If you follow both pop music and politics, you may have to choose which you’re going to watch live on Tuesday, Sept. 10 – the first presidential debate between former President Donald Trump and VP Kamala Harris or the 2024 MTV Video Music Awards.
Trump agreed to the debate on Thursday (Aug. 8), after initially saying he wouldn’t appear. In response, Harris said on X, formerly Twitter: “I hear that Donald Trump has finally committed to debating me on September 10. I look forward to it.”
The Sept. 10 debate will air on ABC. David Muir, anchor of World News Tonight, and Linsey Davis, anchor of the Sunday edition of that broadcast, will moderate the session. That’s the same date that Trump and President Joe Biden had agreed to their second and final debate, before Biden’s decision to withdraw from the race.
The first debate of the 2024 general election between Trump and Biden was held on June 27. Biden’s performance was so shaky that even friends and allies urged him to bow out of the race. Less than one month later, on July 21, he announced that he wouldn’t run again and endorsed Harris for the nomination.
There may or may not be additional debates between Trump and Harris. Fox News has proposed a debate on Sept. 4, and NBC News is hoping to host one on Sept. 25. During an appearance in Michigan, Harris said she was “happy to have that conversation” about additional debate(s).
MTV announced Sept. 10 as the date of the 2024 VMAs way back on April 24 – but apparently “dibs” don’t count for much in the high-stakes world of presidential politics.
The VMAs will air from UBS Arena in New York at 8 p.m. ET/PT. (So, depending on what time zone you live in, you may be able to watch both live.) The VMAs will be held just four days shy of the 40th anniversary of the inaugural VMAs at Radio City Music Hall. (That show aired three full weeks before the first debate between President Ronald Reagan and former vp Walter Mondale, so there was no conflict.)
This is the second time this summer that a newsworthy event in presidential politics has collided with an awards show. An attempt on Trump’s life occurred on July 13, less than two hours before the Kids’ Choice Awards was set to get underway in Santa Monica, Calif. The awards went on as scheduled, with no mention of the stunning event.