As the presidential debate at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia approaches this Tuesday, September 10, both camps are in high gear with preparations under strict new rules established by ABC News.

Former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris are set to engage in a highly structured debate environment, raising stakes and tensions.

The debate format, as released by ABC News, will restrict both candidates from bringing pre-written notes on stage, and their microphones will be muted while the other is speaking to prevent interruptions.

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Full debate rules according to ABC News:

• 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

Each candidate will have two minutes to answer each question, followed by two minutes for rebuttal and an additional minute for follow-ups or clarifications. The tightly controlled setup includes no opening statements and closing statements restricted to 120 seconds.

Fox News’ “The Big Weekend Show” panelists discussed the implications of these rules. Joe Concha highlighted the strategic importance of the debate for Trump, advising, “These are the rules that the Biden-Harris campaign agreed to. And if I’m Donald Trump, I’d nail this over and over again – if you’re going to fix all the problems in this country that your administration created, why haven’t you done it already?” He emphasized that Trump, not being the incumbent, should challenge Harris on the current administration’s record.

Meanwhile, preparations on Harris’s side seem to be intense, with reports of her team simulating the debate environment in a Pittsburgh hotel room complete with a stage setup and a Trump impersonator.

This comes amid claims by the Trump campaign of Harris seeking concessions for the debate format, which have been denied by ABC.

Harris’s campaign is reported to have demanded a seated format and the use of a “cheat sheet,” though these requests were rejected by the debate organizers.

Trump’s senior advisor, Jason Miller, expressed skepticism about Harris’s readiness, stating, “I think the Harris folks started going into debate prep, and now they realize what they are working with. They realize they are in real trouble with Kamala Harris. They also know that President Trump is the greatest debater in modern political history. So I think they are nervous and want a way out.”

“They’re nervous and they want a way out”: Trump Senior Advisor @JasonMillerinDC says the Harris campaign is fighting the agreed-upon rules because they’re terrified and “looking for a way to get out of this debate.” pic.twitter.com/iY8E5JtVAV

— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) September 1, 2024

Fox News correspondent Griff Jenkins pointed out the Harris campaign’s strategy of lowering expectations: “Tour de force aren’t going to be what you hear from the headlines, because the campaign’s already downplaying her performance before it even happens.”

The rules and preparations have sparked a flurry of comments from both sides, with Harris’s spokesperson Brian Fallon criticizing the Trump team’s alleged inconsistencies about microphone rules. “Our latest understanding is that even though Trump said Monday he would be fine with an unmuted mic, his handlers don’t trust him to spar live with VP Harris and are asking ABC to ignore Trump’s comments and keep the mics muted or else they will back out of the debate for a third time,” Fallon remarked.

As the debate nears, the political landscape is bristling with anticipations and strategies, reflecting the high stakes involved in this direct confrontation between the presidential candidates.

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