The September 10 Debate in Jeopardy Amid Trump and Harris Clash Over Rules and Fairness
The highly anticipated debate on September 10th is teetering on the brink of cancellation, as a heated dispute has erupted between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris over the event’s rules and perceived fairness.
For the past two days, Trump’s campaign has vocally expressed dissatisfaction with the planned live debate on ABC News, where he is set to face off against Harris. The debate, slated for September 10th, has been thrown into uncertainty as Harris’s campaign suddenly pushed for a change in the debate’s ground rules, further destabilizing the event.
The controversy began with a bombshell statement from Trump on Truth Social, where he threatened to pull out of the debate due to concerns about ABC’s objectivity and fairness. “How can I debate Harris on that network?” Trump posted late on August 25th.
He went so far as to brand ABC as “ABC Fake News,” accusing the network’s audience and hosts of being part of the “Trump-hating crowd.” The former president emphasized that ABC News “has a lot of questions to answer,” and cryptically added, “let’s wait and see” regarding the debate’s fate.
On the morning of August 26th, Brian Fallon, spokesperson for Harris’s campaign, made a surprising request for ABC to alter the debate rules. He proposed that both candidates’ microphones remain live throughout the debate, instead of muting them alternately when one candidate is speaking.
This “hot mic” format is a double-edged sword in presidential debates, as it can capture off-the-cuff remarks from the candidates, potentially leading to unforeseen consequences. An opponent with a live mic could also interrupt and disrupt the speaker’s flow.
“Vice President Harris is ready to dismantle any lies and tactics Trump might use to interrupt. He needs to stop hiding behind the mute button,” Fallon stated.
Jason Miller, senior advisor to Trump, rejected Harris’s team’s proposal and called for the rules to remain unchanged, as they were during the June debate with President Joe Biden.
“Let’s stop with these gimmicks. Both parties agreed to a debate on ABC with the same rules as the CNN debate. But now, Harris’s side is asking for additional perks—seating, notepads, and an opening statement. We’re not on board with changing the rules that were agreed upon from the start,” Miller told Politico.
Later, Trump admitted that he too favored an open mic throughout the debate. However, he noted that the alternating mute format “worked fine” during his previous debate with Biden.
“We agreed to the same rules and requests as the last debate. I think we should keep it that way, but they want to change things up. The truth is, they’re looking for a way out because Harris doesn’t want to debate. After all, she’s not a great debater,” Trump said.
“I don’t want to waste much time on this. All my life, I’ve been ready for any debate. You can’t cram 30 years of knowledge into a week. I did a bit of preparation, but nothing out of the ordinary,” the former president shared.
ABC News has yet to comment on the statements from both sides. Meanwhile, Harris’s campaign has declared that the accusations from Miller and Trump, except for the proposal to keep the mic open throughout the debate, are “100% false.
