Vice President Kamala Harris, after a week of attempting to adjust the rules for the upcoming ABC News debate, eventually agreed to the previously established conditions.
Breitbart reported that the Harris campaign confirmed adherence to the initial debate rules late Tuesday, setting the stage for the event scheduled for September 10. Last week, Harris endeavored to modify the debate rules stipulated by ABC News but was unsuccessful in her attempt.
This failure to get the rules changed is a massive setback for Harris's campaign as Harris now has no advantages in the debate. She can't interrupt Trump and she will have to go off-script, which she has been famously terrible at.
The discussion around the debate format involved the inclusion of provisions such as not allowing sitting, notes, or audiences, and keeping microphones closed except for designated speaking times. These rules had initially been agreed upon when former President Joe Biden was a candidate.
The controversy surrounding the debate rules began when Harris, having joined the presidential race late, found herself bound by prior agreements made before her campaign launched. These included a set of debates, of which the ABC News event on September 10 was part, with stringent rules about microphone usage to ensure a strictly moderated exchange.
Harris's team found contention in the previously agreed terms that would mute microphones except during a candidate's turn to speak.
Concerns were expressed by the Harris campaign regarding this stipulation overshadowing a fair chance at rebuttal, which led to a request early last week to unmute microphones during the debate. They aimed to prevent potentially overshadowing media focus on the anniversary of the tragic Afghan withdrawal by encouraging more open exchanges.
The proposal for unmuted microphones during the debates was promptly opposed by President Donald Trump.
He has been vocal about maintaining the pre-established debate rules which emphasize a more controlled environmental structure to prevent interruptions and ensure an orderly discourse.
Following Trump’s resistance, ABC News weighed in, ultimately deciding against the Harris campaign's request to alter the microphone policy.
They noted that the rules were initially confirmed by both campaigns and were intended to facilitate a comprehensive and unimpeded dialogue on core issues.
By mid-week, the Trump campaign publicly highlighted that the Harris campaign had agreed to adhere to the original terms.
A senior aide from Trump’s team remarked, "The Harris campaign caved on Tuesday and decided to go along with its previously agreed debate rules with no notes, no sitting, no audience, and no open mics."
Trump, characterizing the network hosting the debate, tweeted about the encounter, calling ABC News a "nasty and unfair newscaster" but confirmed the debate date and specifications. Despite his critique, the stage is set for both candidates to present their arguments in what is expected to be a heavily scrutinized event.
In preparation for the debate, ABC News has announced plans to conduct a virtual coin toss at 12:30 pm on the debate day.
This coin toss will determine the order in which the candidates will present their closing arguments as well as their positioning on the stage. Such measures are set to ensure a balanced and equitable setup for both participating campaigns.
A person close to the Harris campaign shared that Vice President Harris is "more than happy to have exchanges" if interrupted during the debate. This individual hinted at an expectation of Trump possibly having "intemperate outbursts" which they believe should be audible to viewers, suggesting why the Harris campaign initially pushed for unmuted microphones.
The upcoming debate, with its fixed rules and heightened tensions, points to a challenging platform where both Vice President Kamala Harris and President Donald Trump will vie to sway public opinion under significant constraints.
The highly anticipated discussion, to take place in Philadelphia, will not only test the debating skills of each candidate but also their ability to adapt to the stringent rules that have sparked much pre-debate controversy. As both sides prepare to face off under the spotlight, the political stakes are correspondingly high, emphasizing the importance of every spoken word and the strategic silence of muted microphones.