Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump will take the debate stage for their first match-up on Tuesday, just eight weeks before Election Day.
Trump’s June debate with Joe Biden, which capsized the president’s reelection campaign, feels like a lifetime ago. Since then, Harris replaced Biden at the top of the ticket, Trump survived an assassination attempt, and both named their running mates and accepted their parties’ nominations.
The candidates are now preparing for the face-off, which is currently the only presidential debate scheduled between the two. Harris told reporters Wednesday that her debate prep was “so far, so good” after campaigning in New Hampshire. In a radio interview with “The Pulse of NH” the same day, Trump said, “I’ve been preparing all my life for this debate.”
Here’s everything you need to know before the upcoming debate:
When is the debate?
Harris and Trump will debate on Tuesday, Sept. 10 at 9 p.m. ET. The debate will run for 90 minutes with two commercial breaks.
Where is the debate?
ABC News is hosting the debate at the National Constitution Center, a private nonprofit education center and museum dedicated to the U.S. Constitution in Philadelphia.
Who is moderating the debate?
ABC News’ “World News Tonight” host David Muir and anchor Linsey Davis are moderating the debate.
Neither Muir nor Davis have moderated a general election debate, though both have moderated presidential primary debates: Muir in the 2016 and 2020 election cycles and Davis in the 2020 cycle.
Muir secured the first TV sit-down interview with Trump after he became president and the first joint interview with Biden and Harris before the 2020 election.
How can I watch the debate?
The debate will air live on ABC and stream on ABC News Live, Disney+ and Hulu. Viewers who do not have a cable subscription can watch on ABC.com.
ABC is also offering the debate for simulcast, which several networks have agreed to carry.
What are the debate rules? Will there be hot mics?
After a weekslong back and forth over the issue, the Harris campaign agreed to follow the June debate rule that each candidate’s microphone will be muted while their opponent is speaking.
The vice president’s team had pushed to keep the mics unmuted, which is routinely the case in presidential debates but was reversed in June at the Biden campaign’s request. Hot mics would have allowed the candidates to challenge each other, which the Harris campaign hoped might have prompted Trump to have “intemperate outbursts” on national television, POLITICO reported.
The Trump campaign refused to agree to the change, breaking with its call to keep the mics hot in 2020.
Candidates will be equipped with a pen, paper pad and water bottle at their podiums. Props or pre-written notes will be prohibited.
Trump won the coin toss to decide either the order of the candidates’ closing statements or their podium placements. The former president again chose to select the order of statements, opting to give the last closing statement. Harris selected the podium that will be on the right of viewers’ screens.
Harris and Trump will have two minutes for their answers, two minutes for rebuttals and one minute for follow-ups, responses to rebuttals or clarifications. They will have two minutes for closing statements. The candidates can not ask questions of each other and will not be allowed to interact with campaign staff during commercial breaks.
Will there be a studio audience?
There will be no studio audience and no opening statements, consistent with the June debate. The moderators will introduce both candidates, with the incumbent party going first.
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