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 that will take place less than two months before Election Day.
The first debate between Harris and Trump will start at 9pm ET on Tuesday, September 10, and be hosted by ABC News. There will not be a live audience.
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.
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’.
The rule that microphone would be muted when an opponent is speaking was requested by Biden’s campaign. Trump’s campaign called for the rule again, and Harris’ campaign pushed back.
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 candidates will not be able to bring pre-written notes to the podium but will be provided with a pen and paper. Trump has more experience in improvising than does Harris, who has misspoken when questioned without preparation.
While there will be no opening statements, Trump won a coin toss and chose to go last in closing statements, which gives him a slight advantage over Harris. The candidates will not be permitted to ask each other questions, and only the moderators will be able to pose them. Harris has a slight edge since she tends to stay on topic more than Trump.
An ABC-affiliated survey has the odds of who will win the debate at Harris -300 and Trump +200.
Early Monday, Donald Trump regained a narrow betting odds lead over Harris in the presidential election for the first time since mid-August when the Harris-Walz ticket enjoyed a honeymoon period.
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