Trump-Harris presidential debate live: Follow all the updates from the high-stakes ABC showdown

By Katelyn Caralle, Senior U.S. Political Reporter in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Donald Trump and Kamala Harris have taken the stage in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania for their first showdown.

Tuesday evening marks the first time the two 2024 presidential nominees have met and it comes under tense circumstances.

Vice President Harris outreached her hand to the former president, walking to his side of the stage and introducing herself with her name.

‘Nice to see you,’ Trump remarked.

She replied: ‘Thank you.’

Harris took her place behind the podium on the left side of the stage at the National Constitution Center.

Trump won the coin toss and made the selection to deliver his closing remarks last, meaning that Harris was given a choice of which side of the stage to stand – and decided to appear on the right side of viewers’ screens.

The podiums have a notable difference in size. At 5’4” Harris is nearly a foot shorter than the 6’3” former president – and the lecterns they are standing at reflect that discrepancy.

The candidates have two minutes to deliver their answers to questions posed by ABC News debate moderators David Muir and Linsey Davis. They also have two minutes for rebuttals and one minute for any follow-ups.

After much back-and-forth between the campaigns ahead of the debate date, ABC worked it out to keep the microphones muted when it is not the other candidates’ turn to speak, which is what the teams agreed to when the face off was meant to be between Trump and President Joe Biden.

Donald Trump facetimed a group of conservative influencers ready to back him online as he dukes it out with Kamala Harris on stage.

Jack Posobiec, Rogan O’Handley, Alex Bruesewitz and Chaya Raichik are some of those reported to be in the ‘war room’ where they will be posting on their accounts that reach millions.

‘I feel good… This will be TRIPLE what the Super Bowl is,’ Trump says in a video of the interaction.

By Nikki Schwab, Chief Campaign Correspondent in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania’s top Democrats cheered on Vice President Kamala Harris ahead of Tuesday night’s debate in Philadelphia.

At the trendy warehouse space Cherry Street Pier, Democratic National Committee Chair Jaime Harrison was joined by Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, Lt. Gov. Austin Davis and state House Speaker Joanna McClinton.

Shapiro – who was overlooked as Harris’ running mate – noted how the debate was between the ’47th president of the United States’ and ‘that other guy.’

He also noted the historical location of the throwdown.

‘In fact this debate is literally happening across the yard from Independence Hall,’ Shapiro said.

He pushed that a vote for the Democrat was a vote for democracy.

‘Ladies and gentleman, my fellow Pennsylvanians, for the last 248 years we have worked hard to keep that republic. We have worked hard to defend our democracy,’ Shapiro sai.d ‘We have worked hard to protect our fundamental freedoms.’

‘Tonight, you are going to hear Kamala Harris speak passionately about the need to defend our freedom and protect our democracy,’ he said.

Several hundred Democrats were on hand at the campaign’s official watch party.

The event was open bar with wines from Lake Erie and beers from prominent Pennsylvania breweries being served.

Delaware Sen. Chris Coons – a close friend of President Joe Biden – was on hand, marveling that ice cream was being served, perhaps an homage to the outgoing president.

Robert Kennedy Jr. was confronted by Democratic Rep. Madeleine Dean in a live interview ahead of the debate.

The Pennsylvania Democrat introduced herself to Kennedy as he walked by on the spin room floor.

Dean spoke about how much she admired Kennedy’s father, Robert Kennedy, and how she even carries a pin from his campaign with her.

‘The other thing I honored about your father and your uncle is their focus on the poor,’ she added.

He responded graciously and spoke about his interest in correcting the increase in children’s chronic diseases.

Sarah Ewall-Wice, Senior U.S. Political Reporter in Philadelphia:

ABC News released a list of rules ahead of the faceoff between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump that the campaigns both agreed to. The candidates will be introduced by the moderators and enter from opposite sides of the stage. Harris as the incumbent party will be introduced first.

Neither candidate will give an opening statement. Closing statements will be timed for two minutes per candidate.

