Washington — Former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris are set to meet in Philadelphia on Tuesday for their first — and perhaps only — debate before the November presidential election.
The match-up will mark the first time Trump and Harris have met in person, and it comes at a crucial point in the election season. A new CBS News poll shows the Republican and Democratic presidential nominees locked in tight races in the battleground states of Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin with less than 60 days until voters choose who will be the next president.
Hosted by ABC News, the debate was initially supposed to be the second meeting of Trump and President Biden, but Mr. Biden’s decision in late July to bow out of the race set off a frenetic series of events that culminated with Harris accepting the Democratic presidential nomination at the party’s convention last month.
The weeks leading up to the debate have seen the two sides sparring over the rules. Harris’ campaign pushed for microphones to be on throughout the debate, while Trump said his campaign agreed to the same rules that were in place for the first face-off. When he and Mr. Biden met, microphones were active only when a candidate was speaking.
Muted microphones ultimately prevailed after Harris’ campaign accepted the rules set forth by ABC, though it warned she will be “fundamentally disadvantaged” by the format.
The debate is set to run 90 minutes and will be hosted by ABC’s David Muir and Linsey Davis. Both candidates will stand behind podiums, and they cannot bring props or prewritten notes on stage, according to rules released by ABC. There will not be a public audience in the room. ABC is allowing other TV networks to simulcast the debate.
Harris has spent the days leading up to the meeting in Pittsburgh, where she participated in extended mock debates. Trump, meanwhile, has been going over policy positions with advisers in the run-up to the event, though his preparations have been characterized as informal.
The ABC-hosted debate is the only one that both Harris and Trump have agreed to so far. The former president had proposed a total of three match-ups, with the other two hosted by Fox News and NBC News. But the vice president has only agreed to Tuesday’s debate, while her campaign has indicated she would be open to one more in October. Trump has also suggested several times he may pull out of the ABC debate while criticizing its top hosts, though he appears poised to participate.
How to watch the presidential debate between Trump and Harris
- What: Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump participate in their first debate
- Date: Tuesday, Sept. 10
- Time: Debate begins at 9 p.m. ET, 6 p.m. PT. Coverage and analysis begin at 5 p.m. ET with “America Decides” on CBS News 24/7.
- Location: The National Constitution Center in Philadelphia
- On TV: ABC and simulcast on CBS television and streaming platforms — find your local CBS station here
- Online stream: Viewers can also watch the debate on ABC News Live, Disney+ and Hulu. It will also stream on CBS News 24/7, CBSNews.com and Paramount+, with pre-debate coverage beginning on CBS News 24/7 at 5 p.m. ET.
- Follow live updates: On CBSNews.com