Trump-Harris Prepare For First Debate
The Democratic Presidential candidate Kamala Harris, and Republican candidate Donald Trump will face off in a debate for the first time. Both the Vice President (VP) and former President will seek for an edge in the tight-knitted race for the White House.
After several discussion on where, when and how, ABC – US broadcaster which is hosting the event – announced rules for the contest as agreed by the two campaigns.
The debate will take place at the National Constitution Centre in the Philadelphia at 9:00 pm local time. There will be no audience in the debate room, and will be aired live. It will be moderated by ABC anchors David Muir and Linsey Davis, and will run for over 90 minutes with two commercial breaks.
Muted microphones were a major issue during the previous debate between Trump and US President Joe Biden, with each party accusing the other for cowardice over the issue.
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ABC announced that each candidate’s microphone will only be live when it is their turn to speak, and will be muted when it is time for the other one to speak. Only the moderators will be allowed to ask questions. No question or topics will be shared in advance with the candidates.
Reportedly, Trump or Harris will not offer the opening statement, and will be allotted two minutes to answer each question. They will also be granted two minutes for rebuttal. There will be an additional minute for “a follow-up, clarification, or response”, as per the rules. Each candidate will offer two-minute closing statement. The campaign staff will not be allowed to speak or interact with the candidates during the commercial breaks.
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The last time Democratic and Republican presidential candidates met on stage, personal takedowns and insults were traded. However, due to President Joe Biden’s performance forced him to drop out of the race, paving way for VP Harris.
As per media reports, Trump still holds his support from about half of the voters, despite making history of being a convicted criminal and his role in instigating the alleged unprecedented attempt to overturn 2020 election, in which he lost to Biden. According to New York Times/ Siena College poll suggested that Trump leads Harris nationally by 48 to 47 percent.
