Former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris are preparing to square off on Tuesday night in Philadelphia.
The debate was anything but a given, though. The two campaigns were at odds over whether mics should be muted during the 90-minute stand-off. After some back-and-forth over the rules, Harris’ team ultimately agreed to keep them off, despite concerns that it could give Trump an edge.
While it’s common for campaigns to clash over the terms and conditions of such events, negotiations have been even more complicated this year because host networks have been orchestrating them ad hoc instead of the bipartisan Commission on Presidential Debates.
So here’s a breakdown of what you need to know and where to catch the primetime show.
What are the rules for the first debate?
The rules are the same as in the June match-up between President Biden and Trump. That means there will be no opening statements or audience, and neither candidate can bring notes with them on stage. Microphones will also stay off when it’s not a candidate’s turn to speak, something Harris sought to change after officially becoming the Democratic nominee.
Biden’s campaign initially pushed for this rule, and it was largely seen as a shake-up to Trump’s usual debate style by limiting his ability to interrupt and speak off the cuff. Instead it worked in his favor, prompting the president to drop out and shake up the race as we know it. In a letter to ABC News, Harris’ team wrote that it is now worried that she’ll be “fundamentally disadvantaged” by muted mics because the technicality will “shield Trump from direct exchanges.”
Despite these concerns, Harris’ campaign agreed to the rules so the the long-awaited event could move forward. “We understand that Donald Trump is a risk to skip the debate altogether, as he has threatened to do previously, if we do not accede to his preferred format,” the letter read. “We do not want to jeopardize the debate. For this reason, we accepted the full set of rules proposed by ABC, including muted microphones.”
The Trump campaign responded by saying in a statement that it was “thrilled” that the Harris campaign “accepted the already agreed-upon rules.” But it’s worth noting that the former president previously told reporters that he would’ve accepted un-muted mics.
For the record, mics have traditionally been left on during presidential debates. CNN turned this longstanding practice on its head for the June debate in an effort to “ensure a civilized discussion.” This leaves little room for any potential quips — or outbursts.
What’s at stake
Harris and Trump are under a lot of pressure to perform well. The two continue to run neck and neck — in fact, the two rivals are separated by a single point. According to the latest New York Times/Siena College poll, Trump leads Harris 48 to 47 percent. A CBS News/YouGov survey also found them in very tight races in battleground states, including Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin.
The two candidates are taking dramatically different approaches to their debate prep, though. Harris has spent the last several days preparing by doing mock debates with one of Hillary Clinton’s former aids Philippe Reines, who has reprised his role in playing Trump.
As with past debates, Trump is taking a more relaxed approach to his preparations. According to The Washington Post, he spent the weekend at his golf course in New Jersey having “policy sessions” with allies, including one of Harris’ 2020 Democratic primary rivals, Tulsi Gabbard. The former Hawaii congresswoman has since left the party and endorsed the Republican nominee.
How to watch and stream the September Trump/Harris debate on ABC
You can catch the debate on ABC starting at 9 p.m. EDT on Tuesday, Sept. 10, or stream it on ABC News Live, Disney+, or Hulu. World News Tonight anchor and managing editor David Muir and ABC News Live Prime anchor Linsey Davis will be moderating.
Trump has railed against the network, suggesting that its anchors were biased against him. “I ask, why would I do the Debate against Kamala Harris on that network?” Trump wrote on his platform Truth Social. He told Fox News that he only agreed to the debate because Harris’ campaign “wouldn’t do any other network.”
So far, it’s unclear whether there will be a second debate between Trump and Harris. But we do know that vice presidential candidates Minnesota Democratic Gov. Tim Walz and Ohio Republican Sen. JD Vance are poised to face off on Oct. 1.