Neither will be allowed to have prewritten notes onstage. What candidates will have available to them at the podium are a pen, pad of paper and a bottle of water, ABC News revealed.

When it comes to the questions, candidates will be given two minutes to answer. There will also be two minutes for rebuttals and an additional minute for follow-ups, clarifications and responses as necessary.

When it is not a candidate’s turn to speak, their mic will be muted. However, ABC News producers could change that reportedly if something significant happens.

The podium placement and order of closing statements were determined with a coin flip held virtually last week. Trump, 78, won and opted to decide the order of statements. He will give the second closing statement.

Harris, 59, selected being at the right podium position from the screen leaving Trump the left side position. Both candidates will remain behind the podium for the entire duration of the debate.

None of the topics or questions were shared with candidates or their campaigns in advance. And candidates will not be permitted to ask each other questions.

By Katelyn Caralle, Senior U.S. Political Reporter in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Alina Habba, one of Donald Trump’s main attack dogs, compared the former president to Philly’s fictional legendary boxer Rocky.

Asked on Fox News how Trump is feeling ahead of his debate in Philadelphia on Tuesday evening, Habba said:

‘He’s great, he’s ready to roll. He’s like Rocky. He just gets focused, he knows his policies are going to win.

‘He knows he’s not trying to get taxpayer dollars to pay for transgender illegal immigrants to get transitioned in cells.’

Maggie Goodlander, the wife of Joe Biden’s National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, appeared to win the Democratic primary in a New Hampshire House race.

Goodlander was in a competitive race with Colin Van Ostern, who was endorsed by outgoing Democratic Rep. Annie Kuster.

But Goodlander, who had served in Biden’s administration before resigning to run for Congress, leveraged her connections to line up national Democrats behind her campaign.

She had support from EMILY’s List and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Sullivan also advised Clinton. She attended the couple’s wedding.

The general election race is competitive and the outcome in November will help determine which party controls the House next year.

By Jon Michael Raasch, U.S. Political Reporter for DailyMail.com

Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson believes Donald Trump ‘will expose VP Kamala Harris’ radical record’ during the debate.

The Louisianan posted a gushing praise of Trump on his personal X account Tuesday night.

‘As Vice President, Harris has failed to lower costs or secure the border over the past 3 and a half years,’ he wrote.

‘Lying about her record and positions will not work.’

‘Instead, President Trump has a strong agenda that will secure our border, fix our economy, and deliver peace through strength once again!’

Former President Donald Trump posted an AI-generated picture of an armed cat to his Truth Social account Tuesday, as Republicans have amplified a false claim that Haitan immigrants are stealing and eating people’s pets in Springfield, Ohio.

Trump, X owner Elon Musk and Trump’s running mate, Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance have all pushed the false narrative.

Vance said on X Monday that ‘Reports now show that people have had their pets abducted and eaten by people who shouldn’t be in this country.’

But local officials have pushed back saying the online rumors are not true.

‘In response to recent rumors alleging criminal activity by the immigrant population in our city, we wish to clarify that there have been no credible reports or specific claims of pets being harmed, injured or abused by individuals within the immigrant community,’ said a Springfield, Ohio police spokesperson, according to Reuters.

When ABC News laid out its rules for the debate, they revealed that microphones will be muted for candidates when it’s not their turn to speak, similar to the rules for the debate in Atlanta between former President Donald Trump and President Biden in June. But that could change in real time tonight.

According to CNN chief media critic Brian Stelter, ABC producers could open the mics if something ‘newsworthy happens.’ According to him, ABC has made no agreements on this front. He said it would have to be something ‘editorially significant.’

The Harris campaign had been pushing for a rule change to keep mics live during the debate and even accused the Trump campaign of not trusting their own candidate with live mics, but in the end ABC News announced mics would be muted.

The big question is whether Trump will try to maintain a disciplined approach or just come out swinging.

His supporter Doug Burgum, governor of North Dakota, has just been talking to reporters at the debate site and said the same could be said of Kamala Harris, a former prosecutor who knows a thing or two about attack lines.

