO FORMER PRESIDENT TRUMP. WE CANNOT ESCAPE THIS, JOHN. WE SIMPLY CANNOT. UNTIL AMERICA ELECTS A WOMAN AS PRESIDENT, WHICH WE HAVEN'T DONE YET, IT IS IN A GENERAL SENSE AN IMPOSSIBILITY, NOT THAT IT CAN'T HAPPEN, BUT JUST THAT IT HASN'T HAPPENED. SO EVERY WOMAN WHO IS A NOMINEE OF A MAJOR PARTY HAS TO MEET THAT STANDARD. IT IS A HARD TO DEFINE STANDARD, A STRENGTH, AUTHORITY, CLARITY AND VISION. LOTS OF MEN HAVE DONE THAT. ALL MEN HAVE DONE THAT WHO ATTAINED THE PRESIDENCY. NO WOMAN YET HAS. THAT'S SOMETHING THAT KAMALA HARRIS HAS VOLUNTEERED TO DO AND SHE'LL BE TESTED IN THE BIGGEST WAY ON THAT SCORE TOMORROW NIGHT. >> THE CANDIDATES ARE USUALLY PRETTY WELL KNOWN BY THE TIME DEBATES ROLL AROUND IN PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGNS. VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS IS A NOTABLE EXCEPTION. HOW ABOUT THE OTHER CANDIDATE ON THE STAGE? DONALD TRUMP, EVERYBODY KNOWS EVERYTHING ABOUT DONALD TRUMP. SO YOU ONCE TALKED ABOUT CANDIDATES WHO MIGHT BE GIVING HIM A THIRD LOOK. IS THAT A POSSIBILITY COMING OUT OF THIS DEBATE OR IS THAT JUST HE'S SO WELL KNOWN THERE'S LITTLE HE CAN DO TO CHANGE IMPRESSIONS? >> Reporter: THERE IS GOING TO BE A BATTLE ON THE DEBATE STAGE TOMORROW NIGHT OVER WHO THE INCUMBENT IS IN THIS RACE. KAMALA HARRIS WILL PORTRAY HERSELF AS THE FACE OF CHANGE, THE PERSONIFICATION OF CHANGE, EVEN THOUGH SHE'S THE SITTING VICE PRESIDENT. FORMER PRESIDENT TRUMP WILL TRY TO MAKE SURE THE AMERICAN PEOPLE FIND WITHIN HIM AN AGENT OF CHANGE EVEN THOUGH HE'S A FORMER PRESIDENT WHO WILL BE TALKING AT GREAT LENGTH, PROBABLY EXAGGERATED IN SOME RESPECTS, ABOUT HIS RECORD AS A PREVIOUSLY SERVING PRESIDENT. WHO THE INCUMBENT IS AND WHO REPRESENTS CHANGE AND IS THE CHANGE AGENT IN THIS ELECTION WILL BE A SUBTEXT OF TOMORROW'S CONVERSATION. >> FINALLY, A LITTLE LESS THAN A MINUTE, MAJOR, A SLEW OF POLLING HAS COME OUT, INCLUDING OUR OWN CBS NEWS SURVEYS SHOWING IT'S A VERY TIGHT RACE. WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF THE POLLS GIVEN HOW CLOSE THE RACE IS AND WHAT'S YOUR MINDSET ON POLLING FROM HERE UNTIL ELECTION DAY? >> Reporter: I THINK IT'S GOING TO BE VERY CLOSE UNTIL THE END. THERE MIGHT BE A BREAK ONE WAY OR THE OTHER. I WAS IN MICHIGAN LAST WEEK, TALKED TO 20 VOTERS. NOT A SINGLE ONE OF THEM WAS UNDECIDED AND THEY BROKE RELATIVELY EVENLY FOR HARRIS AND TRUMP. DEMOCRATS NEED TO UNDERSTAND WHATEVER THEY MAY THINK ABOUT TRUMP THAT IS NEGATIVE, HIS SUPPORT REMAINS RESIDUALLY STRONG AND A REALITY IN AMERICAN POLITICS, PERSUADING PEOPLE TO THINK DIFFERENTLY ABOUT TRUMP PART OF THE NEXT 55 OR SO DAYS IN THE ELECTION. >> THANK YOU. >>> A QUICK PROGRAMMING NOTE, WE'LL HAVE FULL COVERAGE OF THE FIRST DEBATE BETWEEN VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS AND FORMER PRESIDENT TRUMP ON TUESDAY. IT'S HOSTED BY ABC NEWS, BUT YOU CAN WATCH RIGHT HERE ON CBS