The situation surrounding the upcoming presidential debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump has become contentious, especially after ABC News rejected a last-minute request from the Harris campaign to alter the debate rules. Specifically, Harris's team asked for the candidates' microphones to remain unmuted for the entire 90-minute debate. This request was denied by ABC, which opted to stick with the rules similar to those applied during Trump's June debate with Joe Biden on CNN. These rules include muted mics when a candidate is not speaking, no audience, and no props or pre-written notes allowed.
Harris's spokesperson, Brian Fallon, expressed frustration with the decision and accused Trump's team of pushing for muted mics despite Trump's public statement that he would be fine with unmuted microphones. Fallon suggested that Trump's handlers were wary of a live sparring match with Harris and accused them of trying to manipulate the debate format.
ABC's internal emails, as reported by The New York Post, indicate that the network is sticking with the established rules, which both campaigns had initially agreed upon. The debate will proceed with the candidates only allowed to have a pen, a pad of paper, and a bottle of water on stage.
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