MTV’s Ratings-Challenged VMAs Are Suddenly Going Head-to-Head With a Trump/Harris Debate

Photo Credit: Joshua Hoehne

Former president Donald Trump has agreed to an ABC-aired debate with Vice President Kamala Harris, pitting the MTV VMAs against the presidential offering.ABC has announced that both the former president and the current Vice President have agreed to a September 10 presidential debate. Trump told reporters that he proposed three presidential debates with three different television networks in September. “I think it’s very important to have debates,” he told reporters. “I look forward to the debates because I think we have to set the record straight.”

Harris responded, “I hear that Donald Trump has finally committed to debating me on September 10. I look forward to it.” The debate will air on ABC and will be moderated by David Muir and Linsey Davis, both anchors for World News Tonight. The date is the same for the originally proposed debate between Trump and Biden, before the latter dropped out of the race entirely.

As pointed out by Billboard, the MTV VMAs will be pitted against the first presidential debate. MTV announced the September 10 date for the 2024 edition of the VMAs on April 24, well ahead of that date being chosen for the presidential debate. They will air live at 8 pm ET / PT. It’s expected that the presidential debate will be held without a live audience, much like the first debate.The first presidential debate this year in June was one of the most consequential debates in television history. Biden’s diminishing performance set off alarm bells with Democrats, who quietly began urging the president to reconsider running. That eventually led to an op-ed from George Clooney and later, President Biden agreeing to cede his spot at the top of the Democratic ticket this year.

More than 51 million Americans watched the first Trump vs. Biden debate live on television, which means the second debate will likely attract an even large audience. It will be the first time the former president goes head-to-head with the new Democratic nominee, meeting face-to-face on the debate stage. How will the MTV VMAs stack up against that, especially for East Coast viewers who must choose which to watch live.

NBC News is also reportedly in discussion with both candidates about a potential debate for September 25, but Kamala Harris has not committed.