Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump will meet at 9 p.m. ET for their first presidential debate, which also happens to be their first in-person meeting. This is Harris' first general election presidential debate, while Trump has previously engaged in debates against President Joe Biden and Hillary Clinton. After Tuesday, Trump will hold the record for participating in the most televised general election presidential debates.
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Rules for the debate
"The ABC News Presidential Debate" will run for 90 minutes. The candidates selected certain aspects of the debate based on a coin flip: Trump chose to give his closing statement last, and Harris chose to stand at the rightmost podium on screen during the broadcast.
Each candidate will get two minutes to answer questions, two minutes to deliver rebuttals, and one minute for responses or follow-ups as granted.
Closing statements will run for two minutes per candidate and there will be no opening statements.
Microphones will be muted for candidates except when they have been granted speaking time.
Campaign strategies
The Trump campaign notes that with the exception of last month's interview with CNN, Tuesday will mark the first time Harris will field tough questions since becoming the Democratic nominee. The Trump campaign says that Harris needs to explain both the "damage she's done" to the U.S. economy and why she hasn't implemented her plans since becoming vice president in January 2021.
The Harris campaign intends to appeal to moderate voters who haven't fully made up their minds. Although a small percentage of the electorate, swing voters in battleground states could ultimately play a deciding role in this year's election.
Harris' campaign said the vice president intends to promote a popular agenda and tie Trump to Project 2025, a 922-page plan from the Heritage Foundation, a right-wing think tank, designed for the “next conservative president.” Trump has repeatedly denied ties to the plan and those behind it, though its authors include former Trump administration officials, and the document overlaps with several of his policy proposals.