‘Depending on the tenor of how people are interacting with each other,’ he said, according to AP, “either one of them could be viewed as being too aggressive.’

Trump, he said:

Is going to come out, he’s going to make a decision, he’s going to sort of read the room, if you will, and see what he’s up against. Then I think he’ll go from there.

Joe Alder, research manager with DailyMail.com’s pollster J.L. Partners, lays out where things stand ahead of the debate

As we approach this debate, the race for the White House is near enough a dead heat. Kamala Harris rode a wave of momentum to gain a foothold in the race. But, after a slow start, Donald Trump has stopped her advance, and now sits marginally ahead.

There are few who are yet to make up their mind about Trump. About to fight his third election, it is unlikely that this debate will shift many voters one way or another.

That is not the case for Kamala Harris: more than any other event, this will be the moment in which she introduces herself to the nation. First impressions matter: Stick the landing, and Harris could rebuild some of that momentum that powered her entry to the race.

But there will be two people on the stage, and Trump will have a shot to paint Harris in his own light. The stakes could be little higher, nor the margins closer.

By Jon Michael Raasch, U.S. Political Reporter for DailyMail.com

Republican Senate Leader Mitch McConnell celebrated the return of journalist Evan Gershkovich on his X account Tuesday evening.

The longtime GOP leader posted a photo alongside the Wall Street Journal reporter who was formerly detained in Russia for about 17 months.

He was originally detained in March 2023 and was not released until August 1, 2024.

‘Journalism is not a crime, and reporters will continue to pursue the truth and hold the Kremlin to account for its brutality,’ the leader wrote on X.

By Emily Goodin, senior White House correspondent

President Joe Biden is in New York City on Tuesday night, having dinner at Campagnola Restaurant for granddaughter Finnegan’s birthday.

The restaurant on the Upper East Side describes itself on its red awning as ‘a country restaurant.’

Finnegan’s birthday was Monday.

Biden will watch the presidential debate from his New York City hotel. He told reporters he spoke to Kamala Harris earlier in the day but declined to discuss the advice he gave her.

Harris will join Biden in New York City on Wednesday to mark the 23rd anniversary of the September 11th attacks. The duo will then travel to Shanksville, Pa., and the Pentagon.

Vice President Kamala Harris will participate in the most important political debate of her career on Tuesday evening, but she has a very mixed record on the stage.

Harris participated in multiple presidential debates with a gaggle of aspirational Democrats during her failed 2020 presidential campaign, as she struggled to break free of the pack and go viral.

Tuesday’s debate with Harris marks Trump’s seventh general election debate since 2016, while this is Harris’ first with a Republican presidential candidate.

Political strategists who have prepared Republican candidates spoke to the DailyMail about her strengths and weaknesses in debates.

Harris is very good about preparing, rehearsing, and deploying prepared lines, even though her attempts to go viral do not always come off with a hit.

Trump adviser Jason Miller was asked during a call with reporters Monday whether the former president would adopt a different tone to deal with with a different opponent, a woman.

Well, if it’s the same one that he had with Biden, it’ll be a success. And we believe … there’s President Trump, contrast his record against Kamala Harris’s failed record … that it’s going to be a success. So President Trump is going to be himself.

By Emily Goodin, senior White House correspondent in Philadelphia

Melania Trump will not attend the presidential debate between her husband Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Kamala Harris.

The former first lady was not seen exiting Trump Force One when it arrived in Philadelphia on Tuesday evening.

The former president exited his plane solo. He was later followed by son Eric Trump, daughter in law Lara Trump, and aides Margo Martin, Alina Habba, and Stephen Miller.

Meanwhile, Doug Emhoff, Harris’ husband, will be watching his wife in her first presidential debate.

He was seen outside of their hotel in Philadelphia on Tuesday afternoon, thanking supporters.

The debate marks the first time Donald Trump and Kamala Harris have met.

With no football on the schedule for the first time since last Wednesday, the debate between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris may be just the fix for gamblers itching for a wager.

