Former President Donald Trump said he would debate Vice President Kamala Harris under the same conditions as the prior presidential debate.
The major point of contention for the Harris campaign is whether microphones will be muted during the other candidate’s turn to speak.
The rule was originally requested by President Joe Biden’s team, which the Trump campaign ultimately agreed to for the debate in June.
Biden dropped out of the race shortly after his performance, but Trump was praised for what was seen as a more controlled showing. That perception was largely because there were none of the chaotic interruptions that the pair’s first 2020 debate became known for.
The Harris campaign alluded to as much in their statement on the matter.
“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,” Harris’s spokesman said.
Kevin Madden, a longtime Republican strategist, agreed with the sentiment in a statement to the New York Times.
“One of the ways to win over swing voters is not by personal attacks. By nature, they don’t love partisan politics.”
Those within Trump’s campaign reportedly do not disagree.
A Trump ally told the BBC that Trump will win in November if he sticks to the issues during the debate, focusing on the economy, the border, and crime.
Another Republican strategist offered his take on the microphones.
“They’re not sure they can win on the issues so what they’re looking for is any way possible to have a viral moment,” Ford O’Connell said.
In a Truth Social post, Trump said the rules would be the same as the first debate, which would include muted mics.
“I have reached an agreement with the Radical Left Democrats for a Debate with Comrade Kamala Harris,” he posted Tuesday afternoon.
“We have also been given assurance by ABC that this will be a “fair and equitable” Debate, and that neither side will be given the questions in advance (No Donna Brazile!). Harris would not agree to the FoxNews Debate on September 4th, but that date will be held open in case she changes her mind or, Flip Flops, as she has done on every single one of her long held and cherished policy beliefs.”
If I were Kamala, I’d have hesitations, too. You know that old saw about fooling some of the people all the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you can’t fool all the people ALL the time? This applies in spades.