The first presidential debate between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris is scheduled for tonight in Philadelphia at the National Constitutional Center .
The rules for the 90-minute debate mean each candidate’s microphone will only turned on when it is their turn to speak and the candidates aren’t allowed to talk to their staff during breaks or bring any notes with them. Both candidates will be provided with only a pen and pad and a bottle of water.
When is the presidential debate between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris?
The debate is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time, according to ABC News.
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How to watch Sept. 10 presidential debate
The debate will air on ABC and stream on ABC News Live, Disney+ and Hulu, the network announced Friday.
Fox News and CBS News announced last week they plan to simulcast the debate, and CNN announced Monday it plans to do the same.
USA TODAY, at 6 p.m. PDT, will stream The ABC News Presidential Debate Simulcast on the USA TODAY channel, available on most smart televisions and devices.
Who are the moderators of tonight’s presidential debate?
“World News Tonight” anchor and managing editor David Muir, along with ABC News Live “Prime” anchor Linsey Davis, will serve as the moderators, according to ABC.
The primetime pre-debate special, “Race for the White House,” will be anchored by Martha Raddatz, Jonathan Karl, Mary Bruce and Rachel Scott, and will begin at 5 p.m. PDT, the network announced.
What are the qualification requirements for the Harris, Trump presidential debate?
Here are the candidate qualification requirements for tonight’s debate, according to ABC News:
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Must meet the requirements outlined in Article II, Section I of the U.S. Constitution to serve as president
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Must have filed a Statement of Candidacy with the Federal Election Commission
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Must appear on a sufficient number of state ballots, as certified by the Secretary of State or the relevant election authority in each state, to attain a majority (270) of electoral votes in the presidential election by Sept. 3, 2024.
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Participants must agree to accept the rules and format of the debate, as formulated by ABC News
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All participants must reach at least 15% support in four separate national polls of registered or likely voters that meet ABC News standards
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Polls must be conducted using probability sampling by one of the following entities or pairs of entities: ABC News, CNN, Fox News, NBC News, The New York Times/Siena College, Quinnipiac University, The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post.
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The four qualifying polls must be conducted by different organizations.
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Polls must be fielded and released between Aug. 1, 2024, and Sept. 3, 2024. Only polls released publicly and fielded entirely inside the window will qualify.
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What are the rules for Tuesday’s presidential debate?
Harris and Trump have both accepted the following debate rules, via ABC News:
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The debate will be 90 minutes with two commercial breaks.
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The two seated moderators will be the only people asking questions.
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A coin flip was held virtually on Sept. 3, to determine podium placement and order of closing statements; Trump won the coin toss and chose to select the order of statements. The former president will offer the last closing statement and Vice President Harris selected the right podium position on screen (stage left).
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Candidates will be introduced by the moderators.
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The candidates enter upon introduction from opposite sides of the stage; the incumbent party will be introduced first.
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No opening statements; closing statements will be two minutes per candidate.
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Candidates will stand behind podiums for the duration of the debate.
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Props or prewritten notes are not allowed onstage.
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No topics or questions will be shared in advance with campaigns or candidates.
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Candidates will be given a pen, a pad of paper and a bottle of water.
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Candidates will have two-minute answers to questions, two-minute rebuttals, and one extra minute for follow-ups, clarifications, or responses.
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Candidates’ microphones will be live only for the candidate whose turn it is to speak and muted when the time belongs to another candidate.
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Candidates will not be permitted to ask questions of each other.
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Campaign staff may not interact with candidates during commercial breaks.
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Moderators will seek to enforce timing agreements and ensure a civilized discussion.
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There will be no audience in the room.
Contributing: George Fabe Russell, USA TODAY
Gabe Hauari is a national trending news reporter at USA TODAY. You can follow him on X @GabeHauari or email him at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Harris-Trump presidential debate 2024: Date, time, channel
