Trump vs Harris debate live: What time and how to watch their first US presidential showdown tonight

Donald Trump and Kamala Harris will finally square up in their first televised debate of the 2024 election cycle on Tuesday evening in what promises to be a defining moment in the race for the White House.

The Republican presidential nominee will seek to associate his Democratic rival with the perceived policy failings of Joe Biden’s administration, hoping to blame her for illegal immigration at America’s southern border and for the high cost of living as the US economy continues its recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic.

For her part, Vice President Harris, a veteran prosecutor and former California attorney general, will hope to draw attention to Trump’s disastrous record in office, culpability for inspiring the Capitol riot of January 6 2021 and long history of lawlessness, dishonesty and dysfunction.

After much back and forth, the two candidates have agreed to the same set of rules for tonight’s encounter on ABC News that Trump and President Biden used during the first debate back on June 27, which ultimately spelled the end for the commander-in-chief’s pursuit of a second term.

That means muted microphones, no pre-written notes, no live audience, no sitting and no speaking with campaign staff during commercial breaks.

Hello and welcome to The Independent’s live coverage of all the build-up to Donald Trump and Kamala Harris’s first (and perhaps only) presidential debate of the 2024 election cycle, which promises to be a defining moment in the race for the White House.