Kamala Harris and Donald Trump in first presidential debate tonight

Kamala Harris and Donald Trump in first presidential debate tonight

One of the most contentious rules of the upcoming debate is whether the candidates’ microphones will be muted when they’re not speaking, or whether they’ll remain on. While former President Donald Trump historically favored the latter, his campaign wants to mute them.

Meanwhile, President Joe Biden, ahead of his disastrous debate performance in July, wanted the microphones to be muted when Biden wasn’t speaking. But now Democrats want the microphones to stay on for Harris, insisting that this “will allow for full substantive exchanges between the candidates.”

On Wednesday, it was announced that the two candidates had agreed on debate rules that said microphones would be muted when a candidate wasn’t speaking. Other rules for the Sept. 10 debate mirror many of the rules from the last presidential debate between Trump and Biden.

Candidates stand behind lecterns, make no opening statements, and are not allowed to take notes. The debate lasts 90 minutes.

What can we expect tonight at the Trump-Harris debate?

Tensions are sure to run high during tonight’s debate, as it marks the first face-to-face meeting between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris.

Expect issues like abortion, the border, the economy and Middle East instability to be discussed, along with Trump’s personal attacks on Harris, such as when he said she “just happened to turn black.”

The microphones are muted between questions after a back-and-forth over the rules. The Harris team wanted open mics in the hope that Trump would make himself look bad by interrupting her.

“I speak,” Harris said in a viral moment during a 2020 debate with former Vice President Mike Pence when he talked over her. Trump has frequently described Harris as “dumb,” “inexperienced,” and “too liberal,” and will likely try to portray her as such.

Harris likes to portray herself as the prosecutor and Trump as the criminal. She has portrayed him as “corrupt” and “dishonest” and claims he wants to turn the country back and take away women’s reproductive freedoms.

Harris holds narrow lead over Trump as pair head into debate night: Poll

Vice President Kamala Harris has a one-point lead over former President Trump, according to a new poll as the two prepare for a debate on Tuesday in Philadelphia.

The NPR/Marist poll shows Harris at 49% among registered voters, compared to Trump’s 48%. The poll shows the race has tightened since August, when Trump trailed Harris by 3 points in a 48%-45% matchup.

The NPR poll surveyed 1,413 registered voters from September 3 to 5. The poll advertises a margin of error of 3.3%.

The poll also found that voters view Harris as the more radical of the two candidates. Forty-seven percent of Americans consider Harris “too liberal.” Forty-three percent of Americans consider Trump “too conservative.”

Harris and Trump will meet Tuesday night in Philadelphia for their first presidential debate. ABC News is hosting the event and moderators are David Muir and Lindsey Davis. It is unclear whether there will be a second debate.

Why is the presidential debate taking place in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania?

Pennsylvania is a must-win swing state in the presidential race, and both campaigns have poured money into media markets in the Keystone State. Trump won Pennsylvania in 2016 and Biden won it in 2020.

Trump and Harris are nearly tied in Pennsylvania and Georgia, and Trump’s debate with President Joe Biden took place in Atlanta.

Although Election Day, November 5, is still nine weeks away, early voting in Pennsylvania begins this month. Whoever wins Pennsylvania gets 20 electoral votes.

Philadelphia is also conveniently located on the northeastern corridor between Washington, DC and the media centers of New York City.

Who are the moderators of tonight’s presidential debate between Trump and Harris?

The first presidential debate, held on Tuesday, September 10, will be moderated by ABC’s David Muir and Linsey Davis. Muir is the host of ABC’s “World News Tonight,” while Davis hosts the Sunday edition of the program and hosts her own show, “ABC News Live.”

Muir has been with ABC since 2003. He was former President Donald Trump’s first White House interview as president. More recently, he interviewed President Joe Biden on the anniversary of the famous D-Day invasion.

Davis has been with the network since 2007. In July 2023, she interviewed Vice President Kamala Harris and lists a long list of other prominent people she has spoken to on camera.

Both Muir and Davis previously moderated presidential debates in 2016, 2019 and 2020.