Today night’s presidential debate marks the first between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris.
Debate day has arrived.
The first debate between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris is scheduled to take place Tuesday night at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia with less than two months until the election.
Trump announced in a post on Truth Social that he had accepted the Sept. 10 debate on ABC under the same conditions as the June CNN debate against Biden.
The rules for Tuesday night’s debate mean each candidate’s microphone is only turned on when it is their turn to speak, there is no studio audience and the candidates aren’t allowed to talk to their staff during breaks or bring any notes with them. Both candidates are provided with only a pen and pad and a bottle of water.
Here’s what you need to know about the debate, including what time it starts and how to watch it.
How to watch the presidential debate
The debate will air on ABC and stream on ABC News Live, Disney+ and Hulu, according to ABC.
On Tuesday, September 10, 2024, at 9pm EDT, USA TODAY 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 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 8 p.m. ET, the network announced.
What are the qualification requirements for tonight’s debate?
Here are the candidate qualification requirements for the debate, according to ABC News:
Must meet the requirements outlined in Article II, Section I of the U.S. Constitution to serve as president
Must have filed a Statement of Candidacy with the Federal Election Commission
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
Participants must agree to accept the rules and format of the debate, as formulated by ABC News
All participants must reach at least 15% support in four separate national polls of registered or likely voters that meet ABC News standards
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.
The four qualifying polls must be conducted by different organizations.
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.
