15 Debate Rules: What to Know for the Donald Trump vs. Kamala Harris Showdown

Former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris are set to square off for their first and potentially only presidential debate on Tuesday at 9:00 p.m. ET on ABC News.

Both campaigns and ABC News negotiated and agreed to several rules leading up to the debate following President Joe Biden’s departure from the race.

The most notable rule is muted mics while the other nominee speaks. The rule originated from Biden’s negotiated parameters for his debates with Trump. Harris does not like the muted mic rule because it seemed to benefit Trump during the first debate while exposing Biden’s gaffe-prone performance.

Preparing to debate Trump is like “trying to prepare for Floyd Mayweather or Muhammad Ali,” Trump adviser Jason Miller told reporters Monday. “You just — you don’t know what angle they’re going to come at you with. You don’t know what style of contrast that they’re going to deliver.”

Below is a 15-point list of debate rules and parameters, according to ABC News:

90-minute debate
Anchors Linsey Davis and David Muir will moderate
Two commercial breaks
No audience in the room
Only the moderators will ask questions
Microphones will only be live for the candidate whose turn it is to speak
No opening statements
Two minutes to answer each question with a two-minute rebuttal
One minute for a follow-up, clarification, or response
Via a coin flip, Trump selected to give the last closing statement
Harris selected the right podium position
No props
No pre-written notes
Each will have a pen, a pad of paper, and a bottle of water
Campaign staff will not coach candidates during commercial breaks

Wendell Husebo is a political reporter with Breitbart News and a former RNC War Room Analyst. He is the author of Politics of Slave Morality. Follow Wendell on “X” @WendellHusebø or on Truth Social @WendellHusebo.

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