>> BUT WE'RE GOING TO BEGIN TONIGHT WITH A HIGH STAKES DEBATE. KAMALA HARRIS AND DONALD TRUMP WILL SOON COME FACE TO FACE FOR THE FIRST TIME IN WHAT CAN ONLY BE DESCRIBED AS THE MOST CONSEQUENTIAL NIGHT OF THE 2024 ELECTION SEASON. >> ALONG WITH MIKE MARZA ANCHORING OUR COVERAGE TONIGHT IN PHILADELPHIA AT THE SITE OF THE DEBATE, PERHAPS THE ONLY DEBATE BETWEEN THE TWO CANDIDATES, FOLKS. >> WELL, THAT'S RIGHT, BILL, WITH NO OTHER DEBATES OFFICIALLY ON THE CALENDAR. THIS WILL UNDOUBTEDLY BE THE BEST SHOT EITHER CANDIDATE HAS TO SWAY ANY UNDECIDED VOTERS. >> YOU CAN FEEL A LOT ON THE LINE TONIGHT. THIS IS AN EXTREMELY CLOSE RACE, BOTH NATIONALLY AND RIGHT HERE IN BATTLEGROUND STATES LIKE PENNSYLVANIA. SPEAKING OF CLOSE VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS AND FORMER PRESIDENT TRUMP WILL BE STANDING JUST FEET APART ON THE STAGE HERE ARE THE TWO PODIUMS. AND THIS IS GOING TO BE THE REMARKABLE MOMENT OF THE NIGHT. THIS IS THE FIRST TIME THE TWO HAVE EVEN COME FACE TO FACE. >> I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE THAT FIRST MOMENT WHERE THEY LOOK AT ONE ANOTHER. WILL THEY SHAKE HANDS ANYWAY? AND JUST A FEW MINUTES. I'LL TAKE YOU INSIDE THE DEBATE ROOM. BUT WE WANT TO START WITH WHAT WE CAN EXPECT TONIGHT IN JUST A MATTER OF HOURS. THE EYES OF THE WORLD WILL BE ON THIS STAGE FOR ONE OF THE MOST PIVOTAL DEBATES IN GENERATIONS. VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS, ARRIVING IN PHILADELPHIA LAST NIGHT. PRESIDENT TRUMP EN ROUTE TO PHILADELPHIA RIGHT NOW. EARLIER TODAY, HE DID A PHONE INTERVIEW WITH NBC NEWS AND SPOKE ABOUT THE DEBATE AND HIS OPPONENT SAYING, QUOTE, YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT TO EXPECT. SHE'S CHANGED ALL OF HER POLICIES OVER THE YEARS. FOR HER PART, HARRIS LAST WEEK SAID SHE HAS AN IDEA OF WHAT SHE'LL SEE FROM MR. TRUMP. WE SHOULD BE PREPARED FOR THE FACT THAT HE IS NOT BURDENED BY TELLING THE TRUTH, >> AND WE SHOULD BE PREPARED FOR THE FACT THAT HE IS PROBABLY GOING TO SPEAK A LOT OF UNTRUTHS. >> THIS WILL BE TRUMP'S SEVENTH PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE. HIS STRATEGY IN THE PAST TO ANTAGONIZE AND INTIMIDATE. >> IT'S JUST AWFULLY GOOD THAT SOMEONE WITH THE TEMPERAMENT OF DONALD TRUMP IS NOT IN CHARGE OF THE LAW IN OUR COUNTRY, BECAUSE YOU'D BE IN JAIL. >> AND WHILE THIS IS HARRIS'S FIRST PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE, SHE IS A FORMER PROSECUTOR WHO HAS A STRONG HISTORY OF HOLDING HER OWN ON A DEBATE STAGE. >> HE WILL NOT RAISE TAXES ON ANYBODY WHO MAKES LESS THAN $400,000 A YEAR TO REPEAL THE TRUMP TAX CUTS, MR. VICE PRESIDENT, I'M SPEAKING. >> WELL, I'M SPEAKING. >> HARRIS'S AIDES WANTED TO TRY TO GOAD THE FORMER PRESIDENT INTO DELIVERING INCOHERENT RANTS. THE TRUMP TEAM WANTS HIM TO REMAIN RESTRAINED AND FOCUSED ON THE ECONOMY, IMMIGRATION AND GLOBAL UNREST. >> I THINK THIS IS A VERY EXCITING AND NERVE RACKING, AND THERE'S A LOT OF TENSION IN THIS COUNTRY. >> I THINK IT'S GOING TO BE INTERESTING TO WATCH. I'M INTERESTED TO HEAR WHAT BOTH INDIVIDUALS HAVE TO SAY. RIGHT NOW. >> AND HARRIS AND HER TEAM DID A WALK THROUGH OF THE DEBATE FLOOR FOR ABOUT 20 MINUTES