Tracking Attacks in the First Harris-Trump Debate

The New York Times will be tracking speaking time during the only scheduled debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald J. Trump. We will break it down by topic and measure how much time the candidates spend attacking each other. The debate will begin at 9 p.m. Eastern time.

Minutes of speaking time and length of attacks

The debate is scheduled to last 90 minutes.

This is the first head-to-head confrontation between Ms. Harris and Mr. Trump. It is also the first debate since President Biden exited the race after his disastrous showing with Mr. Trump in June.

With only 56 days remaining until Election Day, the debate stage provides Ms. Harris with an important opportunity for voters to get to know her. In the latest New York Times/Siena College national poll, 28 percent of likely voters said they needed to learn more about Ms. Harris; only 9 percent said the same about Mr. Trump.

What are the top issues?

A measurement of how much time the candidates speak on key issues and how much time they spend attacking their rival on that topic.

How will Harris’s performance differ from Biden’s?

Percentage of time Ms. Harris spent on key issues, compared with Mr. Biden from the presidential debate in June.

How tonight’s attacks compare with previous debates

Percentage of time the candidates spend attacking each other’s policies and character.