From muted microphones to the coin toss for the last word, a look at the rules – Firstpost

As the race for the White House heats up, former US President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris have finally accepted the rules for the first presidential debate against each other. The debate is scheduled to take place on September 10 in Philadelphia and will be broadcast on ABC NewsThe American news portal confirmed that both the Republican and Democratic presidential candidates “qualified for the debate under the established criteria and both accepted the following debate rules.”

Trump and the Harris team have been arguing about the rules of the debate for weeks. One of the most controversial rules was whether microphones should be turned off when it was not a candidate’s turn to speak.

The Harris campaign had previously pushed for live microphones or “hot” mics that would allow for substantive exchanges between the candidates. However, Trump’s campaign pushed for the microphones to be muted. Ultimately ABC News A statement was released clarifying that candidates’ microphones will only be turned on for the candidate whose turn it is to speak – and will be muted when it is another candidate’s turn.

What rules apply to the debate?

ABC News, The forum hosting the debate has announced the following rules, which have already been agreed to by the Harris and Trump campaign teams:

• The debate will last 90 minutes and will have two commercial breaks.

• The debate will be moderated by ABC News’ David Muir and Linsey Davis, who will also be the only ones asking questions.

• On September 3, a virtual coin toss was conducted to determine podium placement and closing remarks. Trump won the coin toss and chose to deliver the closing remarks at the debate. Harris, meanwhile, selected the correct podium position on the screen.

• No opening or closing speech may be longer than two minutes per candidate.

• Participants must stand behind the podium throughout the debate.

• Props and handwritten notes are not allowed on stage.

• Candidates will have two minutes to answer the questions put to them, two minutes to respond and one additional minute for any follow-up questions, clarifications or reactions.

• Issues or questions are not communicated to the campaign or candidates in advance.

• When it is not the participants’ turn to speak, their microphones remain muted.

• Candidates are not allowed to ask each other questions.

• Campaign staff are not permitted to interact with candidates during the entire debate or during breaks.

• There will be no audience in the room.

The debate will take place at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, an institution dedicated to the study of the US Constitution. Pennsylvania, which has 19 electoral votes, is considered one of the most important swing states.

With inputs from agencies.