THIS AFTERNOON WITH A TEAM OF ABOUT TEN PEOPLE. MEANWHILE TRUMP IS NOT EXPECTED TO ARRIVE HERE UNTIL AROUND 630 OR 7:00 TONIGHT. >> NOW LET'S LOOK AT SOME OF THE PARAMETERS, SOME OF THE RULES FOR THE NIGHT. THESE WERE SET BY ABC NEWS AND THEN AGREED ON BY BOTH CAMPS. CANDIDATES WILL BE INTRODUCED BY THE MODERATORS. NO OPENING STATEMENTS. CLOSING STATEMENTS WILL BE TWO MINUTES PER CANDIDATE. MICROPHONES MUTED WHEN IT'S NOT THEIR TURN TO SPEAK. NO PROPS OR PRE-WRITTEN NOTES IN. NO TOPICS OR QUESTIONS SHARED IN ADVANCE. AND AS WE'VE SAID, NO AUDIENCE IN THE ROOM. THE CAMPAIGNS, HOWEVER, CAN BRING IN GUESTS AND GET THIS THE HARRIS CAMP INVITING ANTHONY SCARAMUCCI AND OLIVIA TROYE, TWO FORMER TRUMP ADMINISTRATION OFFICIALS WHO HAVE BECOME OUTSPOKEN CRITICS OF THE FORMER PRESIDENT, A MOVE CLEARLY DESIGNED TO GET UNDER MR. TRUMP'S SKIN. >> OH, THAT'S GOING TO GO ON ON BOTH SIDES. WELL, AND SPEAKING OF GUESTS AND SURROGATES, WE WANT TO TURN NOW TO THE THIRD MEMBER OF OUR TEAM, EYEWITNESS NEWS ANCHOR TANYA RIVERO. SHE IS JUST A FEW BLOCKS AWAY IN THE SPIN ROOM. >> TANYA? YES THAT'S RIGHT, MIKE. >> AND YOU JUST MENTIONED ANTHONY SCARAMUCCI. HE SHOWED UP HERE AT THE SPIN ROOM JUST MOMENTS AGO. I HAD THE CHANCE TO ASK HIM ABOUT PRESIDENT TRUMP. WHAT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING THAT UNDECIDED VOTERS NEED TO KNOW ABOUT DONALD TRUMP? >> I JUST THINK IT'S A CHARACTER AND TEMPERAMENT ISSUE, AND IT JUST REALLY STUDY WHAT HE'S DONE AND THINK ABOUT THE 40 OF US, INCLUDING MYSELF AND OLIVIA TROYE, WHO ARE TRYING TO EXPLAIN TO YOU THE DANGER OF HIS PERSONALITY AND WHY HE SHOULDN'T RETURN TO THE WHITE HOUSE. >> OH YES, AND THERE WILL BE A LOT OF CAMPAIGN SURROGATES HERE IN THE SPIN ROOM, WHERE BEHIND ME ABOUT A THOUSAND MEDIA MEMBERS FROM ACROSS THE GLOBE ARE GATHERING. WE'VE RUN INTO PRESS FROM JAPAN, MEXICO, UKRAINE, JUST TO NAME A FEW. AND AMONG THE BIG NAME POLITICIANS EXPECTED HERE TONIGHT ON THE REPUBLICAN SIDE, VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE J.D. VANCE, ROBERT KENNEDY JR, AS WELL AS VIVEK RAMASWAMY, SENATORS MARCO RUBIO AND RICK SCOTT OF FLORIDA, THEY WILL ALL BE SPEAKING ON BEHALF OF PRESIDENT TRUMP. MEANWHILE, ON THE DEMOCRATIC SIDE, REPRESENTING VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS, GOVERNOR JOSH SHAPIRO OF PENNSYLVANIA, GAVIN NEWSOM OF CALIFORNIA, ROY COOPER OF NORTH CAROLINA, AND MICHELLE LUJAN GRISHAM OF NEW MEXICO. AND AHEAD OF THE DEBATE, WE DID HEAR FROM REPRESENTATIVES FROM BOTH CAMPAIGNS. LET'S START WITH MISS HARRIS, COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR. >> THIS IS ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY TO INTRODUCE HERSELF, MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE UNDERSTAND WHO SHE IS AND WHAT INFORMS HER VALUES AND HOW SHE WANTS TO GOVERN THIS COUNTRY. >> HE PREFERS TO HAVE THOSE POLICY DISCUSSIONS, AND HE'S BEEN DOING THAT WITH ELECTED MEMBERS IN CONGRESS, LIKE MATT GAETZ WITH FORMER CONGRESS MEMBER TULSI GABBARD AND OTHERS VERY SIMILAR TO WHAT HE DID TO PREPARE FOR THAT FIRST DEBATE AGAINST JOE BIDEN. >> AND WE WILL, OF COURSE, BE HERE ALL NIGHT HEARING FROM BOTH SIDES. AND,