In the upcoming Sept. 10 debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump, participants will find themselves under familiar restrictions, reminiscent of Trump's previous CNN debate against Joe Biden on June 27.
The rules, laid out in a network email reviewed by The New York Post, stipulate no audience presence, no pre-written notes or props, and muted microphones for the candidates when they are not speaking. Each candidate will be permitted only a pen, a pad of paper, and a bottle of water while on stage.
Despite a push from Kamala Harris for an open microphone policy throughout the debate, ABC News decided against it. After days of negotiations, which Republicans criticized as a Democratic ploy to ensnare Trump, the network has opted to maintain the mute protocol established in the Trump-Biden CNN face-off.
The Post reported that while the Trump campaign has formally accepted the terms provided by the network, Harris' team has yet to give their formal nod. As a result, the hesitation from the Harris campaign is causing the delay in ABC News' official announcement of the debate format.
Both campaigns received confirmation from ABC News, through a communication by Chief Counsel Eric Lieberman, that the upcoming face-off at Philadelphia's National Constitution Center would adhere to the same muted microphone protocol as the previous debate on CNN. The email, sent Tuesday, reiterated the established rules and sought formal acceptance from both sides.
Despite the Republicans' insistence on consistency with the June debate rules, Vice President Harris' campaign expressed a late preference on Monday for both candidates to have their microphones open throughout the entire 90-minute debate. A top Trump ally disclosed that both campaigns had already agreed in writing to the "CNN rules" before the new request, marking Sept. 10 as confirmed under those terms.
The ally also speculated about potential repercussions for Harris' campaign, suggesting that they might face a significant setback either by reluctantly adhering to the agreed-upon rules or by potentially withdrawing from the debate if the upcoming interview with Dana Bash on CNN does not go as planned.
Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz will try to rev up Democrat fervor following last week's convention, as they team up for their first joint interview on CNN this Thursday. After sitting down with CNN's political anchor, Dana Bash, the duo will attempt to sway voters during a critical bus tour across the key battleground of Georgia. Harris steps into the media ring for a full interview for the first time since being anointed by Joe Biden as his successor on July 21. It's been 37 days filled with rallies for Harris, reaching a crescendo at the DNC in Chicago. However, her noticeable absence from any formal press interactions left the door open for sharp criticism from GOP corners.
Harris has delivered several notable performances during her debate appearances, evident during her 2020 presidential campaign and her time as a U.S. Senator. One of her most memorable moments came during the first Democratic primary debate in Miami in June 2019, where she confronted then-candidate Joe Biden about his past opposition to busing for school desegregation. Throughout the subsequent debates, Harris leveraged her prosecutorial background but was ultimately burnt on the subject by Tulsi Gabbard.
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