Presidential Debate Betting Odds: Will Trump and Harris Shake Hands?
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Jason Lake
- September 10, 2024
Bettors have been eyeing tonight’s ABC News Presidential Debate between Republican nominee Donald Trump and Vice President Harris since President Joe Biden bowed out of the race weeks after his performance in the first debate.
Election betting sites are offering a plethora of prop bets ranging from the candidate’s slinging mud at one another to the specific phrases used during the course of the 90-minute debate.
According to the latest presidential debate betting odds, online sportsbooks have placed Kamala Harris as the favorite to win the debate at -275, while Trump is narrowly favored to win the 2024 U.S. election at -120.
How to Watch the Presidential Debate
The debate will be broadcast by ABC News on Tuesday, September 10 at 9PM ET.
ABC News Presidential Debate Props
The first batch of Presidential Debate prop bets listed below are offered by trusted offshore sportsbook BookMaker.eu (read our BookMaker review).
Will Trump and Harris shake hands?
| Yes | +261 | |
| No | -350 |
I seriously doubt they will! Read on for my reasoning.
Will Donald Trump say “Tampon Tim”?
| Yes | +1441 | |
| No | -10000 |
Republican critics have coined a new nickname for Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz: “Tampon Tim.”
After Vice President Harris announced her choice, Stephen Miller, a former adviser to Donald Trump, posted on X, “She actually chose Tampon Tim.”
Conservative commentator Liz Wheeler praised the nickname on X. “Tampon Tim is hands down the best political nickname ever,” she posted. “It’s so… savagely effective. In one word tells you EVERYTHING you need to know about Tim Walz’s dangerous radicalism.”
The nickname stems from a law signed by Walz, who is the governor of Minnesota, mandating that public schools provide menstrual products — including pads and tampons — to students in grades 4 through 12. I don’t see Trump calling him that in the debate but hey, at +1441 I’ll place a small bet on Yes.
| Will Donald Trump say “Laughing Kamala”? | Yes +1160 | No -4000 | |
| Will Donald Trump say “Lying Kamala”? | Yes +1240 | No -5000 | |
| Will Donald Trump say “Crazy Kamala”? | Yes +1301 | No -6000 | |
| Will Donald Trump say “Crooked Kamala”? | Yes +1240 | No -5000 |
Ok, there’s a reason why the odds for No on these four props are so chalky. But once again, there’s decent value if you don’t risk much, particularly with the “Lying Kamala” one.
Will Kamala Harris say the word “Liar” during the debate?
| Yes | +194 | |
| No | -250 |
Harris is respectful but I can see her calling Trump a liar at least once and Yes has a great price at +194. I recommend investing in this prop.
Will Kamala Harris call Donald Trump a “Felon”?
| Yes | +405 | |
| No | -600 |
I think Harris knows that going after Trump with a word like that can distract from key issues and be perceived as desperation. I like No here but at -600, I recommend making a really small bet.
Will a candidate walk off the stage before the debate ends?
| Yes | +1160 | |
| No | -4000 |
If it happens it would be great television but in all seriousness, it won’t happen! Personally, I’ll stay away from this prop!
Will a candidate use the term “Fake News”?
| Yes | +120 | |
| No | -150 |
I love the price for Yes, we just need one of the candidates to use the term once and I’m sure that Trump will say Fake News at least one time. This is practically a lock!
Will Donald Trump say “Radical”?
| Yes | +120 | |
| No | -150 |
Personally, I don’t think he’ll say it but Yes at +120 is tempting.
Will Kamala Harris say “Bully”?
| Yes | +351 | |
| No | -500 |
Same logic I used for the “Felon” prop. Saying the word Bully might be perceived as desperation. I like No here but -500 is chalky! I recommend making a really small bet as well.
Will Kamala Harris say “Threat to Democracy”?
| Yes | +585 | |
| No | -1000 |
Again, Harris knows she must be smart here, and focus on policy discussions. I would go with No with this prop.
