Donald Trump vs. Kamala Harris: Who Won the Presidential Debate? And How Did the Moderators Do? Vote!
The 2024 election got something of a reboot in July. Following a disastrous performance at the first debate, President Joe Biden exited the race and endorsed his vice president, Kamala Harris, to succeed him atop the Democratic ticket.
Seven weeks later, Harris met former President Donald Trump for the first time as the candidates convened in Philadelphia for the second (and perhaps final) presidential debate before the American electorate makes their final decision at the voting booth on Tuesday, Nov. 5. (Shortly thereafter, pop superstar Taylor Swift endorsed Harris for president.)
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David Muir and Linsey Davis moderated the audience-free spectacle from the National Constitution Center, where they sought to ensure a civilized discussion. No topics or questions were shared with the candidates beforehand, and no props or pre-written notes were allowed on stage.
The debate ran for more than 90 minutes, with two commercial breaks. There were no opening statements. Harris and Trump had two minutes to answer each question, with two additional minutes allowed for rebuttals and an extra minute for follow-ups. Each candidate’s microphone was muted when the other candidate spoke, and they were not permitted to ask each other questions.
After a coin flip to decide, Trump chose to deliver the last closing statement.
According to a TVLine reader poll, Trump trounced Biden at the first debate (garnering 69% of the vote), while CNN duo Jake Tapper and Dana Bash earned an average grade of “C+” for their performance as moderators.
So, did Muir and Davis do a superior job? And did Harris fare better against Trump than Biden? TVLine invites you to weigh in via the following polls, then partake in a civil discussion about Tuesday’s ABC News presidential debate in the comments.
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