Kamala Harris is pushing for changes to the rules of the upcoming September 10 presidential debate on ABC. Instead of the traditional standing format, she wants the candidates to be seated. Additionally, Harris has requested to use notes during the debate, a move that would shift the event from a spontaneous exchange of ideas to something more akin to an open-book test.
Jason Miller, a spokesperson for the Trump campaign, expressed frustration with the Harris camp’s requests. Speaking to Politico Playbook, Miller said, “Enough with the games. We accepted the ABC debate under the exact same terms as the CNN debate. The Harris camp, after having already agreed to the CNN rules, asked for a seated debate, with notes, and opening statements. We said no changes to the agreed-upon rules.”
Miller criticized Harris’s approach, saying, “If Kamala Harris isn’t smart enough to repeat the messaging points her handlers want her to memorize, that’s their problem. This seems to be a pattern for the Harris campaign. They won’t allow Harris to do interviews, they won’t allow her to do press conferences, and now they want to give her a cheat sheet for the debate. My guess is that they’re looking for a way to get out of any debate with President Trump.”
Harris has yet to hold a press conference, conduct or commit to a long-form interview, and has rarely taken questions from reporters. She has only agreed to one debate against Trump, and it appears she wants it entirely on her terms.
Additionally, Harris has requested “hot mics” during the debate, a move her campaign says is intended to catch Trump making offhand remarks that could be used against him. Brian Fallon, a senior communications adviser for the Harris campaign, suggested that Trump’s team might prefer a muted microphone because they don’t believe he can “act presidential” for 90 minutes without it. “We suspect Trump’s team has not even told their boss about this dispute because it would be too embarrassing to admit they don’t think he can handle himself against Vice President Harris without the benefit of a mute button,” Fallon said.
Trump, for his part, has agreed to the ABC debate, initially arranged with President Joe Biden, who has since been replaced by Harris as the Democratic candidate. Fallon disputed Miller’s claim about the requested rule changes, stating, “All three parties (Trump, Harris, and ABC) have agreed to standing and no notes, and we never sought otherwise.”
However, as Politico reports, the Harris campaign made it clear to ABC that the debate rules were still open to negotiation when they accepted the network’s invitation. This ongoing disagreement suggests that the debate terms are far from finalized.
On Sunday, Trump took to social media to voice his skepticism about the fairness of the debate on ABC, questioning the network’s integrity and Harris’s motives. “I watched ABC FAKE NEWS this morning,” Trump wrote, “and I ask, why would I do the Debate against Kamala Harris on that network? Will panelist Donna Brazil give the questions to the Marxist Candidate like she did for Crooked Hillary Clinton? Stay tuned!!!”
