Second presidential debate requirements are released: Will Harris and Trump face off?
Republican nominee and former President Donald Trump has yet to confirm whether he will meet Vice President Kamala Harris on stage for a debate, but organizers are going ahead with the previously planned Sept. 10 event.
Debate host ABC News released a list of requirements on Friday that they’ll use to determine which candidates are eligible to participate. Trump and presumptive Democratic nominee Harris will likely blow past the conditions if they both agree to them and commit to the pair’s first face-off.
More: Trump refuses to commit to any debates until after Kamala Harris is nominated at convention
With no other debates planned and confirmed, the September debate will likely be the first and only time voters will see the dueling candidates before heading to the ballot boxes in early November.
In order to participate, Trump and Harris must reach at least 15% support in four separate national polls of registered or likely voters, ABC News said in a news release Friday. The same goes for third-party candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., though his approval numbers have largely hovered around half that percentage, and he did not qualify for the first debate held by CNN.
Along with meeting the Constitution’s requirements to serve as president and already filing a Statement of Candidacy with the Federal Election Commission, participants must appear on a “sufficient number” of state ballots to attain a majority of electoral votes in the presidential election.
Candidates must also accept ABC News’ rules for the debate, which have not yet been publically released.
ABC News will determine whether participants have met these terms “promptly” after Sept. 3, according to the network’s statement.
Representatives of the Trump campaign have so far declined to say whether the former president will attend the September debate now that Harris is the likely Democratic nominee.
“Given the continued political chaos surrounding Crooked Joe Biden and the Democrat Party, general election debate details cannot be finalized until Democrats formally decide on their nominee,” Steven Cheung, Trump’s campaign communication director, said in a statement to USA TODAY on Friday.
Trump had previously agreed to three debates with Biden before the president exited the race. Harris said she was ready to debate Trump on Thursday and accused him of going back on his word.
“I have agreed to the previously agreed upon Sept. 10 debate. He agreed to that previously. Now, it appears he is backpedaling, but I’m ready,” she said.
ABC News said it will use four polls conducted by different organizations fielded and released between Aug. 1, 2024, and Sept. 3, 2024. Only polls released publicly will qualify and will draw from respected news organizations and research centers such as CNN, The New York Times/Siena College, Quinnipiac University, and The Wall Street Journal, among others.
USA Today’s Sudiksha Kochi contributed to this report.
Kathryn Palmer is an elections fellow for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X @KathrynPlmr.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: ABC second presidential debate requirements released: Who qualifies?
