Muted mics, no pre-written notes: What to know about the Harris-Trump debate rules

The rules are set.

Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump will face off on Tuesday in their first debate. But after weeks of a back and forth over rules, the two campaigns this week came to an agreement with ABC News.

The host network on Wednesday announced that the Trump and Harris campaigns have accepted the rules for the upcoming debate, which will be held at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia.

For the most part, the rules are the same as Trump’s previous 2024 debate with President Joe Biden, who dropped out of the race in late July following weeks of pressure from fellow Democrats after his poor debate performance.

"World News Tonight" anchor David Muir and ABC News Live "Prime" anchor Linsey Davis will moderate the 90-minute showdown and will be the only people asking questions to the two presidential nominees. No voters or other officials will question Trump and Harris.

Here’s where the rules stand:

Will the mics be muted?

The Harris campaign in recent weeks called for a rule change from the debate between Trump and Biden that the mics would be turned on even when a candidate was not speaking. The campaign ultimately agreed to having the mics be muted when a candidate is not speaking.

The Harris campaign, however, wrote in a letter to ABC News that was obtained by CBS News, that it believes Harris “will be fundamentally disadvantaged by this format, which will serve to shield Donald Trump from direct exchanges with the Vice President.”

While Trump said in late August that he would “rather have it probably on,” he noted the two campaigns agreed to a debate with the same rules as the Trump-Biden debate in June.

"In that case, it was muted. I didn't like it the last time but it worked out fine,” Trump said during an Aug. 26 campaign stop in Virginia.

Trump on Wednesday said he will allow Harris to speak during the debate – just like he let Biden speak.

“I let him talk. I’m gonna let her talk,” Trump said during a town hall with Fox News host Sean Hannity. “You can go in with all the strategy you want but you have to sort of feel it out as the debate is taking place.”

No studio audience or opening statements

There will be no audience in the room during the Harris-Trump debate. During the June debate, there was also no studio audience.

In addition, there will be no opening statements from the two candidates, who will be introduced by the moderators.

Harris and Trump will enter the stage from opposite sides when introduced, with the incumbent party – Democrats – being introduced first.

Were other changes on the table?

The Harris campaign had been fighting hard for a rule change on the mics. However, Trump and his team have repeatedly claimed the former vice president’s team also wanted to change seating and use of notes.

During his town hall on Wednesday, Trump said Harris’s team “wanted notes” and “wanted a desk” for the debate. Trump campaign senior aide Jason Miller said the same thing previously in a statement – which the Harris campaign has denied.

Harris and Trump will not be allowed to have pre-written notes on stage but will be given a pen, a pad of paper and a bottle of water, ABC News said in the debate.

Will candidates know questions beforehand?

The simple answer: no.

ABC News said that “no topics or questions will be shared in advance with campaigns or candidates” and that candidates will not be allowed to interact with campaign staff during the two scheduled commercial breaks.

Trump, however, claimed without evidence during his recent town hall that Harris will get questions in advance of the debate.

During the 2016 election, Donna Brazile, the former chair of the Democratic National Committee, came under fire after Wikileaks released emails showing she sent town hall topics to Hillary Clinton’s campaign. There is no evidence that Harris would receive any topics in advance, or that Biden was aware of any questions during the debate earlier this year.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Harris-Trump debate rules are locked in. Here’s what to know.