ABC News releases rules for presidential debate between Harris, Trump in Philadelphia

PHILADELPHIA -- In less than one week, Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump will be at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia for their first debate.

The 2024 presidential debate is set for September 10 and will be hosted by ABC News.

On Wednesday, ABC News released rules for the highly anticipated event.

Officials say Harris and Trump both accepted the guidelines.

Debate Rules:

• The debate will last 90 minutes with two commercial breaks

• The two seated moderators, David Muir and Linsey Davis, will be the only people asking questions

• A coin flip was held virtually on September 3 to determine podium placements and order of closing arguments; Trump won the coin toss and chose to select the order of statements. He will offer the last closing statement, and Harris selected the right podium on screen (stage left)

• Candidates will be introduced by moderators

• Candidates will enter upon introduction from opposite sides of the stage; the incumbent party will be introduced first

• There will be no opening statements; closing statements will be two minutes per candidate

• Candidates will stand behind the podiums for the duration of the debate

• Props or prewritten notes are not allowed onstage

• No topics or questions will be shared in advance

• Candidates will be given a pen, a pad of paper, and a bottle of water

• Candidates will have two minutes to answer questions, two minutes for rebuttals, and one extra minute for follow-ups, clarifications, or responses

• Candidates' microphones will be live only for the candidate whose turn it is to speak and muted when the time belongs to another candidate

• Candidates will not be permitted to ask questions of each other

• Campaign staff may not interact with candidates during commercial breaks

• Moderators will seek to enforce timing agreements and ensure a civilized discussion

• There will be no audience in the room

SEE ALSO | ABC News Presidential Debate to be held at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia

As the debate approaches, Harris and Trump are making their paths to the presidency clearer as their campaigns begin a two-month sprint to Election Day.

The candidates are largely focusing on swaying the undecided voters out there. Their campaigns will try to focus their messages on three familiar issues -- the economy, immigration, and abortion -- even in the midst of heated debates over character, culture, and democracy.

'The ABC News Presidential Debate | Race for the White House' will air September 10 at 9 p.m. It will air on ABC and stream on 24/7 streaming network ABC News Live, Disney+, and Hulu.

The Associated Press Contributed to this report.