ABC News has rejected a last-minute maneuver by the campaign for Vice President Kamala Harris to use unmuted microphones during her Sept. 10 debate against former President Donald Trump.
The New York Post reported Thursday a network email it obtained confirmed ABC News will use similar rules to that of Trump's June 27 debate on CNN against President Joe Biden, which had no audience, no pre-written notes or props and muted the microphones when a candidate is not speaking. Harris asked that the mics remain on for both candidates during the entire 90-minute debate.
Republicans pushed back against the change and sought identical rules to that of the CNN debate. An individual with the Trump campaign said ABC News told both camps that the network will employ "CNN rules" and that the Sept. 10 date will remain at Philadelphia's National Constitution Center, the Post reported.
"At this point, Team Harris is going to be taking an 'L' when they finally accept, as the debate rules aren't changing, or they'll take an even bigger 'L' if they back out of the debate because the Dana Bash/CNN interview goes poorly," the source said, according to the Post.
The history behind the microphones dates to a 2020 debate between Trump and Biden. The debate was marred with constant interruptions and both candidates did not come off as particularly disciplined. The Biden team then requested for mics to be muted for this year's debate, and Trump presented himself as more respectful and patient, which some attributed to the muted microphones.
The Harris team has sought open mics to allow Trump's off-the-cuff remarks to be heard in hopes of painting the former president as rude and disrespectful, the Post reported.
Harris spokesperson Brian Fallon wrote Thursday in a post on X although the campaign is frustrated it will continue negotiations with the network.
"Our latest understanding is that even though Trump said Monday he would be fine with an unmuted mic, his handlers don't trust him to spar live with VP Harris and are asking ABC to ignore Trump's comments and keep the mics muted or else they will back out of the debate for a third time," Fallon wrote. "We have been asked to accede to Trump's handlers' wishes on this point for the sake of preserving the debate. We find the Trump's team's stance to be weak, and remain in discussions with ABC on the final rules."
James Morley III ✉
James Morley III is a writer with more than two decades of experience in entertainment, travel, technology, and science and nature.
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