The first presidential debate between Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Kamala Harris scheduled for Tuesday, September 10, with ABC News hosting. Initially, September 10 was set as the day for a Trump/Joe Biden debate, but that was before the president dropped out of the race and endorsed Harris as the Democratic nominee.
Now, according to Politico Playbook reporters Eugene Daniels, Rachael Bade and Ryan Lizza, Trump is implying that he may not go through with the debate.
The campaigns, they report, have "hit an impasse over the rules of the debate, according to four sources familiar with the issue."
READ MORE: Trump ripped for pouring donor money 'into a legal and financial black hole'
"The holdup? Whether or not the candidates' microphones will be muted when it isn't their turn to speak," Daniels, Bade and Lizza explain. "Back when President Joe Biden was still running for reelection, his campaign came to an agreement with Trump's: There would be two debates — CNN's on June 27 and ABC's on September 10 — conducted by mutually negotiated rules. One of Biden World's red lines — which the Trump team agreed to — was that microphones would 'be muted throughout the debate except for the candidate whose turn it is to speak,' as CNN announced on June 15."
The journalists continue, "Now, the sides have flipped. Harris' campaign wants the mics to be hot at all times during the ABC debate, as has historically been the case at presidential debates."
According to Daniels, Bade and Lizza, it's "clear" that Harris' campaign "is hoping to get Trump to lose his cool on mic."
Brian Fallon, a senior communications adviser for Harris' campaign, told Politico Playbook, "We have told ABC and other networks seeking to host a possible October debate that we believe both candidates' mics should be live throughout the full broadcast. Our understanding is that Trump's handlers prefer the muted microphone because they don't think their candidate can act presidential for 90 minutes on his own."
READ MORE: The absurdity of calling Kamala Harris a commie
Fallon added, "We suspect Trump's team has not even told their boss about this dispute because it would be too embarrassing to admit they don’t think he can handle himself against Vice President Harris without the benefit of a mute button."
READ MORE: Former Trump officials consider loyalist Kash Patel especially 'dangerous': report
Read the full Politico Playbook column at this link.
