Starting Tuesday at 9 p.m., the debate will last a total of 90 minutes live on ABC News network.
With less than two months until the election, tonight’s second presidential debate — marking the first face-off between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris — kicks off in Philadelphia.
The show will take place at the National Constitution Center and will be hosted by ABC News network under similar circumstances to the previous debate with no live audience or live microphones.
The first meeting in June between President Joe Biden and Republican nominee Donald Trump drew over 51 million viewers across 17 networks, according to Nielsen, and became a crucial turning point. Biden’s widely criticized performance led to his candidacy ending and his subsequent endorsement of Kamala Harris.
The rules for tonight’s debate are designed to promote a structured and focused discussion. Much like the previous debate hosted by CNN, ABC has announced that candidates’ microphones will be muted when it is not their turn to speak, preventing interruptions and ensuring each can respond without being talked over.
The moderators are the only ones permitted to ask questions. No topics or questions were shared in advance with either campaign.
A virtual coin toss on Sept. 3 determined podium positions and the order of closing statements. Trump won the toss, choosing to deliver the final closing statement, while Harris selected the right-side podium on stage (stage left).
Originally, before Biden and Trump’s first meeting, Biden’s campaign team insisted on microphone muting as a condition for participating in any debates this year. However, some aides now regret the decision, saying voters were shielded from hearing Trump’s outbursts during June’s debate.
This time around, the Harris campaign heavily advocated for microphones to remain live throughout the debate, according to campaign spokesperson Brian Fallon. In a post on X, he wrote, “Trump should stop hiding behind the mute button.”
At a campaign event last month, Trump remained firm on the issue, telling reporters, “the agreement was that it would be the same as it was last time. In that case, it was muted.”