Even without a national anthem or coin toss to place action on, prop bets abound as Tuesday night’s ABC News-hosted contest in Philadelphia marks the first time Vice President Harris will meet former President Trump on a debate stage.

DailyMail.com has offered a bingo card to help follow along with the action and many of the spots on the cards are being offered as prop bets by offshore bookies as wagering on politics is illegal in the U.S.

For example, one of the markers is Harris repeating her famous phrase of being ‘unburdened’.

BetUs offers Harris saying that phrase at +500 odds, meaning a $5 bet could payout $25.

By Katelyn Caralle, Senior U.S. Political Reporter in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Pro-Palestinian protesters gathered outside of City Hall in Philadelphia on Tuesday ahead of Donald Trump and Kamala Harris’ first showdown.

A few hundred demonstrators voiced their opposition to both the candidates as they prepare for their debate at the National Constitution Center.

A huge police presence was out on the street in the blocks around the debate location in the hours before the former president and vice president’s arrival.

Demonstrators chanted and held pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel banners and signs amid the ongoing war between the Jewish State and Hamas terrorirists operating in Gaza.

By Katelyn Caralle, Senior U.S. Political Reporter in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Pro-Palestinian protesters gathered outside of City Hall in Philadelphia on Tuesday ahead of Donald Trump and Kamala Harris’ first showdown.

A few hundred demonstrators voiced their opposition to both the candidates as they prepare for their debate at the National Constitution Center.

A huge police presence was out on the street in the blocks around the debate location in the hours before the former president and vice president’s arrival.

Demonstrators chanted and held pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel banners and signs amid the ongoing war between the Jewish State and Hamas terrorirists operating in Gaza.

Melania Trump released a new video on Tuesday questioning law enforcement’s role in the assassination attempt on her husband Donald Trump.

The former first lady demanded answers about the July 13 shooting and hinted at a conspiracy by saying there’s ‘more to the story’ and ‘we need to uncover the truth.’

‘The attempt to end my husband’s life was a horrible, distressing experience,’ she said in the 10 second video posted to her social media accounts.

‘Now the silence around it feels heavy. I can’t help but wonder why didn’t law enforcement officials arrest shooter before the speech. There is definitely more to this story. And we need to uncover the truth,’ she added.

The video ends with a shot promoting her forthcoming memoir ‘Melania’, which will be released in October.

In the video, the 54-year-old is dressed in black and speaking in front of a black screen with ominous music playing in the background.

ABC News is tapping some of its biggest stars to moderate the presidential debate in Philadelphia Tuesday night, and they’re not ones that have been in Donald Trump’s line of fire.

David Muir, 50, is the host and managing editor of ‘ABC World News Tonight’ and co-anchor of 20/20. He has been at ABC News since 2003.

Linsey Davis, 46, is the host of ABC’s nightly streaming news broadcast ‘ABC News Live Prime’ and the anchor of the Sunday edition of ‘World News Tonight.’ She moderated two 2020 Democratic primary debates.

The gaffe-prone 81-year-old was heading to Marine One on the White House lawn when he made the comments just one day before the 23rd anniversary of the terror attacks.

‘I’m going up to my granddaughter’s birthday in New York,’ Biden began. ‘Then we’re gonna watch the debate, then tomorrow I’m doing 9/11.’

On social media platform X, one person commented: ‘Biden’s slip-ups are endless. You’d think someone would double-check his scripts by now.’

Another posted: ‘Yup… He done’, while someone added: ‘Gotta be honest until I saw that ‘tomorrow I’m doing 9/11′ clip just now I kind of forget Joe Biden was even alive.’

A Trump campaign associated X account shared the clip, saying: ‘This is the humiliating cognitive decline Kamala Harris COVERED UP.’

By Geoff Earle, Deputy U.S. Political Editor

If Kamala Harris or the moderators want to put the focus back on January 6th at the debate, Donald Trump running mate JD Vance has given them some fresh material to ask about.

