With the election less than two months away, Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump are preparing for their first presidential debate. This face-off comes at a crucial time, as both candidates aim to make a strong impression on the American people and solidify their standings in the race.
Initially, Trump was expected to debate President Joe Biden at Tuesday’s event. However, following a stumbling performance in the initial debate in June and increasing concerns about his age, Biden decided to withdraw from the race, setting the stage for a high-stakes encounter between Harris and Trump.
According to national polling averages from Real Clear Politics, Democrats have shifted from trailing Trump by 3.1 percent nationally to leading by 1.8 points in the weeks since Harris entered the race—an improvement of nearly five points in just over a month.
For those eager to tune in, here’s everything you need to know about when and where to watch the debate live.
When Is the Debate Happening?
The event will air at 9 p.m. ET for 90 minutes from the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia.
The NCC is a nonprofit organization that houses a museum and promotes education about the U.S. Constitution. It has previously served as a venue for national political events, including a Democratic presidential primary debate in 2008 and two ABC News town halls ahead of the 2020 election.
How to Watch the Debate
ABC’s World News Tonight host David Muir and ABC News Live Prime anchor Linsey Davis will serve as moderators for the debate, which will be broadcast by the network in collaboration with its local affiliate, WPVI-TV/6ABC, and streamed on ABC News Live, Disney+, and Hulu.
What Happens Next?
For now, no additional presidential debates are scheduled, meaning Tuesday’s encounter between Trump and Harris could be the only opportunity for voters to see them square off before Election Day.
However, the vice presidential candidates — Minnesota Democratic Governor Tim Walz and Ohio Republican Senator JD Vance — are set to debate on October 1 in an event hosted by CBS News.
