Shortly after the first 2024 presidential debate between incumbent President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump was announced, details about the second planned debate were also revealed. The second presidential debate was originally scheduled to take place in September on ABC, but following the first debate, a whole lot changed — including one of the candidates, as Vice President Kamala Harris now leads the Democratic ticket.
So will the originally planned debate still take place this September? Here’s what we know so far.
When and where was the second debate originally supposed to take place?
The second presidential debate between the Democratic and Republican candidates was originally scheduled to take place on Tuesday, Sept. 10. The debate was expected to air live on ABC and stream on ABC News Live and Hulu, along with being simulcast on other broadcast and streaming networks throughout the United States.
What happened after Kamala Harris joined the race?
After Joe Biden decided to drop out of the race, in the wake of concerns by his party members over his performance in the first debate, Kamala Harris quickly announced that she intended to honor the original plans to debate Donald Trump in September on ABC. She also openly challenged him to reconsider his rumored plans to sidestep the original debate during an Atlanta campaign event.
However, on August 2 on social media, Trump announced that he was no longer willing to debate on ABC, citing a lawsuit he filed (in March, prior to accepting the ABC debate) and instead claimed to have a new plan to debate her on Fox News on September 4.
Harris subsequently insisted that she will show up to the debate on September 10, with or without Trump.
It’s interesting how “any time, any place” becomes “one specific time, one specific safe space.”
I’ll be there on September 10th, like he agreed to. I hope to see him there. https://t.co/zqng89X8QD
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) August 3, 2024
Details about which ABC News anchor(s) would moderate the debate have yet to be revealed by the network.
What are the rules for qualification for the second 2024 presidential debate?
ABC revealed the following regarding the qualifications both canddiates must meet in order to participate in the debate:
“To qualify for participation, candidates must fulfill the requirements outlined in Article II, Section 1 of the Constitution of the United States; file a Statement of Candidacy with the Federal Election Commission; appear on a sufficient number of state ballots to reach the 270 electoral vote threshold to win the presidency prior to the eligibility deadline; agree to accept the rules and format of the debate; and receive at least 15% in four separate national polls of registered or likely voters that meet ABC’s standards for reporting.”