Washington — Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign was unable to sway ABC News, the host of next week’s presidential debate, to keep the microphones unmuted for the 90-minute debate against former President Donald Trump.
Her campaign agreed to let the microphones remain muted when a candidate isn’t speaking, according to a letter it sent to ABC News, ending the back-and-forth over the rules for the Sept. 10 debate.
“Vice President Harris, a former prosecutor, will be fundamentally disadvantaged by this format, which will serve to shield Donald Trump from direct exchanges with the Vice President.
We suspect this is the primary reason for his campaign’s insistence on muted microphones,” said the letter, which was obtained by CBS News.
The Harris campaign also told CBS News it was offered assurances as to how any crosstalk may be handled.
“Notwithstanding our concerns, we understand that Donald Trump is a risk to skip the debate altogether, as he has threatened to do previously, if we do not accede to his preferred format,” the letter read.
For this reason, we accepted the full set of rules proposed by ABC, including muted microphones.”
The Biden campaign had requested that the candidates’ microphones be muted when their opponent was speaking during the match-up between President Biden and Trump in June, which was hosted by CNN.
I don’t know, doesn’t matter to me,” Trump said Aug. 26 while campaigning in Virginia.
Americans want to hear both candidates present their competing visions to the voters, unburdened by what has been.
Washington: Despite her campaign, Vice President Kamala Harris was unable to convince ABC News, which is hosting the presidential debate next week, to leave the microphones unmuted during her 90-minute debate with former President Donald Trump.
According to a letter her campaign sent to ABC News, the debate over the rules for the Sept. 8 presidential debate has come to an end as her campaign agreed to allow the microphones to stay muted when a candidate isn’t speaking. 10 arguments.
“This format, which will serve to shield Donald Trump from direct exchanges with the Vice President, will fundamentally disadvantage Vice President Harris, a former prosecutor. CBS News was able to obtain the letter, which stated, “We believe this is the main reason for his campaign’s insistence on muted microphones.”.
Additionally, according to CBS News, the Harris campaign received guarantees regarding the management of any potential crosstalk. If there is a lot of conversation between the candidates, the microphones might not be muted. The moderator will issue a warning to a candidate who repeatedly interrupts their opponent, and their remarks might be shared with the audience. Reporters who will be present would also report anything noteworthy if the microphones fail to capture the conversations.
The letter said, “Despite our reservations, we recognize that Donald Trump could skip the debate entirely, as he has threatened to do in the past, if we do not comply with his preferred format.”. We don’t want to endanger the discussion. As a result, we agreed to abide by every regulation that ABC suggested, including the requirement that microphones be muted. “.
During the CNN-hosted June presidential debate between President Biden and Donald Trump, the Biden campaign had asked that the candidates’ microphones be turned off when their opponent was speaking.
The Trump campaign was against modifying the debate’s September schedule.
“The same rules were agreed upon. I’m not sure, and it doesn’t concern me,” Trump declared on August. 26 while in Virginia for a campaign. Although it was agreed that everything would remain the same as it was the previous time, I’d probably prefer to have it on. That was muted in that instance. Although it didn’t go well the last time, it did this time. “.
“We are thrilled that Kamala Harris and her team of Biden campaign leftovers” is what Trump campaign spokesperson Jason Miller said in a statement to CBS News on Tuesday night. have at last agreed to abide by the debate’s previously established rules, which they initially wrote. Unaffected by the past, Americans want to hear both candidates lay out their opposing platforms for the electorate. No taking notes, no sitting down, and no copies of the questions ahead of time. See you on Tuesday in Philadelphia.
