WASHINGTON (AP) — The second general election debate of the 2024 campaign season has begun, but it is the first showdown between the current nominees.
Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump will compete in Tuesday night’s debate in Philadelphia. After a disastrous performance in the first general election debate of the cycle in June, President Joe Biden ended his re-election bid, upending the campaign in its final months and setting in motion the lightning-fast process that allowed Harris to emerge as the Democratic nominee in his place.
Here’s how to watch the debate:
What time is the debate?
The debate begins at 9 p.m. EDT on Tuesday and is expected to last 90 minutes. It will be moderated by “World News Tonight” host David Muir and “Prime” host Linsey Davis.
On which channel will the debate be broadcast?
ABC News will broadcast the debate live on its broadcast network and on its streaming platform ABC News Live, Disney+ and Hulu. Several networks have also agreed to broadcast the event live.
Where is the debate?
The second general election debate of this cycle will take place at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia. As with the June debate, there will be no audience.
Pennsylvania is perhaps the most important swing state in the country, and both candidates have spent a lot of time campaigning in Pennsylvania. Trump was holding a rally in Butler, in western Pennsylvania, in mid-July when he was nearly killed by a gunman sitting on a nearby roof. Harris chose Philadelphia as the site where she unveiled Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate in August.
In 2020, it was Pennsylvania’s electors who carried Biden to the top of the race and put him in the White House, four years after Trump won the state. Biden’s victory came after more than three days of uncertainty as election officials processed a surge in mail votes that delayed the processing of some ballots and Trump’s campaign mounted several legal challenges.
Which candidates are on stage?
Two candidates — Harris and Trump — will share the stage, marking the first time they’ve met. It’s also Harris’ first debate since 2020, when she and Trump’s running mate — then-Vice President Mike Pence — debated through plexiglass barriers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
With Biden leaving the campaign after the first debate, there was some concern about whether Trump and Harris would face each other at all. As the vice president worked his way from Biden’s running mate to Democratic nominee, Trump said he had struck his first debate deal with Biden, casting doubt on whether he would face Harris on a debate stage.
Then there was the furor over muting microphones — except when it was a candidate’s turn to speak — something Biden’s campaign made a condition of his decision to accept debates this year. Some aides have said they regret that decision, saying it shielded voters from Trump’s outbursts. Harris’ campaign said she wanted all microphones to be live, and while Trump said he would prefer microphones “probably on,” his campaign agreed to the same muting for Biden’s June debate.
The current ABC framework for the second debate uses the same rules for muting the microphone: no live audience and no written notes.
So far, the candidates have not managed to reconvene for a debate.
What’s next?
CBS News is hosting a vice presidential debate between Walz and Trump’s running mate, Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio, on October 1. The event is scheduled for New York City.
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Meg Kinnard can be reached at http://x.com/MegKinnardAP.
