TL;DR: The first Harris-Trump presidential debate will be available on ABC channels, ABC News Live, Disney+, and Hulu, and for free on ABC.com.
Following a summer of back and forth between presidential candidates Donald Trump and Kamala Harris, the two political adversaries will finally take the debate stage together — It may be their only chance to square off.
President Joe Biden’s step down from the 2024 presidential ticket in July ushered in a wave of support for Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential bid, but the Trump campaign was less enthusiastic to agree to a meeting with the now-confirmed candidate. Harris later accused the former president of “backpedalling” from the scheduled September debate, which will take place as planned this week.
At the time of publishing, neither side had agreed to a second debate.
The nation has been eagerly awaiting the matchup — the first time they’ve come face-to-face — which sees two very different kinds of speakers addressing the country’s biggest issues. Harris has previously said she is ready and able to “prosecute” Trump on the main stage. Ironically, the Manhattan judge presiding over Trump’s closely-watched criminal trial decided the former president’s sentencing would be announced after the election, rather than the original Sept. 18 date. That means Harris’ litigation of Trump may also be the last voters see before heading to the polls.
What time is the presidential debate?
Harris and Trump will face off on the debate stage at 9 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Sept. 10.
The 90-minute long event will take place at Philadelphia’s National Constitution Center, hosted by ABC and moderated by ABC World News Tonight host David Muir and anchor Linsey Davis.
In a winning virtual coin toss ahead of the event, Trump chose to give the closing statement at the end of the night. Harris chose her place on the screen, which will be to the viewers’ right side.
What is different about this debate?
The previous presidential debate — a chaotic night widely considered to be a disappointing showing from both President Joe Biden and Trump — instituted new rules for the debate stage. Candidate mics were muted while their opponent was speaking, barring the ability for each to challenge or interrupt each other, and there was no live studio audience.
After initially opposing the rules and pushing for live mics, the Harris campaign eventually conceded. The night’s schedule will not include opening statements. As for speaking time, the candidates get two minute long periods for answers and rebuttals; a one minute period for follow-ups, responses, or clarifications; and a two minute closing statement for each candidate.
How can I watch the Harris-Trump debate?
The debate will be aired live on ABC channels nationwide. It will also be available to stream live on ABC News Live, Disney+, and Hulu.
You don’t need a cable or streaming subscription to watch, either, as ABC.com will have a livestream of the debate available on its site. ABC has also granted simulcasting rights to other major news networks, which will air their own coverage of the debate.
In a surprising bi-partisan policy move from X CEO Elon Musk ahead of the last presidential debate, the social platform said it would allow third-party live streams — dominated by popular political commentators on Twitch — to stream directly on the site. Musk has yet to say if the same applies to the Harris-Trump debate.
