After some back and forth, disputes over rules, and of course, the shocking turn of events that led us here in the first place, the debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and her opponent Donald Trump has finally arrived.
The highly-anticipated moment marks not only the first time the presidential hopefuls debate each other, but it is also the first time they properly meet, since the former reality star famously broke the transition of power tradition of welcoming new presidents into the White House with President Joe Biden, just two weeks after his supporters led an insurrection in the U.S. Capitol following his electoral loss.
And though it is the first debate, such an occasion has proven to be a pivotal moment for nominees already, as the outcome of the last presidential debate, between Trump and Biden on June 27, ultimately led to Biden stepping down from the race after a poor performance, and Harris subsequently became the nominee, to much relief and fanfare from fellow politicians and Democratic voters alike.
Though it has been noticeably difficult for Trump to come to terms with the fact that Harris is now his opponent, and he hesitated to agree to debate her, their match-up was ultimately scheduled for September 10 on ABC.
Ahead of the historic moment, catch up on how to watch it, and who the moderators are this time around.
© AlamyWhen and where is the debate?
The debate between Harris and Trump will take place at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, and will air on ABC at 9pm EST. CNN, which hosted the previous debate, will air a simulcast, and it will also stream on Hulu and Disney+.
MORE: All about Kamala Harris' husband Doug Emhoff — inside the cice Ppresident's home life
As for the rules the candidates have agreed to, there will be no live audience, and microphones will be muted when either one is not speaking. It had been reported that the Harris campaign hoped for mics to stay on, in an attempt to expose Trump's signature erratic behavior — particularly around women and people of color — while his team argued for them to be muted, fearing rather than hoping for the same.
© GettyMeet the moderators
ABC News mainstays David Muir and Linsey Davis will be moderating the debate; the previous one was moderated by Jake Tapper and Dana Bash.
David, 50, is best known as the anchor of ABC World News Tonight, as well as the co-anchor of 20/20, which he previously co-hosted with Amy Robach before she was replaced by Deborah Roberts.
© InstagramHe is originally from Syracuse, New York, and in addition to his West Village townhome, he still owns a lake house in the area. He has been a part of the ABC family for over 20 years, since 2003. Little is known about his personal life, neither his political leanings nor relationships, though fans of his are familiar with his tight-knit friendship with Kelly Ripa and her family.
© GettyLinsey, 46, currently anchors for ABC News Live Prime as well as World News Tonight on Sundays, and is a frequent contributor for Good Morning America; she previously joined forces with David to moderate two Democratic presidential primary debates, in September 2019 and February 2020.
She has been part of the ABC flagship family since 2007. Like David, she keeps her personal life largely out of the spotlight; she has been married to businessman Paul Roberts since 2013, and they share one son, Ayden, ten.
