(NewsNation) — Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump will square off Tuesday for their first presidential debate ahead of the November election.
Harris was maintaining a slight lead over Trump as of Thursday, according to The Hill/Decision Desk HQ polling averages. DDHQ’s latest forecast gives Harris a 56% chance of winning the presidency.
The election cycle has already taken unusual turns, putting added pressure on both candidates to deliver a strong performance.
President Joe Biden’s performance at the first debate in June was a standout moment for Democrats who had already expressed concerns about his mental acuity. Biden, 81, stumbled through his words and appeared confused at times. Trump, 78, also faced criticism for making multiple false statements.
Biden ultimately dropped out of the race July 21 and endorsed Harris for the party’s nomination, which she secured in August. She introduced Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate soon after.
Trump’s campaign has faced its own set of challenges. In May, a New York jury found the former president guilty of 34 felony charges of falsifying business records to keep information from voters ahead of the 2016 election. A federal judge Tuesday swiftly rejected Trump’s request to intervene in the case. He’s scheduled for sentencing in two weeks.
The former president also suffered a graze wound to his ear in July when a gunman opened fire at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. One attendee was killed and at least two others were seriously injured. A U.S. Secret Service countersniper shot and killed the gunman, who was posted on the roof of a nearby building.
Trump’s team added security measures, including bulletproof glass, at some of his more recent public appearances. The former president has continued campaigning alongside his running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance.
You can watch the ABC News Presidential Debate live on NewsNation. Find your channel at joinnn.com and download our app for fact-biased, unbiased news for all America.
NewsNation’s coverage begins at 7 p.m. ET with a special edition of “On Balance with Leland Vittert” live from Philadelphia. Chris Cuomo gets you ready for the debate at 8 p.m. before The ABC News Presidential Debate Simulcast begins at 9 p.m. When it’s over, Cuomo will break down what we saw and what will happen next.
What are the rules of the presidential debate?
The parameters will essentially be the same as the June debate between Trump and Biden, The Associated Press reported, citing a copy of the rules provided to the outlet by a senior Trump campaign official on condition of anonymity.
According to ABC News, the candidates will stand behind lecterns and neither will make opening statements.
The event won’t have an audience, written notes or live microphones when the candidates aren’t speaking, according to the AP.
Microphone muting has so far been a point of contention leading up to the debate. In June, CNN enforced a no-interruptions rule, meaning the microphone of one candidate was muted while the other spoke.
How to watch the debate between Trump and Harris
You can watch the ABC News Presidential Debate live on NewsNation. Find your channel at joinnn.com and download our app for fact-biased, unbiased news for all America.
ABC News’ David Muir will host the 90-minute debate set to air Tuesday at 9 p.m. ET from the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia. Although it’s the second presidential debate of this election cycle, the evening marks the first time Harris and Trump will face each other on the stage.
What will Harris, Trump debate?
The economy, border, abortion and crime remain top of mind for many voters and are likely topics of debate for Trump and Harris.
A former prosecutor, Harris is uniquely positioned to debate the former president about crime. Her record as California attorney general, however, drew the ire of many progressives during her 2020 bid for the presidency.
During her seven years as a district attorney and then six as attorney general, she defended the cash bail system in a pair of federal court cases, shifting course only weeks before she entered the Senate.
As a presidential candidate in 2020, she pledged a wholesale overhaul of the country’s criminal justice system, arguing for marijuana legalization, bail reform and a moratorium on the death penalty.
Trump, who granted 73 pardons and commuted an additional 70 sentences during his presidency, has taken a hard stance on certain crimes. If elected again, he’s vowed to give police more authority, deploy the military to fight the nation’s drug problem and impose the death penalty for convicted drug dealers.
During his time in the White House, Trump delivered record funding to hire and retrain police officers, strengthen qualified immunity and increase penalties for assaults on law enforcement.
As for the economy, Trump has promised “lower taxes, bigger paychecks, and more jobs for American workers” by enacting universal baseline tariffs that “reward domestic production,” tax foreign companies and lower interest rates.
Meanwhile, Harris has said inflation was a high priority for the administration.
“The President and our administration’s probably highest priority is bringing down the price of gas and cost of living,” Harris said.
Trump vs. Harris
Republican debate coach Brett O’Donnell says Trump’s responses at the presidential debate should aim to make Harris appear weak, like a failure or dangerously liberal.
“He should not take the bait from her when she tries to insult him or bait him into attacking her personally,” O’Donnell previously told NewsNation. “But rather, stay focused on her issue positions. People know very, very little about Kamala Harris’ record. They know very little about what she would do as president.”
However, Democratic strategist Michael Starr Hopkins said it’s clear why Harris is leading in some polls.
“If you just look at the spectrum of Democrats right now, you’ve got Josh Shapiro, Joe Biden, Kamala Harris,” Starr Hopkins said. “This shows not just the diversity of the party, but also the youth and strength moving forward.”
Since Harris is already in the White House, voters may treat her as an incumbent candidate, Republican strategist and radio host Melik Abdul said. That could position Trump is an “underdog” in both the next debate and the November election.
Are future presidential debates scheduled?
It’s unclear when Harris and Trump may debate each other a second time.
In a Truth Social post last month, Trump teased a Sept. 25 debate in Grand Rapids, Michigan. NBC would air the debate and the station’s anchor Lester Holt would moderate, Trump said.
The Harris campaign hasn’t agreed to the event but said it will participate in two presidential debates and one vice presidential debate this election cycle.
When is the vice presidential debate between Vance and Walz?
Vance and Walz will debate each other Oct. 1 in New York City. CBS will host the debate, and anchors Norah O’Donnell and Margaret Brennan will moderate.
The network originally offered four possible dates — Sept. 17, Sept. 24, Oct. 1 and Oct. 8 — as options. Historically, vice presidential candidates tend to only have one debate, so a second date is unlikely.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.