Trump - Clinton prepare for second live debate

The second live presidential debate between Mr. Trump and Mrs. Clinton is expected to be dramatic and will touch on many thorny topics.

Republican US presidential candidate Donald Trump (left) and Democratic rival Hillary Clinton. Photo: Rolling Stone

The debate between Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and Republican rival Donald Trump will take place from 9:00 p.m. ET on October 9 (8:00 a.m. on October 10, Hanoi time) at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. The debate is expected to last 90 minutes, according to CBS News.

According to the Commission on Presidential Debates, the second debate was organized like a public meeting. Half of the questions for the two candidates were posed by the audience, the rest were given by the moderator. Experts said that this style of debate would help the public better evaluate the two candidates' ability to react as well as their level of concern for the American people, and at the same time check the honesty and truthfulness in each statement that Mr. Trump and Mrs. Clinton made.

Each candidate will have two minutes to answer questions, after which the moderator will decide whether to extend the time by another minute. The debate participants will be uncommitted voters selected by Gallup. The debate is expected to be watched by an estimated 80 million people.

Martha Raddatz of ABC News and Anderson Cooper of CNN will be the moderators of this year's debate. Raddatz is a veteran war correspondent with a deep understanding of policy and is known for asking tough questions of politicians.

Meanwhile, Cooper is one of the most famous hosts in the US today. He has worked for CNN for more than a decade, having moderated many debates between US presidential candidates in the primary elections. Billionaire Donald Trump said in the middle of last month that he did not want Anderson Cooper to be the moderator of the second presidential debate because he was worried that he would be unfair.

Debate moderators Anderson Cooper (left) and Martha Raddatz. Photo: Washington University

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is at a disadvantage compared to his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton ahead of the second debate due to the video of him talking about sexually harassing women that was released on October 7. According to a source familiar with Clinton’s campaign, the former US Secretary of State will respond early to Trump’s vulgar comments at the debate.

Since the video emerged, at least 10 Republican senators have either said they will not vote for Mr Trump in next month's election or called on him to withdraw, according to the BBC. However, the New York tycoon insisted the possibility of him dropping out of the race was "zero".

According to a poll conducted by Reuters/Ipsos from September 30 to October 6, Mrs. Clinton is currently leading Mr. Trump by 5% in terms of voter support, with the former US Secretary of State receiving 43% and the New York tycoon receiving 38%, respectively.

The hall where the second US presidential debate took place at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. Photo: New York Times

According to VNE