The two US presidential candidates, Democratic nominee Kamala Harris and Republican candidate Donald Trump, will face off on Tuesday in their first debate, as the race between them intensifies with recent polls showing Harris with a slight lead over Trump.
The debate would be taking place in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, a key swing state crucial for the elections taking place in November 5.
The debate would be broadcasted by ABC, which has establi8shed several rules for the debate, of which has sparked significant controversy between the two campaigns.
For Harris, this would be her first debate as the official Democratic presidential nominee, while Trump has previously participated in several presidential debates, including those against current US president Joe Biden and former democratic candidate Hillary Clinton in 2016.
ABC has revealed that the debate would last 90 minutes, with two commercial breaks, and one notable rule was that each candidate’s microphone would be cut off once their time to speak
has ended, a measure intended to prevent irruptions.
Harris’ campaign attempted to remove this rule but Trump’s campaign opposed the change, resulting in the rule being maintained, as it was during the last debate between Trump and Biden.
This rule aims to ensure a more orderly debate and prevent the discussion from developing into verbal clashes, something that could influence undecided voters, who often rely on debates to make their final decisions.
The candidates would not be allowed to use pre-prepared notes, though they would each be provided with a pen and paper to take notes during the debate, and neither candidate would deliver an opening statement, but they would each have two minutes for closing remarks.
Each candidate would be given two minutes to respond to questions, one minute to comment on their opponent’s response, and another minute for follow-up remarks.
The debate would take place without live-audience, with both candidates hoping to attract undecided voters through this event.
Accord
ing to a YouGov poll, 40 percent of Americans believe that Harris would win the debate, while 38 percent believe that Trump would be the winner, 60 percent of Americans plan to watch the debate.
Among Democrats, 70 percent said they would watch, while 69 percent of Republicans and 46 percent of independent voters expressed the same intention.
A Pew Research Center poll conducted between August 26 and September 2 showed that both candidates were tied with 49 percent support among registered voters, the results were published on Monday.
Source: Kuwait News Agency