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Trump-Harris debate live updates: High-stakes showdown just hours away
Harris and Trump will meet each other for the first time tonight.
Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump will meet 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 starting at 9 p.m. ET. The debate will air on ABC and stream on ABC News Live, Disney+ and Hulu.
Latest headlines:
Sen. JD Vance headlining debate watch party fundraiser in Philadelphia tonight: Sources
The Trump campaign's debate watch party in Philadelphia tonight will take form in a fundraiser with Sen. JD Vance headlining the event, according to sources and an invitation obtained by ABC News.
The invitation doesn't detail the location, other guests or speakers of the night.
Tickets range from $5,000 to $50,000, with a photo opportunity costing $15,000 and a VIP ticket costing $25,000, the invitation shows.
-ABC News' Soo Rin Kim, Hannah Demissie, Lalee Ibssa, and Kelsey Walsh
Presidential candidates haven't shaken hands at debate since 2016
There are no rules requiring Harris and Trump to shake hands before or after the debate.
If they do, it would mark the first time since 2016 that the candidates have shaken hands. Trump and Biden did not shake hands during their two matchups in 2020.
Trump contracted COVID-19 following the first debate.
The two candidates also didn't shake their hands during the June debate.
Trump campaign says he's in 'good spirits'
The Trump campaign during a pre-debate call said Trump is in "good spirits" and will be departing shortly for Philadelphia.
"President Trump is in good spirits. He is currently in Mar-a-Lago. My understanding is that he will be departing shortly to head over to Philadelphia," said Trump campaign senior adviser Danielle Alvarez when asked about his mood going into the debate.
She suggested that the former president is "ready" to talk about inflation, housing affordability and the border among other issues on the debate stage. Alvarez also suggested that Trump might attack Harris for flip-flopping on some key issues such as fracking, police funding and electric vehicles.
"The president is certainly full of surprises. I know that we can expect him to be, you know, with his, his charming self. We know that he is incredible when it comes to weaving in and out of topics -- he's incredible on those policy issues. So that's ... certainly something that may happen," she said.
-ABC News' Soorin Kim, Lalee Ibssa and Kelsey Walsh
Here are the rules for tonight’s debate
Tonight’s consequential presidential debate hosted by ABC News will consist of set rules to govern the matchup, restricting candidates’ speaking time, microphone access, and engagement with campaign staff.
There will be no audience present, and questions will come strictly from the moderators.
After winning the virtual coin flip, former President Trump will offer the final closing statement.
Read more here.