The campaigns of Donald Trump and Kamala Harris clashed on Monday over next month’s US presidential debate, with the vice president’s team demanding the return of open microphones while her Republican rival threatened to pull out altogether, suggesting the ABC network had previously agreed it was biased.
“Why would I be debating Kamala Harris on that network?” Trump, who is seeking his third run for the White House, wrote in a social media post late Sunday in which he also accused the network of bias. “Stay tuned!!!”
Harris spokesman Brian Fallon said Monday that the vice president’s campaign wants the broadcaster to keep the candidate’s microphone on throughout the event, not just when their opponent is speaking, as was the case in previous presidential debates. So-called “hot mics” can help or hurt political candidates, catching comments that sometimes aren’t meant for the public.
“The Vice President is ready to deal with Trump’s constant lies and disruptions. Trump must stop hiding behind the mute button,” Fallon said in a statement.
Trump campaign senior adviser Jason Miller said in a statement that they had already agreed to the same terms as CNN’s June debate, which featured muted microphones, adding: “We said there would be no change to the agreed-upon rules.”
But Trump later told reporters he would prefer to keep his microphone on, adding that he did not like having it off last time and that he was not doing much preparation for the contest against his new opponent.
“It doesn’t make any difference to me. I would probably like to continue it. But the agreement was that it would be just like last time,” Trump said.
“I’m not spending a lot of time on it. I think I’ve been preparing for debates my whole life,” Trump said. “You can’t stuff knowledge into your head, you know, 30 years of knowledge in a week. So, you know, there’s a little bit of preparation for a debate, but I’ve always done it more or less the same way.”
Representatives for ABC did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Harris secured the Democratic nomination last month after President Joe Biden stepped down, and has said she would participate in a September 10 debate hosted by ABC News that had previously been agreed upon by Biden and Trump.
Biden had pushed for the first debate in hopes of boosting his campaign and casting a better light on Trump. But his own poor performance in the June 27 face-off sparked concern within his party, leading him to end his re-election bid just weeks later.
Trump offered another debate on September 4, hosted by Fox News, which he later said would be a televised town hall featuring just him and host Sean Hannity. The Harris campaign declined.
Vice presidential candidates, Republican US Senator JD Vance and Democratic Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, are scheduled to debate on CBS News on October 1.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
