WASHINGTON — The second general election debate of the 2024 campaign season is here, but it’s the first matchup for the current nominees.
Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump will meet on the debate stage for the first time in Tuesday night’s debate in Philadelphia. After a disastrous performance in the first general election debate of this cycle in June, President Joe Biden ended his reelection bid, upending the campaign in its closing months and kicking off the rapid-fire process that allowed Harris to rise as Democrats’ nominee in his place.
Here’s how to watch and what to know about the presidential debate.
What time is the debate?
The debate will start at 9 p.m. EDT Tuesday and is expected to last 90 minutes.
What channel is the debate on?
ABC News is hosting the debate live on its broadcast network as well as its streaming platform ABC News Live, Disney+ and Hulu.
CBS, NBC, FOX, PBS, Telemundo, CNN, FOX NEWS and MSNBC have plans for coverage and have agreed to carry the event live as well.
Who is moderating the debate?
It’s being moderated by ABC News “World News Tonight” anchor David Muir and “Prime” anchor Linsey Davis.
Where is the debate?
The second general election debate of this cycle is taking place at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia. As was the case for the June debate, there will be no audience present.
Pennsylvania is perhaps the nation's premier swing state, and both candidates have spent significant time campaigning across Pennsylvania. In 2020, it was Pennsylvania's electoral votes that put Biden over the top and propelled him into the White House, four years after Trump won the state.
Presidential debate rules
According to ABC News, the candidates will stand behind lecterns, will not make opening statements and will not be allowed to bring notes during the 90-minute debate.
There was disagreement over the muting of microphones — except for a candidate's turn to speak — something Biden's campaign had made a condition of its decision to accept any debates this year. Some aides have said they have come to regret that decision, saying voters were shielded from hearing Trump’s outbursts. Harris' campaign said it wanted all microphones to be live, and, while Trump said he'd rather have mics “probably on,” his campaign agreed to the same mic muting in place for the June debate with Biden.
The current ABC framework for the second debate has the same rules for mic muting, no live audience or written notes.
What’s up next?
CBS News will host a vice presidential debate on Oct. 1 between Walz and Trump's running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance. That event is planned to be held in New York City.
When is the next presidential debate?
As of this point, there are no other presidential debates scheduled before the election. The campaigns previously agreed to only two debates - the one on CNN back in June and the ABC News one on Sept. 10. While Trump has proposed two more - including one on Fox News, the Harris campaign said it would evaluate a second debate in October later.
The Associated Press contributed.