How to watch the presidential debate between Trump and Harris

WASHINGTON (AP) — The second general election debate of the 2024 campaign season has begun, but it is the first face-off between the current candidates.

Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump participate in the debate in Philadelphia on Tuesday night. After a disastrous performance in the first general election debate of this cycle in June, President Joe Biden ended his re-election campaign, upending the campaign in recent months and setting off the rapid-fire process that allowed Harris to emerge as the Democratic nominee in his place.

Here’s how you can follow the debate:

When will the debate take place?

The debate begins Tuesday at 9 p.m. EDT and is expected to last 90 minutes. It will be moderated by “World News Tonight” anchor David Muir and “Prime” anchor Linsey Davis.

On which channel will the debate be broadcast?

ABC News will broadcast the debate live on its network of broadcasters as well as on its streaming platforms 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 debate in June, there will be no audience.

Pennsylvania is perhaps the biggest swing state in the country, and both candidates have spent a lot of time campaigning across Pennsylvania. Trump was holding a rally in Butler, in western Pennsylvania, in mid-July when he was nearly assassinated by a gunman on a nearby rooftop. Harris chose Philadelphia as the location where she introduced Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate in August.

In 2020, it was Pennsylvania's electoral votes that helped Biden win 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 dealt with a flood of mail-in ballots that delayed the processing of some ballots and the Trump campaign launched several legal actions.

Which candidates are on stage?

Two candidates – Harris and Trump – will be on stage, and it will be 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 walls during the COVID-19 pandemic.

After Biden dropped out of the campaign after the first debate, there was some concern about whether Trump and Harris would even face each other. When Biden's running mate became the Democratic nominee, Trump said he had made his initial debate agreement with Biden, raising doubts about whether he would meet Harris on a debate stage.

Then there was the furore over the muting of microphones – except when a candidate is speaking – that the Biden campaign made a condition of its decision to allow debates this year. Some aides said they have since regretted that decision, saying it shielded voters from hearing Trump's outbursts. Harris' campaign said it wanted all microphones on, and while Trump said he would “probably” have preferred the microphones on, his campaign agreed to the same muting for the debate with Biden in June.

The current ABC framework for the second debate includes the same rules for muting the microphone, no live audience and no written notes.

So far, the candidates have not been able to agree to meet again for another debate.

What's next?

CBS News will host a vice presidential debate between Walz and Trump's running mate, Ohio Senator JD Vance, on October 1. The event is scheduled to take place in New York City.

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You can reach Meg Kinnard at

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