Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and his Democratic rival Kamala Harris will take the stage for their first televised debate today. Ahead of the November 5 presidential election in the US, this will be the first and possibly only chance for around 240 million voters to see their candidates debate policies of national and international concern.
Trump-Harris presidential debate
The presidential debate between Donald Trump and Joe Biden in June was a disappointment for the outgoing president. A few weeks later, President Biden decided to withdraw from the race, paving the way for US Vice President Kamala Harris to contest for the top post.
While today’s debate is a chance for Harris to establish her political identity in front of millions of people, it also provides another opportunity for Trump to show that he is ready to lead the country once again.
For Kamala Harris, this is a chance to set her priorities and prove her mettle against Trump, who has launched racist and sexist attacks on her in recent days. The former US president will once again try to reduce Harris’ momentum in the presidential race, which has strengthened significantly after her name was announced as the Democratic candidate, according to polls.
When and what time will the Trump-Harris debate take place?
The 90-minute debate, hosted by ABC News, is scheduled for September 10 at 9 pm Eastern Time (September 11 at 6:30 am in India) at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
The debate will be moderated by David Muir and Linsey Davis.
Where to watch?
The first presidential debate between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris will be broadcast on ABC and streamed on ABC News Live as well as Disney+ and Hulu. Apart from these, several networks have also agreed to show the event live.
Rules of debate
As far as rules go, ABC News will likely follow the format used by CNN during the Trump-Biden debate in June.
Both candidates — Trump and Harris — will get two minutes to respond and a two-minute rebuttal. Each candidate will be given an additional minute for any clarifications and follow-up.
There will be no live audience in this debate, while both the candidates will remain standing during the entire debate.