Getty
The first presidential debate between Republican nominee Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Kamala Harris is poised to be defining in the neck-and-neck race.
As evidenced in the very first 2024 debate between Trump and President Joe Biden, the head-to-head showdown can make or break a candidate. In the case in late June, Biden’s disastrous performance led to him to ultimately end his campaign amid pressure from top Democrats.
All eyes will be on the debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and ex-President Donald Trump, who have remained close in polls ahead of the November election.
After much back-and-forth on the rules and logistics, both parties agreed on the first debate and that will take place less than two months before Election Day.
When is the Harris-Trump debate?
The first debate between Harris and Trump will start at 9pm ET on Tuesday, September 10, and be hosted by ABC News.
It will take place at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, which is one of seven swing states that are critical in determining the election results. Harris and Trump are tied in the state.
The debate will be moderated by the network’s World News Tonight anchor David Muir and ABC News Live Prime anchor Linsey Davis.
It is set to run 90 minutes and will also be streamed on ABC News Live, Disney+ and Hulu.
What are the debate rules?
The rules largely mirror those that were in place during the Biden-Trump debate hosted by CNN.
ABC News has said that microphones ‘will be live only for the candidate whose turn it is to speak and muted when the time belongs to another candidate’.
Harris’ campaign had argued that she would be ‘fundamentally disadvantaged by this format, which will serve to shield Donald Trump from direct exchanges with the Vice President’.
The rule that microphone would be muted when an opponent is speaking was requested by Biden’s campaign. Trump’s campaign requested the rule again, and Harris’ campaign pushed back on it but lost.
Who is favored to win the first presidential debate?
An ABC-affiliated survey has the odd of who will win the debate at Harris at -300 and Trump at +200.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at [email protected].
For more stories like this, check our news page.
Get your need-to-know
latest news, feel-good stories, analysis and more
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.