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5 things you should know about the Harris-Trump presidential debate • Louisiana Illuminator

Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump will take the stage next week in the only scheduled debate between the respective Democratic and Republican presidential candidates between now and November.

It is the first presidential debate since President Joe Biden dropped out of the race after his disastrous performance against Trump in late June. Biden, who was increasingly faced with calls to resign, had already passed the baton to Harris in July.

The Vice President has launched an unprecedented and accelerated campaign as she and Trump vie for the Oval Office with the election just two months away.

Although there have been disputes between the Harris and Trump campaigns over debate procedure in recent weeks, both candidates have agreed on the final rules. ABC News, the host of the debate, released the rules on Wednesday.

When and where will the debate take place?

The debate will take place on Tuesday, September 10, at 9 p.m. Eastern Time at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The debate will last 90 minutes and include two commercial breaks, ABC reports.

The Keystone State – where both Harris and Trump spent a lot of time campaigning – could determine the outcome of the presidential election. This swing state saw a narrow turnaround in the last election: Biden flipped Pennsylvania blue in 2020 after Trump secured a victory for the Democrats in 2016.

How can I watch the debate?

The debate will be broadcast live on ABC News and also streamed on ABC News Live, Disney+ and Hulu.

David Muir and Linsey Davis of ABC News will moderate the debate.

Harris and Trump will each have two minutes to answer questions and two minutes to make counterarguments, plus an additional minute to clarify or elaborate.

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Will the microphones be muted?

When it is not a candidate's turn to speak, the microphones are muted, just as they were at the last debate between Biden and Trump in June.

The candidates will not deliver opening statements. Trump won a coin toss to determine the order of closing arguments and podium placement. Trump, who determined the order of the arguments, will deliver the final closing statement.

Each closing argument will be two minutes long.

Harris and Trump are not allowed to bring props or pre-written notes to the debate. They will each be given a pen, notepad and water bottle.

Will there be a live audience?

There will be no live audience at the National Constitution Center, as was the case at the last presidential debate.

Harris and Trump are not allowed to interact with their campaign team during the two commercial breaks.

Trump criticizes ABC before debate

Trump went on the attack over the details of the debate, telling Fox News' Sean Hannity during an interview in Pennsylvania on Wednesday that “ABC is the worst network in terms of fairness” and “the most dishonest, meanest, nastiest network.”

He accused the broadcaster of deliberately publishing poor poll results before a previous election in order to reduce voter turnout.

Trump also claimed, without providing evidence, that Harris would receive the questions before the debate. ABC's debate rules state that no candidate or campaign team receives any topics or questions before the event.

Meanwhile, Minnesota Democratic Governor Tim Walz and Ohio Republican Senator JD Vance will face off in the CBS News-hosted vice presidential debate on October 1 in New York City.

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