Kamala Harris and Donald Trump will meet for the first time face-to-face Tuesday night for perhaps their only debate, a high-pressure opportunity to showcase their starkly different visions for the country after a tumultuous campaign summer.
The event, at 9 p.m. ET in Philadelphia, will offer Americans their most detailed look at a campaign that’s dramatically changed since the last debate in June. In rapid fashion, President Joe Biden bowed out of the race after his disastrous performance, Trump survived an assassination attempt and both sides chose their running mates.
Here are the key details to know ahead of the Trump-Harris showdown.
Where and when is the presidential debate?
The first 2024 presidential debate between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris is set to be held at Philadelphia’s National Constitution Center in the battleground state of Pennsylvania on Tuesday, Sept. 10.
There will be no audience in the room.
The planned debate comes nearly three weeks after the conclusion of the 2024 Democratic National Convention, in which Harris formally accepted the party’s nomination after a turbulent month kickstarted by Biden’s withdrawal.
What time does the debate start and how can I watch?
The debate is scheduled to begin at 9 p.m. ET. It will be hosted by ABC News and is set to be moderated by David Muir and Linsey Davis, the network said.
NBC News will broadcast the full debate live and offer extensive primetime coverage beginning at 8 p.m. ET.
NBC Nightly News anchor Lester Holt and TODAY co-anchor Savannah Guthrie will anchor a pre-debate primetime special starting at 8 p.m. ET on NBC, followed by a live presentation of the ABC News-hosted debate at 9 p.m. ET.
Holt and Guthrie will continue special coverage following the debate.
Viewers can watch the debate live on their local NBC station or via the NBC 4 New York streaming channel, which is available 24/7 and free of charge across nearly every online video platform, including Peacock, YouTube, Samsung TV Plus and the NBC News app on smartphones and smart TVs.
Watch live in the player above at showtime or click here for more.
What are the rules?
ABC released the rules of the debate last week.
As in the previous debate, microphones will only be live for the candidate whose turn it is to speak and muted when another candidate is speaking. Only the moderators can ask questions.
Trump won a virtual coin flip and got to choose whether to deliver his closing statement first or second. He chose the latter. Closing statements can last 2 minutes. There are no openers.
During the debate, each candidate will be allotted two minutes to answer each question with a two-minute rebuttal, and an additional minute for a follow-up, clarification, or response.
Harris was able to select her podium position, stage left.