Vance told the All-in Podcast Monday that he would have asked states to send in ‘alternative slates of electors’ when Congress met to count the electoral votes.

He refused to say outright that he would do what former Vice President Mike Pence did – accept the votes certified by states, infuriating Trump and rupturing their relationship. But his comments implied he would not have, and he repeated some of his running mate’s claims about election fraud, despite those claims being tossed out of court.

‘I would have asked states to submit alternative slates of electors and let the country have the debate about what actually matters and what actually matters and what kind of an election that we have’ he said.

‘We would have had a big debate,’ he said. Special Counsel Jack Smith included the scheme to have contested states send fake electors to Washington as part of his superseding indictment against Trump. Vance is set to be in the ‘spin room’ after the debate.

Fred C. Trump III, who is estranged from the former president, unleashed on his relative ahead of the first head-to-head matchup between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris.

He claimed that Trump is privately mad about Kamala Harris’ recent rise in the polls.

Fred told People in an interview on debate day:

I don’t pretend to be an armchair psychologist, I just know him. It’s ‘win at all costs’ and he doesn’t care who gets hurt in the wake of what he’s trying to get accomplished, which is to benefit himself.

I wouldn’t want to be around him right now because it’s never his fault. All bets are off now, he is going to go nuts on people.

It’s going to get nasty. The race is going to come up in a big ugly way.

Trump demeans people on a regular basis. … Everybody’s a loser. Everybody is stupider than him. You’ve seen it already.

The Democrat and the Republican will participate in the second 2024 general election debate, but with some major changes since the Atlanta showdown in late June between Trump and President Joe Biden.

The biggest change – obviously – is that Biden has bowed out of the race, with Harris now topping the Democratic ticket, picking Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz to be her running mate.

It was his disastrous June debate performance – and pleas from a number of top Democrats – that compelled the 81-year-old president to do so, in late July.

Also since the last debate, Trump survived a July 13 assassination attempt at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

Margo Martin was accompanied by top Trump allies Reps. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., and Tulsi Gabbard.

Lara Trump and her husband Eric Trump, and Trump aides Alina Habba, Stephen Miller and Corey Lewandowski also stepped off the aircraft in Philadelphia.

Melania Trump was not immediately spotted, and it remains unclear if she will be attending the debate Tuesday evening.

Vice President Kamala Harris will participate in the most important political debate of her career on Tuesday evening, but she has a very mixed record on the stage.

Harris participated in multiple presidential debates with a gaggle of aspirational Democrats during her failed 2020 presidential campaign, as she struggled to break free of the pack and go viral.

Tuesday’s debate with Harris marks Trump’s seventh general election debate since 2016, while this is Harris’ first with a Republican presidential candidate.

Political strategists who have prepared Republican candidates spoke to the DailyMail about her strengths and weaknesses in debates.

Harris is very good about preparing, rehearsing, and deploying prepared lines, even though her attempts to go viral do not always come off with a hit.

From Rob Crilly, Chief U.S. Political Correspondent

Trump aides say their man has a clear three-point plan for defining Kamala Harris in viewers’ minds tonight:

1. Paint her as a San Francisco liberal – drawing on her history as a prosecutor
2. Tie her to Biden – the candidate may have switched but the attack lines haven’t
3. ‘Values haven’t changed’ – use her own words against her (see point 1)

The whole thing will be framed with another question: Every time she talks about a problem the country faces and her plan to fix it, she will be asked why haven’t you done it already?

Or at least that’s the idea. As ever with Trump, he may find it hard to keep the focus on his opponent

By Katelyn Caralle, Senior U.S. Political Reporter in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Body language expert Darren Stanton predicts that Donald Trump will ‘absolutely smash’ Kamala Harris in their first debate.

The two are meeting on stage for the first time for the faceoff in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on Tuesday evening and many are speculating over how the debate will turn out.

Speaking with BonusCodeBets, Stanton said:

My prediction is that Trump will absolutely smash the debate because he speaks without autocues and notes, he speaks from the heart. A lot of what Trump says is what he believes so he is sincere in what he says.

