ABC News REJECTS Kamala Harris’ Latest Attempt To Change Debate Rules

ABC News has rejected Kamala Harris’ request to change the rules in her upcoming debate with Donald Trump on September 10.

Harris attempted to request ABC News to have unmuted microphones, a rule the Biden campaign insisted CNN adopt in Biden’s debate against Trump.

Trump performed very well in his June debate with Biden under the muted mic rule, and it appears the Harris campaign felt they would have an advantage if the mics were unmuted.

Other rules that will be in place at the debate in September will be a no-audience rule, no notes and no props.

🚨Just in: ABC News has rejects Kamala Harris last minute attempt to change the debate which have included unmuted mics, being seated and having notes. ABC will keep muted mics, both candidates will stand and no notes are allowed.

Via: The New York Post. pic.twitter.com/9fn0qPvncA

— The Calvin Coolidge Project (@TheCalvinCooli1) August 29, 2024

ABC News rejects Kamala Harris last-minute bid to change Trump debate rules, will keep muted mics https://t.co/uRGgugILqb pic.twitter.com/slH8mghBvi

— New York Post (@nypost) August 29, 2024

Here’s what The New York Post reported:

ABC News has declined to adopt Vice President Kamala Harris’ request to have wholly unmuted microphones during her Sept. 10 debate with former President Donald Trump — after days of wrangling over what Republicans viewed as Democratic attempts to lay a trap for the GOP nominee.

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A network email reviewed by The Post lays out similar rules as those for Trump’s June 27 CNN debate against President Biden — including no audience, no pre-written notes or props and muted mics when a candidate is not speaking.

Trump and Harris will be standing on stage and will only be allowed to have a pen, a pad of paper and a bottle of water.

The Republican campaign had insisted the debate — set to be held at Philadelphia’s National Constitution Center — follow the same rules as the June showdown with Biden.

ABC News rejects Kamala Harris last-minute bid to change Trump debate rules, will keep muted mics – NYP

— NewsWire (@NewsWire_US) August 29, 2024

Per AP:

Next month’s debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump won’t have an audience, live microphones when candidates aren’t speaking, or written notes, according to rules that ABC News, the host network, shared this week with both campaigns.

A copy of the rules was provided to the Associated Press on Thursday by a senior Trump campaign official on condition of anonymity ahead of the network’s announcement. The Harris campaign on Thursday insisted it was still discussing the muting of mics with ABC.

The parameters now in place for the Sept. 10 debate are essentially the same as they were for the June debate between Trump and President Joe Biden, a disastrous performance for the incumbent Democrat that fueled his exit from the campaign. It is the only debate that’s been firmly scheduled and could be the only time voters see Harris and Trump go head to head before the November general election.