Presidential Debate Monday: What Would You Ask Trump and Clinton?

RIDGEFIELD, CT — Some will be watching from Republican or Democratic headquarters, some from the local bar or pub, while others are content to yell at the TV from the comfort of their own homes. Where will you watch the first presidential debate? And if given the chance to play moderator, what would you ask of presidential nominee Donald Trump and Democratic rival Hillary Clinton?

The pair go head-to-heat Monday evening in the highly-anticipated first of three presidential debates at Hofstra University in New York. Moderator Lester Holt of NBC News might be feeling a bit of pressure as he prepares for the face-off, while 75 percent of likely voters tune in to the first debate. The 90-minute debate will run straight through with no commercial breaks.

What questions would you ask Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump within these topics if you were the moderator? Post your questions in the comments section below. Earlier this week, Holt announced the topics he's confining the debate to, according to the Commission on Presidential Debates:

• "America's Direction"
• "Achieving Prosperity"
• "Securing America"

The Details:

When: Monday, September 26, 2016
Time: 9:00 p.m. until 10:30 p.m. EST; no commercial breaks
Where: Hofstra University, Hempstead, New York
Who: Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, moderator Lester Holt of NBC News; Libertarian nominee Gary Johnson and Green Party nominee Jill Stein failed to make the debate based on recent polling.

Viewing: The debate will be aired live on C-SPAN, ABC, CBS, FOX and NBC, as well as all cable news channels including CNN, Fox News and MSNBC among others.

Format: The debate will be divided into six time segments of approximately 15 minutes each on major topics selected by the moderator. The moderator will open each segment with a question, after which each candidate will have two minutes to respond. Candidates will then have an opportunity to respond to each other. The moderator will use the balance of the time in the segment for a deeper discussion of the topic.

Join us for the Patch live stream and live blog Monday night (not to mention the Patch Presidential Debate Drinking Game).

Follow more of Patch's debate coverage:

• Presidential Debate Moderators Announced By Commission
• Belly Up to Patch's Presidential Debate Drinking Game
• Poll: Presidential Debates Expected To Be Watched by 75 Percent of Voters; Anderson Cooper is Crowd Favorite
• Hillary Clinton Ally: Drop Fox News Presidential Debate Moderator Chris Wallace Over Conflict of Interest

Photo credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr Commons

By Wendy Ann Mitchell and Allen McDuffee (Patch Staff)