He said while microexpressions will be important to watch in the debate, one of the most telling could in their handshake – if they do one.

In 2017, Donald Trump was first seen doing his ‘bone-crusher’ handshake with the Japanese Prime Minister. The shaking of hands is important, when Kamala Harris and Trump both come on stage, will he do the same ‘bone-crusher’ handshake to Harris even though she’s a female?

Some aren’t even sure that the two will shake hands, and betting has commenced on whether they will put aside their differences for the show of sportsmanship.

Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign is rolling out a debate day ad to get under former President Donald Trump’s skin.

It features former President Barack Obama – who Trump despises – suggesting that the Republican’s ‘obsession with crowd size’ has a deeper meaning.

The campaign spot uses a clip from Obama’s Democratic National Convention speech in which the former president made a hand gesture insinuating there was a size issue with Trump’s you-know-what.

From Rob Crilly, Chief U.S. Political Correspondent for DailyMail.com

When Donald Trump takes to the debate stage tonight he will have one clear advantage. At 6ft 3in he will tower over 5ft 4in Kamala Harris.

He has already used the issue as a wedge.

‘No boxes or artificial lifts will be allowed to stand on during my upcoming debate with Comrade Kamala Harris,’ he posted on his Truth Social platform. Any such allowance would be ‘a form of cheating.’

It seems the Harris campaign has come up with a workaround. Images of the debate stage show clearly that her lectern is considerably shorter than Trump’s, avoiding the appearance that she is dwarfed by the apparatus of politics.

It is not the first time she has done this. Her aides bought new chairs when she moved into the VP’s office, reflecting the fact that it was now in use by a more petite figure than previous occupants.

But Trump’s campaign staff say the visuals will be jarring.

Malpractice mistake by the Harris team. Somebody is going to get fired.

By Katelyn Caralle, Senior U.S. Political Reporter in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Multiple betting companies have Kamala Harris at huge odds of winning the debate against Donald Trump on Tuesday evening.

Star Sports and Action Network are offering odds of 1/3 – or 75 percent – on Harris winning the debate versus the 2/1 – or 33.3 percent – for Trump.

One bookmaker based it on the Ipsos/538’s poll and another is on ABC News’ snap poll.

According to BetOnline, Harris is a clear -250 favorite over Trump (+170) at BetOnline.

A negative number represents how much a person needs to bet to win $100, meaning in this case, a bettor would have to wager $250 just to win $100.

Action Network says that the candidates will likely mention world leaders and influential individuals like Volodymyr Zelensky, Vladimir Putin and Elon Musk.

And the policies it says will likely be discussed on stage include abortion, healthcare and taxes.

Bookmakers put it two to one odds that the country mentioned most during the 90-minute debate besides the U.S. will be Israel.

By Nikki Schwab, Chief Campaign Correspondent in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

President Joe Biden wouldn’t reveal what advice he gave Vice President Kamala Harris ahead of tonight’s debate in Philadelphia.

‘I’ve spoken to the vice president. She seems calm, cool and collected. I think she’s going to do great,’ the president said ahead of boarding Marine One early Tuesday evening. ‘And I’m not going to tell you what advice I gave her,’ he told the hoard of reporters.

The 81-year-old has faced off against former President Donald Trump three times on the debate stage – with the final one prompting his decision to drop out of the 2024 race.

Biden also explained why he was traveling up to New York City early.

‘I’m going up to my granddaughter’s birthday in New York, then we’re going to watch the debate and tomorrow I’m doing 9/11,’ the president said.

He’s likely celebrating the birthday of Finnegan Biden, who turned 24 on Monday. She’s one of Hunter Biden’s three daughters with his first wife Kathleen Buhle.

Harris will join Biden in New York to mark the 23rd anniversary of the September 11 terror attacks.

They’ll also travel to Shanksville, Pennsylvania and Arlington, Virginia for ceremonies at the Flight 93 Memorial and the Pentagon respectively on Wednesday.