Kamala Harris and Donald Trump tonight in the first presidential debate

One of the most contentious rules of the upcoming debate is whether candidates’ microphones will be muted when they are not speaking or whether they will remain on. While former President Donald Trump has favored the latter in the past, his campaign wants to mute them.

Before President Joe Biden’s disastrous performance at the July debate, his campaign wanted to mute the microphones when Biden wasn’t speaking. But now Democrats want the microphones to remain on for Harris as well, saying it will “allow for an unfettered exchange of substantive views between the candidates.”

On Wednesday, it was announced that the two candidates had agreed to debate rules that say microphones will be muted when a candidate is not speaking. Other rules for the Sept. 10 debate largely mirror those of the last presidential debate between Trump and Biden.

The candidates stand behind lecterns, do not give an opening speech and are not allowed to bring notes. The debate lasts 90 minutes.

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A new poll shows Vice President Kamala Harris holding a one-percent lead over former President Trump as the two prepare for Tuesday’s debate in Philadelphia.

According to the NPR/Marist poll, Harris is polling at 49% of registered voters, compared to Trump’s 48%. The poll shows the race has tightened since August, when Trump trailed Harris by three percentage points at 48% to 45%.

The NPR poll surveyed 1,413 registered voters from September 3-5. The poll has a margin of error of 3.3%.

The poll also found that voters consider Harris to be the more radical of the two candidates: 47 percent of Americans think Harris is “too liberal,” while 43 percent of Americans think Trump is “too conservative.”

Harris and Trump will meet in Philadelphia on Tuesday evening for their first presidential debate. ABC News will host the event, with David Muir and Lindsey Davis as moderators. It is unclear whether there will be a second debate.

Pennsylvania is a must-win swing state in the presidential election, and both campaigns have pumped a lot of money into the Keystone State’s media markets. Trump won Pennsylvania in 2016 and Biden won it in 2020.

Trump and Harris are virtually tied in Pennsylvania and Georgia, and Trump’s debate with President Joe Biden took place in Atlanta.

Election Day on November 5 is still nine weeks away, but early voting in Pennsylvania begins this month. Whoever wins in Pennsylvania will secure 20 electoral votes.

Philadelphia is also conveniently located on the northeast corridor between Washington, DC and the media centers of New York City.

The first presidential debate will take place on Tuesday, September 10, and will be moderated by ABC’s David Muir and Linsey Davis. Muir is the anchor of “World News Tonight” on ABC, while Davis anchors the Sunday edition of the program and hosts her own show, “ABC News Live.”

Muir has been with ABC since 2003. He was the first interview former President Donald Trump conducted as president in the White House. He recently interviewed President Joe Biden on the anniversary of the famous D-Day invasion.

Davis has been with the station since 2007. In July 2023, she interviewed Vice President Kamala Harris and has a long list of other prominent people with whom she has sat in front of the camera.

Both Muir and Davis have previously moderated presidential debates in 2016, 2019 and 2020.