Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump are set to face off in their first debate, following weeks of negotiations over the rules. The debate will be moderated by David Muir and Linsey Davis of ABC News, with no audience present. The candidates will not have opening statements and will enter the stage from opposite sides, with Harris being introduced first as the incumbent party. The mics will be muted when a candidate is not speaking, a change requested by the Harris campaign. There will be no pre-written notes allowed on stage, but candidates will be provided with a pen, pad of paper, and water. The candidates will not know the questions in advance, and will not be allowed to interact with campaign staff during the commercial breaks. Trump claimed without evidence that Harris would receive questions in advance, but there is no evidence to support this. While the Harris campaign fought for a rule change on the mics, Trump claimed they also wanted to change seating arrangements and use of notes, which the Harris campaign denied. The rules for the debate are now set, following an agreement between the two campaigns, and both candidates have accepted them.
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