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Trump-Harris debate live updates: Candidates spar over Project 2025, economy

Harris and Trump will meet each other for the first time tonight.

ByAlexandra Hutzler, Meredith Deliso, Ivan Pereira, Emily Chang, and Brittany Gaddy
Last Updated: September 10, 2024, 7:02 PM EDT

Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump are meeting for the first time on Tuesday for the ABC News presidential debate.

It is the only debate the two have scheduled and comes at a critical point as polls show a neck-and-neck race with just eight weeks until Election Day.

The two will face off on key issues and work to appeal to voters across the country. The debate is airing on ABC and streaming on ABC News Live, Disney+ and Hulu.

Latest headlines:

Here's how the news is developing:
9 hours and 21 minutes ago

Trump arrives in Philadelphia

Trump landed at Philadelphia International Airport a short while ago for the debate. He could be seen raising his fist as he departed his plane.

Former President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump steps off his plane upon arrival at Philadelphia International Airport in Philadelphia, on Sept. 10, 2024.
Roberto Schmidt/AFP via Getty Images

9 hours and 5 minutes ago

Memorable moments from debates past

It's a hallmark of the American electoral process: the presidential debate.

The first nationally televised debate in history featured John Kennedy and Richard Nixon. The visuals did not play in Nixon's favor, as he was seen sweating and looking pale after previously being hospitalized for an infection, while Kennedy looked young and gave a more vigorous performance.

Republican vice president Richard Nixon and democratic senator John F. Kennedy take part in a televised debate during their presidential campaign in 1960.
Hulton Archive/Getty Images

More than 20 years later, Ronald Reagan, the oldest sitting president at the time, shut down some questions about his age during his debate with Democrat Walter Mondale.

President Reagan and Democratic candidate for President, Walter Mondale, shake hands as they greet one another before the start of their debate in Louisville, Ky on Oct. 7, 1984.
Brettmann/Getty Images

In 1992's trilateral debate, President George H.W. Bush was criticized for looking down at his watch. In 2000, Al Gore was mocked for his audible sighs during his debate with George W. Bush.

President George H.W. Bush looks at his watch during the 1992 presidential campaign debate with other candidates, Independent Ross Perot, top, and Democrat Bill Clinton, at the University of Richmond, Va. on Oct. 15, 1992.
Ron Edmonds/AP

In the 2020 Democratic primary, one highlight was Harris' challenge to Joe Biden on the issue of segregation and busing, which prompted her viral quote, "That little girl was me."

PHOTO: People watch the CNN presidential debate between Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden at a watch party at The Continental Club on June 27, 2024 in Los Angeles.
People watch the CNN presidential debate between Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden at a watch party at The Continental Club on June 27, 2024 in Los Angeles.
Mario Tama/Getty Images, FILE

Most recently, the debate between President Biden and Trump changed the course of the 2024 campaign after Biden's poor performance exacerbated Democratic and voter concerns about his age and fitness to serve another four years. He announced he was exiting the race 24 days later.

9 hours and 26 minutes ago

Expectations are slightly higher for Harris tonight

Expectations matter in debates. For example, if a candidate goes in with low expectations from the public and turns in a mediocre performance, it probably wouldn't hurt them as much as if they had gone in with high expectations from the public and turned in the same performance.

Because of this, we were interested in whether Americans had higher expectations of Harris or Trump tonight — so we included this as a question in the most recent ABC News/Ipsos poll. According to that poll, 43% of Americans are expecting Harris to win tonight, while 37% are expecting Trump to win. However, 18% said neither would win or it would be a tie.

—538's Nathaniel Rakich

9 hours and 35 minutes ago

Harris, Trump both come into debate with White House track records

Tonight's debate marks a rare historical moment in that it pits against each other two candidates with significant track records in the White House.

That "political baggage" can be a curse for the candidates, according to experts who've studied debates, but also a blessing, depending on how it's portrayed and defended.

Both Harris and Trump will need to walk a fine line between affirming what they consider their successes during their administrations, experts said.

Read more here.

-ABC News' Ivan Pereira