Kamala Harris Agrees to Rules for September 10 Debate With Donald Trump on ABC

Photo: Steven Senne Associated Press Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris in North Hampton, New Hampshire, on Wednesday

Meg Kinnard – Associated Press and Michelle L. Price – Associated Press in Washington

Published at 0:40

• United States

Vice President Kamala Harris has agreed to the rules for next week’s debate with former President Donald Trump, though the Democratic nominee says the decision not to keep both microphones on at all times will work to her disadvantage.

The decision, announced Wednesday in a letter from Harris’ campaign to ABC News, appears to mark the end of the debate over microphone muting that threatened to derail the Sept. 10 presidential debate at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia.

Harris’s acceptance of the debate rules came as Trump, who had offered to debate on Fox News, participated in a town hall meeting with host Sean Hannity in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, as a preparation. Hannity was then asked by his longtime ally about his plans to take on the Democratic nominee.

President Joe Biden’s campaign had made it a condition that microphones be muted except for the candidate whose turn it was to speak. Some aides said they regretted the decision, saying voters were unable to hear Trump’s outbursts during the June debate. Mr. Biden’s dismal performance contributed to his withdrawal from the campaign trail.

Once Ms. Harris took over from Mr. Biden and became the Democratic Party’s choice for president, her campaign advocated for open microphones throughout the debate, saying the practice would “fully allow for substantive exchanges between the candidates.”

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But in a letter obtained by The Associated Press on Wednesday, Harris’s advisers wrote that the former prosecutor would 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 her campaign is insisting on muted microphones. We understand that Donald Trump may not participate in the debate, as he has previously threatened to do, if we do not accept his preferred format. In order not to compromise the debate, we have agreed to all of ABC's proposed rules, including muted microphones,” Harris' campaign said.

A group of reporters will be on hand to listen to what the muted candidate might try to say, according to one official. That detail was not included in the full debate rules, also released by ABC on Wednesday, which are essentially the same as those for the June debate between Mr. Trump and Mr. Biden.

The network set parameters ranging from the basic format — 90 minutes, with two commercial breaks — to specifications that moderators David Muir and Linsey Davis “will be the only ones asking questions.”

“Moderators will work to enforce response times and ensure a civilized discussion,” the network said.

A Harris campaign official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss debate planning, said a candidate who repeatedly interrupts will receive a warning from a moderator, and both candidates may be muted if there is a significant exchange so the audience can understand what is happening.

After a virtual coin toss held Tuesday and won by Mr. Trump, the Republican nominee chose to deliver the closing statement, while Ms. Harris chose the podium to the right of viewers’ screens. There will be no audience, no written notes, no topics or questions communicated in advance to campaigns or candidates.

Asked about next week's debate, Mr. Trump reiterated his criticism of ABC as “dishonest” and “unfair,” and reiterated that Ms. Harris' campaign would “get the questions in advance.”