ABC News has released the debate rules following several weeks of negotiations.
The debate, 90 minutes long with two commercial breaks, will be moderated by David Muir of “World News Tonight” and Linsey Davis of “Prime.”
Microphones will only be live for the candidate speaking and will remain otherwise muted. Harris campaign adviser Brian Fallon previously advocated for live microphones throughout the debate.
No pre-written notecards will be permitted during the debate, although the candidates will be provided with a pen, pad of paper, and a bottle of water during the debate.
Former President Donald Trump won a virtual coin toss and chose the order of statements. He will also offer the last closing statement.
Each candidate will be given two minutes to respond to each question, two minutes to rebut, and one minute to clarify.
The Associated Press obtained a letter from the Harris campaign that claimed the Vice President would be “fundamentally disadvantaged by this format, which will serve to shield Donald Trump from direct exchanges with the Vice President.”
“We suspect this is the primary reason for his campaign’s insistence on muted microphones,” her campaign added. The campaign wrote that Trump is a “risk to skip the debate altogether, as he has threatened to do previously, if we do not accede to his preferred format.”
To avoid “[jeopardizing] the debate,” the campaign “accepted the full set of rules proposed by ABC, including muted microphones.”
