All eyes will be on the United States tonight as Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump face off in their first (and potentially only) presidential debate, less than two months before Election Day on November 5th. This highly anticipated event will be broadcast on ABC starting at 9 PM. It follows a series of events that have shaken the nation.
This will be the second debate for Trump, but the first for Harris in this presidential race. Harris's entry as a candidate breathed new life into the Democratic Party, which had appeared to be far behind Trump and the Republican Party. However, since August, some polls have shown Harris leading, with a trend seemingly improving for her week after week.
The debate will take place at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia at approximately 9 PM and will be moderated by ABC News anchors David Muir and Linsey Davis.
The debate will be broadcast live on ABC, but also on CTVNews.ca, the CTV News app, and CTV News Channel.
Last week, Trump won a coin toss, which allowed him to choose the podium he will use and to decide whether he wants to deliver his closing statement before or after Harris. He opted to stand on the podium located to the right of the screen and to deliver his closing statement after Harris's.
Each candidate will have two minutes for each answer, two minutes for rebuttals, and one minute for follow-up questions.
ABC News will mute each candidate's microphone when their opponent is speaking, as was the case during the CNN debate between Trump and Biden last June. Trump and Harris will not be allowed to ask each other questions.
Candidates will not be permitted to bring notes or props onstage, and they won't be able to meet with their campaign teams during the two commercial breaks.
There will be no live audience.
