Everything You Need to Know About the Presidential Debate

Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris waits to speak at a campaign rally at United Auto Workers Local 900 in Wayne, Mich., on Aug. 8, 2024. (Right) Republican Presidential nominee former President Donald Trump arrives to speak during a rally at Herb Brooks National Hockey Center in St Cloud, Minn., on July 27, 2024. Andrew Harnik, Stephen Maturen/Getty Images

The long-awaited matchup between Democratic nominee Vice President Kamala Harris and Republican nominee former President Donald Trump will air on ABC on Sept. 10, just two months before the election.

The political landscape has changed radically since the first presidential debate between Trump and President Joe Biden, which kicked off a pressure campaign that culminated in Biden bowing out of the race on July 21.

Since the first debate, Trump survived an attempt on his life, Harris rapidly rose to the top of the Democratic ticket, and both campaigns have shifted their messaging to respond to the new Democratic standard-bearer. Both candidates have also chosen their running mates.

Tuesday’s debate will be the first showdown between Trump and Harris, and unless they agree to another, it could be the last.

Here’s everything to know about the debate.

What Time Is the Debate?

ABC will broadcast the 90-minute debate at 9 p.m. ET. David Muir of ABC’s “World News Tonight” and Linsey Davis of “Prime” will moderate the debate from the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia. It will feature two commercial breaks, during which the candidates are barred from speaking with campaign staff.

How Can You Watch It?

In addition to the ABC News broadcast network, voters can watch the debate live on the ABC New Live 24/7 streaming network, Hulu, and Disney+. Other networks have also agreed to broadcast the event live, including Fox News, CNN, CBS, and NewsNation.

NTD, The Epoch Times’s sister media outlet, will also stream the debate.

What Are the Rules?

June’s showdown between Trump and Biden came with a new set of rules previously uncommon for modern presidential debates—each candidate had a muted microphone while the other was speaking, and there was no studio audience. Candidates were also barred from bringing pre-written notes, were only given a pen and pad of paper, stood behind lecterns for the duration, and could only make closing statements, no opening remarks.

ABC confirmed the same rules will be in place for next week’s 90-minute debate. In addition to a pen and paper, candidates will only be allowed a bottle of water on stage.

During the debate, only moderators Muir and Davis are allowed to ask questions. Each candidate will have two minutes to answer individual questions, two minutes for a rebuttal, and another minute for a response, clarification, or follow-up.

The Harris campaign had fought the muted microphones rule, even after the Biden camp advocated for it prior to the CNN debate. Trump said last month that he would prefer to have the microphones live throughout the debate but added that he was following agreed-upon criteria while his campaign pushed to retain the rule. Harris finally accepted ABC’s debate rules on Sept. 4 after weeks of negotiations.

ABC held a coin toss on Sept. 3 to establish podium placement and the sequence of the candidates’ two-minute closing statements. Since Trump won the flip, he chose to make the final closing statement while Harris opted to be on the right side of the television screen.

The network followed the same polling and ballot certifications thresholds as the CNN debate, which required candidates to reach at least 15 percent of support in four qualifying national polls and appear on enough state ballots to reach the 270 electoral votes to win the election.

What to Watch For

Harris has effectively run the briefest major party presidential campaign in modern history, making this debate a critical moment for her to define her candidacy after seeing limited limelight as vice president. For Trump, the debate is also his chance to define Harris, as many voters already have a solidified view of the former president.

“What Trump needs to do is begin to define Harris by her record, both in the Biden administration and in what she said and did as a senator,” Henry Olsen, a senior fellow with the Ethics and Public Policy Center, told The Epoch Times. “And what Harris needs to do is show she can stand on her own. She needs to be able to explain herself well.”

With national and battleground state polling showing them in a dead-heat race, neither candidate can afford a self-wounding gaffe or misstatement. It’s a pivotal opportunity for both nominees to appear more presidential than the other, particularly for Harris, as this is her first debate as a presidential nominee.

How Candidates Are Preparing

Trump has enlisted the help of former Democratic congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard to prepare for Tuesday night. Gabbard famously tussled with Harris during the Democratic primary debates in 2019. Trump, however, has simultaneously emphasized that he does not need traditional debate prep and suggested he’s ready to debate at any time.

During a Fox News town hall on Sept. 4, Trump said he would allow Harris room to talk but that he hopes ABC “will be fair” during the debate. He has previously accused the network of political bias.

Harris has reduced her campaigning schedule in recent weeks to prepare for the debate, her campaign said in late August. She has conducted mock debate sessions with longtime Hillary Clinton aide Philippe Reines who also stood in for Trump in 2016.

This is her first since the 2020 vice presidential debate with Mike Pence, during which plexiglass shields separated the two candidates amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Will There Be Another Debate?

It is not clear if there will be another showdown between Trump and Harris before election day, as another debate has not been finalized. The former president pushed for additional debates on Fox News and MSNBC; Harris said in August she’d be open to discussing additional matchups after the ABC debate.

However, voters will be able to see Republican vice president nominee Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) and Democratic vice president nominee Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz spar on CBS News on Oct. 1, which will be hosted in New York City. Network anchors Norah O’Donnell and Margaret Brennan will moderate.

Lawrence Wilson, Tom Ozimek, and The Associated Press contributed to this report.