Updated September 10, 2024 at 16:31 PM ET
Vice President Harris will face off against former President Donald Trump Tuesday for the first time since becoming the Democratic nominee.
The playing field is different than it was two months ago when President Biden鈥檚 dismal debate performance spurred a wave of concern over his ability to defeat Trump, the Republican nominee.
Since then, a lot has happened. Trump survived an assassination attempt, he accepted the GOP presidential nomination, Biden dropped out of the race and Harris then took over and clinched the Democratic party鈥檚 nomination.
Harris has since made up the ground Biden lost in swing state polls and with Trump. Despite a groundswell of support and reportedly fundraising amounts, her campaign鈥檚 , especially as Trump and Republicans look to ramp up attacks.
Here鈥檚 what you need to know about this second debate of the 2024 presidential election cycle.
When and how to watch
The event will air at 9 p.m. ET for 90 minutes from the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia. ABC News anchors David Muir and Linsey Davis are slated to moderate the debate, which will be broadcast by the network and streamed on ABC News Live, Disney+ and Hulu.
Follow NPR's live blog for the latest updates, analysis, fact-checking and color; listen to NPR鈥檚 special coverage of the ABC News Presidential Debate Simulcast .
What are the rules for the debate?
The debate rules on for the June matchup. That means microphones will unless a candidate is speaking, something the Harris team asked to change for this debate.
It鈥檚 a rule initially proposed by the Biden campaign ahead of the first debate and was largely seen as a to Trump鈥檚 typical debate style. Instead, it ended up the former president, who has a in to the point of his campaign鈥檚 detriment. Instead, the technical change helped Trump appear more controlled.
Harris鈥� campaign told ABC that Harris would be disadvantaged by the muted mics because it would shield Trump from direct exchanges 鈥� but said that it would agree to the terms lest Trump drop out of the debate altogether.
A campaign official, speaking on condition of anonymity to describe private negotiations, said that a pool would be on hand to hear what the candidates are saying into muted microphones 鈥� and that if there is 鈥渟ignificant crosstalk,鈥� the network may unmute both microphones. The moderator will warn candidates to stop frequent interruptions, the official said. 鈥淥ur understanding of these things helped inform our decision to accept muted mics,鈥� the official said.
There will be no audience and candidates will not be permitted to question each other directly. In addition, neither will be allowed to bring pre-written notes or props onto the debate stage.
What to watch for
Harris has mostly campaigned from the trail in her brief time as a presidential contender 鈥� at the end of August. She has also with unscripted moments as vice president, which will put the spotlight on her ability to perform in a debate while also laying out some of her platform and going on the offensive against Trump.
Harris has been putting an emphasis on protecting reproductive rights while campaigning, and she鈥檚 likely to address it Tuesday night. Leading up to the debate, the Harris-Walz campaign launched its 鈥淔ighting for Reproductive Freedom鈥� bus tour, pledging to make 50 stops in key states around the issues of abortion, IVF and reproductive rights.
Trump鈥檚 stance on this issue has been muddy. He鈥檚 made comments on abortion that appear to clash with some of his . Recently, he acknowledged that Florida鈥檚 six-week ban was , then clarified shortly after that he would the state鈥檚 upcoming ballot measure that, if passed, would safeguard access to abortions up until fetal viability.
Trump is likely to link Harris to Biden鈥檚 handling of the economy and immigration, two areas where Republicans have heavily criticized the White House. He may also highlight aspects of her political record, including her 鈥� two policies she backed during her 2020 presidential bid and has .
On the other hand, Harris has repeatedly tied Trump鈥檚 platform to , a 900-page set of policy proposals for a potential second term put forward by a conservative think tank, The Heritage Foundation. Trump has tried to from the plan 鈥� which includes
Tuesday鈥檚 matchup also poses new stakes for Trump: He鈥檚 facing a very different opponent.
In the aftermath of the June debate, the former president鈥檚 mistakes weren鈥檛 a focus, largely because of Biden鈥檚 more noticeably poor performance. That said, Trump by no means had a perfect night, repeatedly highlighting . So this time, as NPR鈥檚 Domenico Montanaro , 鈥淚f Harris has a solid debate, the focus could be on Trump in a way he doesn鈥檛 want.鈥�
What's next?
Vice presidential candidates Minnesota Democratic Gov. Tim Walz and Ohio Republican Sen. JD Vance will face off on Oct. 1 in a debate hosted by CBS News. The two hold similar roles in their respective campaigns: to appeal to voters in the "Blue Wall" states of Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin this fall.
It鈥檚 unclear whether Harris and Trump will debate a second time. No additional dates have been formally announced.
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