Trump, Harris, campaigns clash over debate rules amid microphone dispute
The upcoming debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump, scheduled for September 10 on ABC, is now in doubt due to disagreements over the debate’s rules, a source familiar with the matter tells CNN.
Trump’s campaign has requested that microphones be muted throughout the debate, except for the candidate whose turn it is to speak, similar to the format used during his first debate with President Joe Biden. The former president criticized ABC on Sunday, accusing the network of bias and questioning why he should debate Harris on a network he perceives as unfavorable. “Why would I do the debate against Kamala Harris on that network?” Trump asked on his Truth Social platform, singling out reporter Jonathan Karl and a panel of “Trump Haters.”
In contrast, the Harris campaign has asked ABC and other potential hosts for an October debate to ensure that both candidates’ microphones remain live throughout the broadcast. This request marks a departure from the June debate format, where the then-Biden campaign agreed to muted microphones except during a candidate’s speaking turn.
“We believe both candidates’ mics should be live throughout the full broadcast,” said Brian Fallon, the Harris campaign’s senior adviser for communications, in a statement. Fallon suggested that Trump’s campaign favors muted microphones because they doubt their candidate’s ability to remain composed for the entirety of the debate. “We suspect Trump’s team has not even told their boss about this dispute because it would be too embarrassing to admit they don’t think he can handle himself against Vice President Harris without the benefit of a mute button,” Fallon added.
In response, Trump’s campaign claims they agreed to the ABC debate under the same guidelines as a previous debate on CNN. “Enough with the games. We accepted the ABC debate under the exact same terms as the CNN debate,” Trump campaign senior adviser Jason Miller stated. Miller accused the Harris campaign of changing its stance after initially agreeing to the CNN rules and now requesting a seated debate, with notes and opening statements. “We said no changes to the agreed-upon rules,” he added.
Miller also criticized the timing of the Harris campaign’s requests, suggesting they are seeking changes now because of concerns arising from their debate preparations. “Even their own campaign spokesman said the debate about debates was over. Clearly, they’re seeing something they don’t like,” Miller remarked.
The Harris campaign has denied Miller’s claim about seeking a seated format with access to notes, stating this is not part of their request.
The microphone rules dispute, first reported by Politico, has thrown the ABC debate into uncertainty, even though it was officially agreed upon earlier this month. Trump has also called for a revised debate format, including a “full arena audience” hosted by Fox News.
Both candidates are continuing their debate preparations despite the uncertainty. Harris plans to visit Georgia this week, focusing on limited campaign stops to concentrate on debate preparation. Meanwhile, Trump has enlisted former Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, a former rival of Harris during the 2020 Democratic primary debates, to assist in his preparation. Harris and Gabbard have had notable exchanges in the past, particularly on foreign policy and criminal justice issues.
Credit: CNN