Will any candidate be called “Un-American or Anti-Patriotic”?
| Yes | +874 | |
| No | -2000 |
Trump and Harris will never exchange Christmas cards but I doubt any of them will resort to using either term. I must stay away from this prop because of its price though.
Amount of times either candidate says “Inflation”
| Over 10.5 | +158 | |
| Under 10.5 | -200 |
Inflation is a top issue and it has helped decide elections worldwide. I can see the candidates saying this word plenty of times. I really like the value with Over 10.5 here.
Amount of times either candidate says “Fracking”
| Over 1.5 | +120 | |
| Under 1.5 | -150 |
I think that Trump will mention Harris’ fracking stance and she’ll respond, so taking Over 1.5 at plus money is the right play here.
Will either candidate say “World War III”?
| Yes | +110 | |
| No | -140 |
“I don’t think we’ve ever been closer to World War III than we are now,” Trump said in a speech to the National Guard Association of the United States’ annual business meeting in Detroit on August 26. I see Trump saying World War III at least once, so I’ll take Yes at +110 here.
Amount of times Trump says “Rigged”?
| Over 1.5 | +158 | |
| Under 1.5 | -200 |
Trump said the 2020 Election and his trial were rigged and expressed that a potential 2024 Election victory must be “too big to rig.” I’m surprised that Over 1.5 is at plus money here. I’m pretty sure that Trump will say rigged at least two times, so the Over is an appealing option here.
Will either candidate say “Bitcoin”?
| Yes | +751 | |
| No | -1500 |
On Thursday, Trump punted on his promise to lay out “a plan to ensure the United States will be the crypto capital of the planet.” I think Harris will bring this up at some point and say Bitcoin, so Yes at +751 is a very intriguing option. I’ll take a chance here.
More ABC News Presidential Debate Props
(Courtesy of Bovada)
ABC News Presidential Debate Winner
| Kamala Harris | -220 | |
| Donald Trump | +1655 |
Handshake
| Yes | +250 |
| No | -360 |
First Mentioned State
| California | -110 | |
| Pennsylvania | -110 | |
| New York | +800 | |
| Georgia | +1000 | |
| Wisconsin | +1000 | |
| Nevada | +1400 | |
| Minnesota | +1600 | |
| Arizona | +1800 | |
| Florida | +1800 | |
| Michigan | +2000 | |
| North Carolina | +2000 |
Color of Trump’s Tie/Harris’ Outfit
| Color of Trump’s Tie | Color of Harris’ Outfit | |
|---|---|---|
| Red -1400 | Blue -200 | |
| Blue +600 | Black +350 | |
| Silver/Grey +1100 | White/Cream +700 | |
| Green +1600 | Red/Burgundy +800 | |
| Pink/Purple +1600 | Brown/Beige +1000 | |
| Full Stars and Stripes Design +2000 | Pink/Purple +1200 | |
| Gold +2000 | Silver/Grey +1200 | |
| Black +4000 | Green +2000 | |
| Brown +4000 | Gold +3000 | |
| Orange/Peach +4000 | Orange/Peach +4000 | |
| No Tie +5000 | Yellow +4000 | |
| Yellow +5000 | Full Stars and Stripes Design +10000 | |
| White/Cream +8000 | ||
| Bow Tie +10000 |
*Applies to the predominant color of Donald Trump’s tie during the debate.
*Applies to the predominant color of Kamala Harris’ outer clothing during the debate.
