Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump will take the stage next week in the only debate scheduled until November between the Democratic and Republican presidential candidates.
It is the first presidential debate since President Joe Biden withdrew from the race following his disastrous debate performance in slow June with Trump. Biden, who has faced growing calls to resign, passed the torch to Harris in July.
The vice president has launched an unprecedented and accelerated campaign, vying with Trump for the Oval Office. The election is just two months away.
Although the Harris and Trump campaigns have clashed in recent weeks over debate procedures, both candidates have agreed to the final rules. ABC News, the debate host, released the rules on Wednesday.
When and where will the debate take place?
The debate will take place on Tuesday, September 10 at 9:00 PM ET at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The debate will last 90 minutes and will include two commercial breaks, according to ABC.
The Keystone State — where Harris and Trump have spent a lot of time campaigning — could decide the presidential election. The battleground state has flipped in recent elections, and Biden turning Pennsylvania blue in 2020 after Trump (*5*)secured the red victory in 2016.
How can I watch the debate?
The debate will be broadcast live on ABC News and will also be streamed on ABC News Live, Disney+ and Hulu.
The debate will be moderated by David Muir and Linsey Davis of ABC News.
Harris and Trump will each have two minutes to answer questions and two minutes for rebuttals. They will also get an additional minute to explain or follow up on anything.
Will the microphones be muted?
Microphones will be muted when it is not a candidate’s turn to speak, as happened during the previous debate between Biden and Trump in June.
The candidates will not make opening statements. Trump won the coin toss to determine the order of closing statements and podium placement. Trump, who chose the order of statements, will make the final closing statement.
Each closing speech will be two minutes long.
Harris and Trump are not allowed to bring any props or pre-written notes onto the debate stage. They will each be given a pen, a pad of paper and a bottle of water.
Will there be a live audience?
There will be no audience at the National Constitutional Center, as was the case during the last presidential debate.
Harris and Trump are not allowed to contact their campaign staff during two commercial breaks.
Trump criticizes ABC ahead of debate
Trump went on to attack the details of the debate, saying Sean Hannity from Fox News during an interview Wednesday in Pennsylvania that “ABC is the worst network in terms of integrity” and “the most dishonest network, the meanest, the most disgusting.”
He accused the station of deliberately publishing impoverished poll results ahead of previous elections in order to lower voter turnout.
Trump also claimed, without evidence, that Harris would be asked questions before the debate. ABC debate rules state that no candidate or campaign will be given any topics or questions before the event.
Meanwhile, Minnesota’s Democratic governor Tim Walz and Ohio’s Republican senator JD Vance will battle it out in vice presidential debate organized by CBS News on October 1 in New York.
