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Vice President Harris will face off against former President Donald Trump Tuesday for the first time since becoming the Democratic nominee.

The playing field is different than it was two months ago when President Biden’s dismal debate performance spurred a wave of concern over his ability to defeat Trump, the Republican nominee.

Since then, a lot has happened. Trump survived an assassination attempt, he accepted the GOP presidential nomination, Biden dropped out of the race and Harris then took over and clinched the Democratic party’s nomination.

Harris has since made up the ground Biden lost in swing state polls and 

 with Trump. Despite a groundswell of support and reportedly 

, especially as Trump and Republicans look to ramp up attacks.

Here’s what you need to know about this second debate of the 2024 presidential election cycle.

The event will air at 9 p.m. ET for 90 minutes from the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia. ABC News anchors David Muir and Linsey Davis are slated to moderate the debate, which will be broadcast by the network and streamed on ABC News Live, Disney+ and Hulu.

Follow NPR's live blog for the latest updates, analysis, fact-checking and color; listen to NPR’s special coverage of the ABC News Presidential Debate Simulcast 

 on for the June matchup. That means microphones will 

 unless a candidate is speaking, something the Harris team asked to change for this debate.

It’s a rule initially proposed by the Biden campaign ahead of the first debate and was largely seen as a 

 to Trump’s typical debate style. Instead, it ended up 

 to the point of his campaign’s detriment. Instead, the technical change helped Trump appear more controlled.

Harris’ campaign told ABC that Harris would be disadvantaged by the muted mics because it would shield Trump from direct exchanges — but said that it would agree to the terms lest Trump drop out of the debate altogether.

A campaign official, speaking on condition of anonymity to describe private negotiations, said that a pool would be on hand to hear what the candidates are saying into muted microphones — and that if there is “significant crosstalk,” the network may unmute both microphones. The moderator will warn candidates to stop frequent interruptions, the official said. “Our understanding of these things helped inform our decision to accept muted mics,” the official said.

There will be no audience and candidates will not be permitted to question each other directly. In addition, neither will be allowed to bring pre-written notes or props onto the debate stage.

Harris has mostly campaigned from the trail in her brief time as a presidential contender — 

excluding a single sit-down interview with CNN

 with unscripted moments as vice president, which will put the spotlight on her ability to perform in a debate while also laying out some of her platform and going on the offensive against Trump.

Harris has been putting an emphasis on protecting reproductive rights while campaigning, and she’s likely to address it Tuesday night. Leading up to the debate, the Harris-Walz campaign launched its “Fighting for Reproductive Freedom” bus tour, pledging to make 50 stops in key states around the issues of abortion, IVF and reproductive rights.

Trump’s stance on this issue has been muddy. He’s made comments on abortion that appear to clash with some of his 

past views and statements while president

. Recently, he acknowledged that Florida’s six-week ban was 

, then clarified shortly after that he would 

 the state’s upcoming ballot measure that, if passed, would safeguard access to abortions up until fetal viability.

Trump is likely to link Harris to Biden’s handling of the economy and immigration, two areas where Republicans have heavily criticized the White House. He may also highlight aspects of her political record, including her 

past support for decriminalizing border crossings and banning fracking

 — two policies she backed during her 2020 presidential bid and has 

On the other hand, Harris has repeatedly tied Trump’s platform to 

, a 900-page set of policy proposals for a potential second term put forward by a conservative think tank, The Heritage Foundation. Trump has tried to 

further restrictions on abortion access among a slew of moves that would increase executive power. 

Tuesday’s matchup also poses new stakes for Trump: He’s facing a very different opponent.

In the aftermath of the June debate, the former president’s mistakes weren’t a focus, largely because of Biden’s more noticeably poor performance. That said, Trump by no means had a perfect night, repeatedly highlighting 

. So this time, as NPR’s Domenico Montanaro 

, “If Harris has a solid debate, the focus could be on Trump in a way he doesn’t want.”

Vice presidential candidates Minnesota Democratic Gov. Tim Walz and Ohio Republican Sen. JD Vance will face off on Oct. 1 in a debate hosted by CBS News. The two hold similar roles in their respective campaigns: to appeal to voters in the "Blue Wall" states of Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin this fall.

It’s unclear whether Harris and Trump will debate a second time. No additional dates have been formally announced.

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Election 2024

Elena Moore

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The ABC News presidential debate will be the first time Vice President Harris and former President Donald Trump face off ahead of the 2024 election. Here’s what to expect. 

Harris and Trump debate in Philadelphia Tuesday night. Here’s what you need to know

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