The National Constitution Center in Philadelphia will be the site of a highly anticipated presidential debate hosted by ABC News on Sept. 10.
Vice President Kamala Harris and former President and 1968 Wharton graduate Donald Trump have both agreed to participate in the debate, which will be moderated by ABC News anchors David Muir and Linsey Davis. The debate marks a pivotal moment in the 2024 election cycle, particularly in the wake of the first presidential debate on June 27, which led to the withdrawal of President and former Penn professor Joe Biden from the race and his endorsement of Harris as the Democratic nominee.
Since the NCC opened in 2003, it has hosted numerous prominent events, including a 2008 Democratic primary debate between then-Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. It also held town halls with both Trump and Biden — a former NCC chair from 2017 to 2019 — ahead of the 2020 election.
Former Penn President Liz Magill has also served on the NCC board of trustees since 2023.
In a statement to The Daily Pennsylvanian, NCC President and CEO Jeffrey Rosen — who is also a lecturer in Penn’s SNF Paideia program — wrote that the center feels honored to host the debate.
“It’s appropriate that the debate takes place in Philadelphia, on Independence Mall, the most constitutionally significant place in America,” Rosen wrote. “Independence Hall is the birthplace of American democracy, the place where the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were drafted, and that makes the NCC and Philadelphia an especially meaningful location for the presidential debate.”
While a disagreement over whether the microphones should remain on throughout the event stalled negotiations on the debate's rules between Harris and Trump — with Harris desiring unmuted microphones and Trump preferring muted microphones — Harris's team recently relented to allow for muted microphones, according to POLITICO.
On the night of Sept. 4, ABC News released the rules for the presidential debate, including muted microphones. The rules also state that Harris will appear in the right podium position on screen, Trump will speak last, no audience will be allowed in the debate room, and that "[m]oderators will seek to enforce timing agreements and ensure a civilized discussion."
As a crucial swing state, Pennsylvania’s 19 electoral votes have been lauded as the final arbiter of the presidential election. Both Trump and Harris made stops in Philadelphia this past summer. Students are eligible to vote in Pennsylvania as long as they are 18 or older and have been citizens of the United States and residents of Pennsylvania for at least a month before the election — meaning that the vast majority of Penn students 18 and above are eligible to vote on campus in November.
Rosen encouraged Penn students to watch the debate on Tuesday and “inform themselves about issues and make up their own minds.”
“Young voters, including those voting for the first time, have an especially meaningful opportunity to educate themselves about the candidates so they can make an informed choice when they vote in November,” Rosen said.
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