Trump says agreement reached for debate with Harris on Sept. 10
After much squabbling over logistics and rules, former President Donald Trump said that an agreement has been reached for the upcoming debate with Vice President Kamala Harris on ABC News on Sept. 10, according to a social media post.
Harris’ campaign has yet to officially confirm she has agreed to the same terms.
While it’s common for campaigns to quibble beforehand over debate mechanics, both Harris and Trump are under pressure to deliver a strong performance next month in Philadelphia.
Trump agrees to debate conditions
On Tuesday, Trump said he would participate in next month’s debate against Harris, according to a post on his Truth Social account.
"I have reached an agreement with Radical Left Democrats for a Debate with Comrade Kamala Harris," Trump said.
Muted microphones
The most recent dispute between Harris’ and Trump’s campaigns centered on muting microphones when a candidate isn’t speaking.
This was a condition that both President Joe Biden and Trump had agreed to for their June debate which was hosted by CNN.
Both the Harris campaign and Trump campaign have accused the other of gaming the system to protect their candidate.
Microphones have been unmuted for both candidates for most of televised presidential debate history. The debate commission announced that its October 2020 debate would have microphones muted when candidates were not recognized to speak after the first Biden-Trump contest descended into a shouting match. The second 2020 debate with the microphone muting rules was widely celebrated for being more substantive than the earlier matchup.
What Harris’ campaign said
The Harris campaign suggested microphones to be live all the time, according to Harris spokesman Brian Fallon, who issued a statement needling Trump.
"Trump’s handlers prefer the muted microphone because they don’t think their candidate can act presidential for 90 minutes on his own," Fallon said. Harris "is ready to deal with Trump’s constant lies and interruptions in real time. Trump should stop hiding behind the mute button."
What Trump’s campaign said
Trump spokesman Jason Miller retorted that the Republican nominee had "accepted the ABC debate under the exact same terms as the CNN debate." He alleged Harris’ representatives sought "a seated debate, with notes, and opening statements."
"I’d rather have it probably on," Trump said Monday during a stop in the Washington area, when asked if he wanted microphones muted. "I didn’t like it the last time, but it worked out fine," he added, in terms of the policy during his debate with Biden.
"We agreed to the same rules — same rules, same specifications," Trump noted, for his Sept. 10 debate with Harris. "And I think that’s probably what it should be."