ABC’s Harris-Trump debate rules include muted microphones when candidates are not speaking

NEW YORK (AP) — Next month’s debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump can have no audience, no microphones when the candidates are not speaking and no written notes, under rules that debate host ABC News shared with each campaigns this week.

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

The parameters of the Sept. 10 debate are essentially the identical as those for the June debate between Trump and President Joe Biden, a disastrous performance by the Democratic incumbent that led to his departure from the campaign. It is the one debate that has been rigorously planned, and it often is the only time voters will see Harris and Trump face off before the November general election.

Arguments over debate rules reached a fever pitch this week, particularly over the problem of muting microphones between speeches.

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Harris’ campaign spokesperson advocated for using microphones throughout the debate, saying in an announcement that the practice “would fully enable the candidates to engage in a substantive exchange.”

Biden’s campaign made muting a condition of deciding whether to carry any debates this yr, a call some aides now regret, saying voters were shielded from hearing Trump’s emotional outbursts in the course of the debate.

“It’s interesting that Trump’s handlers continue to insist on silencing him, despite the candidate himself saying otherwise,” Harris spokesman Ian Sams said. “Why don’t they just do what the candidate wants?”

Trump officials — who initially mocked replacing Harris as a part of the debate deal he originally struck with Biden within the race — claimed Harris was requesting a “sit-down debate, with notes and opening statements,” something her campaign has denied.

According to ABC News, the candidates will stand at podiums, will not make opening statements and can not be allowed to bring notes in the course of the 90-minute debate. David Muir and Linsey Davis will moderate the event on the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia.