Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. President Donald Trump delivers a speech when visiting the Livingston County Sheriff’s Office in Howell, Michigan, the United States, on August 20, 2024.
Rebecca Cook | Reuters
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is hesitant to debate Vice President Kamala Harris as previously agreed.
Their campaigns are sparring over the terms of the Sept. 10 ABC News showdown.
In a social media post late Sunday night, Trump questioned whether he should debate Democratic nominee Harris after the former president suggested it would be a hostile environment.
“I watched ABC’s fake news this morning, including lightweight reporter Jonathan Carr’s (K?) ridiculous and biased take on (Arkansas Sen.) Tom Cotton (he’s awesome!) interviews, and their so-called Trump haters panel, I asked, why am I debating Kamala Harris on this network?
“Would panelist Donna Brazile ask the Marxist candidate the same question she asked the crooked Hillary Clinton? Would Kamala’s best friend, the head of ABC, do the same? Riddell George · Where is Slopadopulus hanging out now? Will he be involved? I have a lot of questions to answer! ! ! Why did Harris reject Fox, NBC, CBS, and even CNN? ” Trump wrote.
On Monday morning, Trump told NBC News that ABC was “the most unfair network” and “I think ABC really should be left out” and said he would rather have the debate on another network.
The surprising suggestion came amid reports that the campaigns were feuding over whether ABC would keep both candidates’ microphones on throughout the debate. This will capture any comments made by the candidate when it is their opponent’s turn to speak.
NBC News confirms Harris’ campaign wants hot mic, but Trump campaign doesn’t Politico.
It’s a reversal from the campaign’s position at the last presidential debate hosted by CNN in late June. The campaign of then-Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden requested and received the candidates’ microphones that were turned on only when it was their turn to speak. The Trump campaign wants hot mics.
Still, the debate was a disaster for Biden, whose hesitant performance and confusing answers effectively ended his reelection hopes. Less than a month later, Biden dropped out of the race and endorsed Harris.
The vice president, a former prosecutor, might benefit from a format that allows her to rebut Trump on the fly rather than waiting for her turn.
Former President Donald Trump with the Republican presidential candidate (left), and the Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate.
Reuters
Harris campaign spokesman Brian Fallon said in a statement, “We have told ABC and other networks seeking to host the October debate that we believe both candidates’ microphones should be Stay live throughout the broadcast.
“Our understanding is that Trump’s staff prefer muted microphones because they don’t think their candidate can be president alone for 90 minutes,” Fallon told NBC.
Trump often interrupts his opponents in debates, as he did in a 2016 confrontation with Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton. When Clinton answered the question, he complained: “What a nasty woman.”
“We suspect Trump’s team didn’t even tell their bosses about the dispute because it would be too embarrassing to admit they didn’t think he could stand up to Vice President Harris without a mute button,” Fallon said. “The vice president is ready.” To deal with Trump’s constant lies and distractions in real time, Trump should stop hiding behind the mute button.
Trump campaign spokesman Jason Miller said in a statement that the conditions under which Trump accepted the ABC debate were “exactly the same” as the conditions agreed to by Republicans for the CNN debate with Biden.
“The Harris camp requested a sit-down debate with notes and opening statements after agreeing to CNN’s rules,” Miller said. “We said we would not change the agreed-upon rules. If Kamala… Harris is not smart enough to repeat the key points of her message that her bosses want her to remember, and that seems to be a pattern with the Harris campaign.”
“They’re not allowing Harris to do interviews, they’re not allowing her to attend press conferences, and now they want to give her a debate cheat sheet,” Miller said. “My guess is they’re looking for a way to get away from Trump. Any debate about President Trump.”
Fallon denied that Harris’ campaign had requested a sit-down debate where speakers would be allowed.
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