How to watch the first presidential debate between Harris and Trump

Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump will meet on the presidential debate stage for the first time on Tuesday night.

Though it’s technically the second presidential debate of the general election, it’s the first since Harris became the Democratic nominee, replacing President Joe Biden as the party’s candidate. That happened after Biden’s disastrous debate exacerbated concerns about his age, leading to a fracturing of support in the party and his eventual decision to step down and endorse his VP for the top of the ticket.

Tech isn’t likely to be a major focus of this debate, but since it’s one of the first opportunities we’ve had to hear from Harris since she took on the nomination, we’ll be listening for clues on where she falls on issues including antitrust, a TikTok ban, kids online safety, and more.

How do I watch tonight’s presidential debate?

This debate is being run by ABC News, so you can watch on ABC, the ABC News Live streaming service, Disney Plus, or Hulu. Other TV networks and channels will also simulcast the debate and provide streams on YouTube.

What time does tonight’s presidential debate start?

The debate starts at 9PM ET from the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia. There’s 90 minutes of debate time and two commercial breaks.

Who are the moderators?

ABC World News Tonight anchor David Muir and ABC News Live Prime anchor Linsey Davis will moderate.

What are the ground rules?

Similar to the first debate, there will be no audience, and microphones will be muted unless it’s a candidate’s turn to speak. Only moderators can ask Harris and Trump questions, and there won’t be opening statements.

Candidates have two minutes to answer questions and two minutes to rebut. There’s also another minute to clarify or follow-up. They won’t have access to prewritten notes or their campaign staff onstage, but they will have a pen and paper to jot things down.

ABC said a virtual coin flip last week determined who will be at which podium and the order of the two-minute closing statements. Trump won the coin flip and chose to offer his closing statement last. Harris got to choose her podium position, which will be on the right side of the screen.