Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump said Tuesday afternoon that he has "reached an agreement" with Democrat nominee Kamala Harris for a Sept. 10 debate on ABC News that will apparently feature muted microphones after all.
The debate will be held in Philadelphia, Trump said in the Truth Social post. The Sept. 10 date was originally agreed upon, back in May, to be the second debate between Trump and President Joe Biden. However, Biden dropped out of the race on July 21.
Trump said in Tuesday's post that the rules "will be the same as the last CNN debate" that Trump had with Biden on June 27, an event that precipitated the unraveling of Biden's candidacy for president.
It was reported Monday that Harris' team wanted hot mics throughout this next debate, a departure from the Biden team's reported "red line." Trump said Monday that he'd rather have it on but said it didn't "matter to me." Trump's post on Tuesday implies the mics will be muted.
"I have reached an agreement with the Radical Left Democrats for a Debate with Comrade Kamala Harris. It will be Broadcast Live on ABC FAKE NEWS, by far the nastiest and most unfair newscaster in the business," Trump said in the post. "The Rules will be the same as the last CNN Debate, which seemed to work out well for everyone except, perhaps, Crooked Joe Biden. The Debate will be 'stand up,' and Candidates cannot bring notes, or 'cheat sheets,' " a nod to a Harris request.
Jason Miller, senior adviser for Trump, said over the weekend that Harris "asked for a seated debate, with notes, and opening statements. We said no changes to the agreed upon rules."
Harris, however, would not agree to a debate on Fox News one week before, Trump said.
"Harris would not agree to the FoxNews Debate on September 4th, but that date will be held open in case she changes her mind or, Flip Flops, as she has done on every single one of her long held and cherished policy beliefs," Trump wrote. "A possible third Debate, which would go to NBC FAKE NEWS, has not been agreed to by the Radical Left."
Mark Swanson ✉
Mark Swanson, a Newsmax writer and editor, has nearly three decades of experience covering news, culture and politics.
© 2024 Newsmax. All rights reserved.