To Be Said by Trump/Harris
| To Be Said by Donald Trump | To Be Said by Kamala Harris | |
|---|---|---|
| Three and a half years -2000 | Project 2025 -1200 | |
| Violent crime -800 | Opportunity Economy -800 | |
| Inflation crisis -200 | Not going back -500 | |
| Most unpopular vice president in history -150 | American Dream -400 | |
| Comrade Kamala Harris -110 | Playing politics with our security -250 | |
| Nation in decline +100 | Rule of law -150 | |
| Radical Marxist +125 | Elon Musk +100 | |
| Border, inflation and crime +250 | Peaceful transfer of power +150 | |
| AI-generated +400 | Divisive battles +175 | |
| Infomercial +400 | Dog whistle +200 | |
| Whatever her name is +500 | Justice for all +250 | |
| I get bigger crowds than you +600 | Not a serious man +300 | |
| Whatever that was +500 | ||
| Shut the hell up +5000 | ||
| Where’s Melania? +5000 |
*Applies to debate clock time: must be *exact* phrase
September 10 will be the first time we’ve ever seen a U.S. presidential debate like this. Donald Trump won the first debate on the 2024 election trail, but his opponent on CNN was Joe Biden, way back in the prehistoric times of June 27. You may have noticed a few changes since then.
One thing that hasn’t changed: Trump is still the underdog. As we go to press, BetOnline (visit our BetOnline Review) has the former president priced at +170 to win the September 10 debate on ABC. Kamala Harris, Trump’s new adversary, is a healthy favorite at –250.
Biden was the consensus winner of his two presidential debates against Trump in 2020, and was still expected to take care of business four years later – but he didn’t. Father Time catches up to all of us, so they say; the tricky thing to predict is exactly when your performance level falls off the cliff.
Harris (age 59) is a lot less likely to stumble. But is there some other weakness besides age that she’s hiding? And are there any other tasty debate bets on the politics futures market at BetOnline that we can hammer?
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The Prequel: Harris vs. Pence
This won’t be the first time we’ve seen Harris behind the podium. As Biden’s vice-presidential running mate, Harris took on Mike Pence at the University of Utah on October 7, 2020. NBC News had three debate analysts on the scene; two gave the victory to Harris, while the third called it a draw.
Here are the letter grades handed out:
- Harris: B, A-, B
- Pence: D, B, B
There was general unhappiness among the analysts with the non-answers both candidates gave at times, but the main takeaway was that Harris did a good job standing up to Pence’s repeated interruptions of both her and moderator Susan Page.
Will They Shake Hands?
While Biden’s verbal difficulties overshadowed much of what happened on June 27, at least some ink was spilled when he and Trump came nowhere close to shaking hands before their debate. That was the case in 2020 as well, although it was near the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The idea of Harris and Trump shaking hands is so powerful, it’s carved out a feature spot on the politics odds board at BetOnline. “No” is the heavy favorite at –400, with “Yes” priced at +250; in this case, the 2020 Harris-Pence debate doesn’t give us much of a preview, since the two candidates were socially distanced from each other.
We should note that the terms for this wager at BetOnline are that Harris and Trump must shake hands at the beginning of the debate; some online sportsbooks include the end of the debate, or at any time during the proceedings – as long as it happens on television where everyone can see it.
I personally doubt we’ll see those hands clasp anytime soon. Harris has already painted this election campaign as a battle between herself, the former Attorney General for California, and Trump, the convicted felon. I expect her to engage Trump along these lines.
Debate Pick: Harris and Trump To Shake Hands – No (-400) at BetOnline
The Sequel: Walz vs. Vance
There’s one more debate coming up on October 1 on CBS: the vice-presidential debate between Minnesota Governor Tim Walz (Democrat) and Ohio Senator J.D. Vance (Republican).
The debate odds at BetOnline are exactly as they are for Harris vs. Trump, with Walz the –250 favorite and Vance the +170 underdog.
The speaking styles for Walz vs. Vance will be slightly different than what we’ll see at the presidential debate, but the song remains the same. Given the high marks the Dems got for their national convention, and the speeches that both Harris and Walz delivered, there’s less reason to believe they’ll drop the ball than there was heading into the Biden-Trump debate.
Bet accordingly.
Debate Pick: CBS Vice-presidential Debate Winner – Tim Walz (-250) at BetOnline
*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.
