Former President Donald Trump has hinted that he may not attend the upcoming September 10 debate with Vice President Kamala Harris.
Fox News reported that a disagreement over the terms of the debate, specifically whether or not the candidates' microphones should remain live throughout the entire event, is jeopardizing the debate.
Trump has also expressed serious concerns about the impartiality of the debate's host, ABC News, further complicating the already tense situation.
Trump took to Truth Social to voice his frustrations, questioning the integrity of ABC News as the host.
In his post, Trump cast doubt on the neutrality of the network, citing past incidents involving key ABC personnel, including panelist Donna Brazil. Brazil had previously faced criticism for allegedly providing debate questions to Hillary Clinton during the 2016 presidential campaign, a move that Trump referenced in his post.
Trump's criticism of ABC News didn’t stop there. He went on to speculate about potential bias from other ABC personnel, questioning whether Harris’s connections within the network might influence the debate's outcome.
Trump’s post implied that he believes the debate may not be conducted fairly, particularly with Harris’s momentum growing.
On the other side, the Harris campaign has been adamant about maintaining live microphones throughout the debate.
This stance has been a significant sticking point in negotiations, as the Trump campaign reportedly favors the previous debate format where candidates' microphones were muted while the opponent spoke.
The original microphone policy was established during debates between Trump and President Joe Biden. Now, with Harris stepping in for Biden, her campaign is pushing to ensure that the rules favor an open exchange, arguing that Trump’s team prefers the mute button due to concerns over his ability to stay composed during the debate.
Brian Fallon, a senior communications adviser for the Harris campaign, has been vocal about the issue.
He confirmed that their campaign has informed ABC and other potential debate hosts that they expect both candidates' microphones to remain live for the entirety of the debate. Fallon suggested that the Trump campaign's preference for muted microphones could stem from doubts about Trump’s ability to maintain a presidential demeanor for the full 90 minutes.
Fallon went a step further, speculating that Trump’s team may not have fully disclosed the ongoing debate negotiations to the former president.
He implied that Trump’s advisers might be shielding him from the embarrassment of admitting they don’t believe he can handle the pressure of an unmuted debate against Harris.
On the Trump side, Jason Miller, a senior adviser to the former president, pushed back against these claims. He asserted that Trump had agreed to the debate under the same terms as a prior CNN debate, suggesting that the Harris campaign was attempting to alter the established rules.
Miller also denied that the Trump campaign had agreed to any modifications, including a request from the Harris camp for a seated debate with notes and opening statements.
As the September 10 debate approaches, both campaigns have continued to issue public statements, reflecting broader anxieties about the debate format and Trump’s ability to handle Harris’s current momentum.
These ongoing disputes have cast a shadow over what was initially agreed to be a crucial moment in the campaign.
The impasse over debate terms, particularly the microphone policy, has underscored the deep divisions between the two campaigns.
While Trump questions the fairness of the event and the network hosting it, Harris is pushing to ensure that the debate allows for a free-flowing exchange of ideas, with no interruptions or muted microphones.
