This is the first and possibly only debate between the presidential candidates.
With less than two months until the November 5th presidential election, the first debate between former President Trump and Vice President Harris will be tonight at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia at 9 p.m. ET. The moderators are “World News Tonight” anchor and managing editor David Muir and ABC News Live “Prime” anchor Linsey Davis.
Not only is this the first debate between the two candidates, but it could also be the only debate, which raises the stakes. A recent New York Times/Siena College poll found that 28% of likely voters said they feel they “need to learn more about Kamala Harris.” In contrast, the same poll showed only 9% of likely voters feeling like they need to learn more about Trump. Prominent Harris ally and Democratic media commentator Bakaris Sellers told ABC News, “I think there needs to be a long litany of just pummeling Donald Trump while also being extremely clear about what your vision is for the future.”
Less than 48 hours before the debate, Vice President Harris’s campaign posted a list of her policy positions on its website. The list is organized into four main sections focused on the economy, “fundamental freedoms”, safety and crime, and national security. This comes after critics have been questioning her campaign about her policy stances, a handful of which have drastically changed since she ran in the 2020 Democrat presidential primary. When asked about her flip-flopping on her past policy positions like Medicare-For-All and banning fracking, Senator Bernie Sanders said, “I think she’s trying to be pragmatic and doing what she thinks is right in order to win the election.”
An issue that’s expected to be discussed tonight is the economy, specifically the 40-year high inflation Americans have seen over the last three years, as well as the Biden-Harris administration’s handling of the border and the ongoing immigration crisis. Viewers should also expect Vice President Harris’s past as a California prosecutor to be brought up, as well as January 6, 2021, and Trump’s recent court proceedings. Former Virginia Governor Jim Gilmore said, “If Trump stays on the issues, stays on message – and that by the way can include criticizing Harris for being a flip-flopper – that’s OK.”
Similar to the debate between former President Trump and President Biden in June, there will not be a live audience, and the candidate’s mics will be muted until it is their turn to speak. They will only be allowed a pen, pad of paper, and water, and cannot have any notes with them or talk to staff during breaks. There will also not be any opening statements, and the candidates will have under two minutes to deliver closing statements. The candidates are not allowed to ask questions of each other, and they will have two minutes to answer questions and two minutes for rebuttals. An additional minute is allowed for follow-ups and clarifications.
Vice President Harris’s campaign previously wouldn’t agree to some of the rules that were agreed to when President Biden was still the candidate. In a letter obtained by CBS News, her campaign specifically mentions the muting of the mics, stating, “Vice President Harris, a former prosecutor, will be fundamentally disadvantaged by this format, which will serve to shield Donald Trump from direct exchanges with the Vice President. We suspect this is the primary reason for his campaign’s insistence on muted microphones”. At a campaign event in Virginia on August 26, Trump said, “We agreed to the same rules. I don’t know, doesn’t matter to me. I’d rather have it probably on, but the agreement was that it would be the same as it was last time. In that case, it was muted. I didn’t like it the last time, but it worked out fine.”
The 90-minute debate will air on ABC and stream on ABC News Live, Disney+, and Hulu, according to ABC. USA TODAY will also stream the debate on the USA TODAY channel, available on most smart televisions and devices.
