The debate rules for the single presidential debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump have yet to be finalized. Trump has interpreted the ongoing discussions and attempts to modify the rules as signs that Harris “doesn’t want to debate” and that her campaign is “trying to get out of it.”
“The truth is, they’re trying to get out of it because she doesn’t want to debate. She’s not a good debater. She’s not a smart person. She doesn’t want to debate,” Trump said.
In 2020, Kamala Harris debated then-Vice President Mike Pence while both represented their respective parties. During that debate, they were seated at desks and allowed to refer to notes. Reports surfaced on Monday that Harris might be seeking a similar setup for her upcoming debate with Trump, scheduled for September 10 on ABC.
Harris’ campaign has reportedly requested the use of notes, a seated debate format, and “hot mics” to capture everything Trump says during the event. Senior communications adviser Brian Fallon from the Harris campaign stated, “Our understanding is that Trump’s handlers prefer the muted microphone because they don’t think their candidate can act presidential for 90 minutes on his own.”
Trump noted that his team had already agreed to the same rules used in the June CNN debate, which ultimately led to Joe Biden’s decline in the polls. “We agreed to the same rules. Same rules, and same specifications, and I think that’s probably what it should be, but they’re trying to change it.”
Jason Miller, a spokesperson for Trump’s campaign, criticized the ongoing rule negotiations, saying, “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 added, “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.”
As the debate rule discussions continue, reports have emerged that Harris has enlisted the help of Google defense lawyer Karen Dunn to prepare for the debate. Dunn, who is Google’s outside counsel through the law firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, is also leading Google’s defense against a lawsuit filed by the Biden-Harris administration.