Sep 5 (Askume) – US Republican candidate Donald Trump and his Democratic rival Kamala HarrisThey will hold the first presidential debate next week after President Joe Biden dropped out of the race.
This will be the first time that 240 million American voters will hear Trump and Harris together explaining their policies ahead of the November 5 election . It will be a rare moment when both will be in the same room.
Here are some details about this much-awaited event:
When and where will the debate take place?
The debate, hosted by ABC News, will take place on September 10 at 9 pm ET (September 11 at 0100 GMT) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is one of the battleground states between Democrats and Republicans that will help determine the winner of this year’s election.
The debate will be held at the National Constitution Center, a museum dedicated to the US Constitution in Philadelphia’s Independence Square, which also houses the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall.
How can I watch the debate?
The show is hosted by ABC’s David Muir and Linsey Davis and will air on ABC and live on ABC News Live, Disney+ and Hulu.
It will also be co-produced with Philadelphia local network WPVI-TV, an ABC affiliate.
What are the basic rules?
When a candidate does not have a turn to speak, his or her microphone will be muted. The Harris campaign agreed to this rule on Wednesday after weeks of debate with the Trump campaign, in which Harris’s team initially hoped to use so-called “hot mics” during the debate and the Trump campaign insisted on their use to mute microphones.
Even during the CNN debate between Biden and Trump in June, microphones were muted when the candidates were not speaking. The CNN debate banned props of any kind , had no live audience and included two commercial breaks, conditions expected to be repeated.
What to expect from Harris?
Harris will be heading into the debate with a zeal. Following the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on August 22, her campaign announced it had raised more than $500 million since entering the race .
Polling aggregation website “538” shows Harris is leading by 3.5 percentage points in national polls, but the competition is fierce in some key states.
Strategists say voters want to know more about his policy plans.
She may attack Trump by citing the three Trump-appointed Supreme Court justices who helped overturn Roe v. Wade and by citing Project 2025 , which compares her record as a prosecutor .
Harris, who launched a short-lived White House bid in the 2020 election cycle, has tried to portray herself as an extension of the Biden administration and a representative of a new generation by emphasizing her personal story and middle-class upbringing.
What to expect from Trump?
Since Harris’ campaign, Trump has been unable to find a consistent and effective way to attack her. He has accused her of being a radical leftist, while also suggesting she is responsible for Biden’s more centrist policy agenda. He repeatedly questions her intelligence and mixed-race status .
In the debates with Biden, Trump repeated familiar falsehoods largely without challenge. Harris is expected to be a tough opponent and could pressure Trump to adopt a more conservative approach to facts, policy and behavior after the 2020 election. If Trump becomes upset, he could resume personal attacks.
Trump may try to raise issues that have eroded Biden’s support among Harris voters — inflation and border security — while suggesting she is not ready to be the country’s commander-in-chief. He may bring up the moderate stance she adopted as a 2020 candidate and attack the Biden administration’s record on Gaza and Ukraine .
At the same time, Trump will have to reassure voters skeptical of his ability to win back the jobs he lost four years ago. The last time he faced a female candidate, Hillary Clinton, was in 2016, when he stood behind her at a debate and called her the “devil” and an “evil woman.”
What are other possible topics?
The economy, particularly high consumer prices, may be a topic.
Trump has pushed tax and health care plans. He has also proposed eliminating the tip income tax , which Harris has endorsed, which could mean the two will have a chance to discuss a rare common interest.
What about third parties?
Vice President Harris, who won the Democratic nomination after Biden stepped down following a poor debate performance last month, said in early August that she would participate in the September 10 debate, which Biden and former President Trump had previously agreed to host.
There will be no third-party candidates other than Trump, 78, and Harris, 59. The deadline to qualify is September 3, and qualifying candidates must appear on a sufficient number of state ballots and receive at least 15% support in four national polls that meet ABC’s criteria.
