Trump, Harris to clash at debate that could reshape 2024 race
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00:00Extremely tight in the polls, Donald Trump and Kamala Harris are now counting down to
00:04their live debate in Philadelphia.
00:06The format of the showdown has been the result of much negotiation.
00:10Ninety minutes of debate time on ABC News, with no live audience in the room, structured
00:16by moderators asking questions, and each candidate afforded a fixed allowance of answer time,
00:21rebuttal time and follow-up, clarification or response time.
00:26Candidates will be armed with only pen, paper and a bottle of water, and there will be no
00:29lifelines, prepared notes are strictly prohibited, as is consulting with campaign staff during
00:35the ad breaks.
00:36The date and host channel were agreed on in May by the Trump and Biden campaigns, but
00:41after wrangling in recent weeks, it's almost a surprise the debate is going ahead at all.
00:46In early August, Republican candidate Donald Trump said he was pulling the plug, soon after
00:51it became apparent that his opponent would be Vice President Harris instead of outgoing
00:55President Biden, calling instead for an alternative date on Fox News.
01:00The former president confirmed his participation at the end of August, but has continued to
01:04insist the process is rigged against him, like at a town hall on the Fox News channel
01:09last week.
01:10John, ABC is the worst network in terms of fairness.
01:18They are the most dishonest network, the meanest, the nastiest.
01:24But that was what I was presented with.
01:27I was presented with ABC.
01:29Meanwhile, his opponent appears quietly confident, despite not having entirely got her way either.
01:39Originally, the Biden campaign demanded that mics be off, except when the candidate has
01:43the floor, perhaps for fear that Biden be distracted by interruptions.
01:47But the Harris campaign wanted both mics on, so the former prosecutor could shine by shutting
01:52down any interruptions and put the spotlight on any loss of composure by her opponent.
01:57Her campaign eventually relented on the demand, but put it in writing that they consider the
02:02mics off rule puts her at a disadvantage.