ABC News has declined Vice President Kamala Harris’ request to have fully unmuted microphones during her upcoming debate with former President Donald Trump on September 10. The decision comes after several days of negotiations, with Republicans suggesting that Harris’ proposal was an attempt to set a trap for their candidate.
According to an internal network email from ABC News chief counsel Eric Lieberman, reviewed by The Post, the debate will follow similar rules to those used in Trump’s June 27 CNN debate against President Biden. These rules include no audience, no pre-written notes or props, and muted microphones when a candidate is not speaking. On stage, Trump and Harris will be allowed only a pen, a pad of paper, and a bottle of water.
Trump’s campaign had insisted that the September 10 debate at Philadelphia’s National Constitution Center adhere to the same guidelines as the previous debate with Biden. In contrast, Harris’ team had requested unmuted microphones, despite the fact that during the Biden debate, the microphones were muted when the opposing candidate was speaking.
A source from the Trump campaign told The Post that it appears Harris’ campaign eventually conceded on the matter, although the exact sequence of events is unclear. A spokesman for Harris did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Speculation has arisen that Harris wanted the microphones unmuted to deliver a memorable interjection that could go viral online.
