Vice President Kamala Harris is reportedly trying to renegotiate the debate rules for her upcoming face-off with Donald Trump on ABC News on September 10. Harris is specifically pushing for changes to allow microphones to remain unmuted throughout the debate, despite ABC News having already rejected this proposal a few days ago.
On Saturday, Harris took to social media to criticize Trump, stating, “Donald Trump is surrendering to his advisors who won’t allow him to debate with a live microphone. If his own team doesn’t have confidence in him, the American people definitely can’t.”
The September 10 debate, initially agreed upon with President Biden, currently has rules in place requiring microphones to be muted during specific portions of the event. Harris has argued that having microphones on for the entirety of the debate would ensure greater “transparency.”
Besides the rule on muted microphones, the debate guidelines also specify that there will be no audience present and that neither candidate will be allowed to use written notes. Harris has also sought changes to allow for written notes, but this, too, has been declined.
Some observers online have speculated that Harris may be aiming for a moment similar to her well-known “I’m speaking” remark during a debate with former Vice President Mike Pence in 2020. During that exchange, Harris responded sharply after being interrupted, saying, “Mr. Vice President, I’m speaking.” According to CBS News, she also interrupted Pence at points during the debate.
Other rules for the upcoming Trump-Harris debate include that the topics and questions will not be provided to the candidates in advance, and each will have two minutes to respond to questions posed by the moderators.
The debate between Trump and Harris is scheduled for 9 p.m. Eastern Time on September 10 and will be held at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia.