ABC News has declined Vice President Kamala Harris' request to have fully unmuted microphones during her September 10 debate with former President Donald Trump, following days of negotiations that Republicans saw as an attempt by Democrats to set a trap for the GOP nominee.
An internal email from ABC News, reviewed by The Post, outlines debate rules similar to those in Trump's June 27 debate against President Biden on CNN. These rules include no audience, no pre-written notes or props, and muted microphones when a candidate is not speaking.
During the debate, which will take place at Philadelphia's National Constitution Center, Trump and Harris will only be allowed to have a pen, a pad of paper, and a bottle of water.
The Republican campaign insisted that the debate follow the same guidelines as the June event with Biden. According to a top Trump ally, ABC News informed both campaigns last week that it would adhere to these "CNN rules," and both sides confirmed that September 10 was set.
“At this point, Team Harris will either have to accept the debate rules as they are or risk backing out, especially if the upcoming Dana Bash/CNN interview doesn’t go well,” said the ally.
ABC News Chief Counsel Eric Lieberman sent the email on Tuesday, reiterating the rules and asking the campaigns for their formal acceptance.
Following the report on the email, Harris spokesperson Brian Fallon expressed frustration, stating that the Democrats "have been asked" to accept Trump’s request for muted microphones. He also mentioned that the Harris team remains in discussions with ABC regarding the final rules.
"Our understanding is that despite Trump’s statement on Monday that he would be fine with an unmuted mic, his handlers don’t trust him to engage in a live debate with VP Harris and are asking ABC to ignore his comments and keep the mics muted. Otherwise, they threaten to back out for the third time,” Fallon wrote on X. “We’ve been asked to accommodate Trump’s handlers on this point to preserve the debate. We believe their stance is weak and continue to discuss the final rules with ABC."
Trump campaign senior adviser Jason Miller dismissed these claims, telling Newsmax that everything had been agreed upon last week. “The Harris team is trying to create a distraction to divert attention from the fact that she’s avoiding interviews,” Miller said.
ABC News has not responded to repeated requests for comment. There is speculation that Harris wanted unmuted microphones to deliver a sharp interjection, similar to her "I'm speaking!" remark during a 2020 debate with then-Vice President Mike Pence, which gained widespread attention. This moment, along with her 2019 primary debate criticism of Biden, was later featured on pro-Harris campaign merchandise.
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