Harris and Trump Clash Over Live Microphones During Debate: "Is this thing on?"
Discussions regarding the Sept. 10 event have reached a standstill due to disagreements about the decision to keep the microphones on.
TroibNews 
With just over two weeks remaining until the highly anticipated presidential debate on September 10 between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump, a standoff has emerged between the campaigns concerning the use of mute functions on the candidates' microphones, with four sources close to the matter reporting the disagreements.
Initially, an agreement was reached for two debates under President Joe Biden's campaign, the first on CNN on June 27 and the second on ABC on September 10, with specific arrangements including the muting of microphones for the non-speaking candidate during each segment, as publicized by CNN on June 15.
However, with President Biden not in the race and Harris stepping forward, her campaign is advocating for continuous live microphones during the ABC debate, a return to the traditional approach for presidential debates.
Brian Fallon, the Harris campaign’s senior advisor for communications, expressed this view to PMG: “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. 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.”
According to insiders, the Harris team is confident that she can provoke Trump into making inappropriate remarks if his microphone remains on.
“She's more than happy to have exchanges with him if he tries to interrupt her,” a source close to the negotiations informed Playbook. “And given how shook he seems by her, he's very prone to having intemperate outbursts and … I think the campaign would want viewers to hear [that].”
The Trump campaign, however, accuses the Harris team of a bait and switch, insisting that the ABC debate adhere to the same specifications agreed upon for the CNN debate, despite these being negotiated with Biden’s campaign, not Harris’s.
Jason Miller, senior adviser for Trump, relayed his frustration to Playbook: “Enough with the games. We accepted the ABC debate under the exact same terms as the CNN debate. The Harris camp, after having already agreed to the CNN rules, asked for a seated debate, with notes, and opening statements. We said no changes to the agreed upon rules. If Kamala Harris isn’t smart enough to repeat the messaging points her handlers want her to memorize, that’s their problem. This seems to be a pattern for the Harris campaign. They won’t allow Harris to do interviews, they won’t allow her to do press conferences, and now they want to give her a cheat-sheet for the debate. My guess is that they’re looking for a way to get out of any debate with President Trump.”
Trump himself has raised doubts about participating in the ABC debate, citing potential bias, and without directly mentioning the microphone issue. Additionally, he suggested a Fox News-hosted debate with a full audience on September 4, deviating from the no-audience format of the CNN debate.
This stance contrasts with the 2020 campaign demands where the Trump team insisted on keeping microphones on during debates with Biden.
“It is our understanding … that you will soon be holding an internal meeting to discuss other possible rule changes, such as granting an unnamed person the ability to shut off a candidate’s microphone,” wrote Bill Stepien, Trump’s then-campaign manager, in an October 19, 2020 letter to the Commission on Presidential Debates. “It is completely unacceptable for anyone to wield such power … This is reminiscent of the first debate in 2016, when the President’s microphone was oscillated, and it is not acceptable.”
Addressing Miller’s claim about Harris wanting a seated debate with notes, Fallon strongly denied such requests: “All three parties (Trump, Harris and ABC) have agreed to standing and no notes, and we never sought otherwise,” he stated. Another source dismissed the notion that Harris requested a seated arrangement, labeling it as false.
As the Harris campaign originally accepted ABC’s invitation with the caveat that debate rules were negotiable, this current disagreement suggests the discussions are far from over.
Sanya Singh for TROIB News
Initially, an agreement was reached for two debates under President Joe Biden's campaign, the first on CNN on June 27 and the second on ABC on September 10, with specific arrangements including the muting of microphones for the non-speaking candidate during each segment, as publicized by CNN on June 15.
However, with President Biden not in the race and Harris stepping forward, her campaign is advocating for continuous live microphones during the ABC debate, a return to the traditional approach for presidential debates.
Brian Fallon, the Harris campaign’s senior advisor for communications, expressed this view to PMG: “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. 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.”
According to insiders, the Harris team is confident that she can provoke Trump into making inappropriate remarks if his microphone remains on.
“She's more than happy to have exchanges with him if he tries to interrupt her,” a source close to the negotiations informed Playbook. “And given how shook he seems by her, he's very prone to having intemperate outbursts and … I think the campaign would want viewers to hear [that].”
The Trump campaign, however, accuses the Harris team of a bait and switch, insisting that the ABC debate adhere to the same specifications agreed upon for the CNN debate, despite these being negotiated with Biden’s campaign, not Harris’s.
Jason Miller, senior adviser for Trump, relayed his frustration to Playbook: “Enough with the games. We accepted the ABC debate under the exact same terms as the CNN debate. The Harris camp, after having already agreed to the CNN rules, asked for a seated debate, with notes, and opening statements. We said no changes to the agreed upon rules. If Kamala Harris isn’t smart enough to repeat the messaging points her handlers want her to memorize, that’s their problem. This seems to be a pattern for the Harris campaign. They won’t allow Harris to do interviews, they won’t allow her to do press conferences, and now they want to give her a cheat-sheet for the debate. My guess is that they’re looking for a way to get out of any debate with President Trump.”
Trump himself has raised doubts about participating in the ABC debate, citing potential bias, and without directly mentioning the microphone issue. Additionally, he suggested a Fox News-hosted debate with a full audience on September 4, deviating from the no-audience format of the CNN debate.
This stance contrasts with the 2020 campaign demands where the Trump team insisted on keeping microphones on during debates with Biden.
“It is our understanding … that you will soon be holding an internal meeting to discuss other possible rule changes, such as granting an unnamed person the ability to shut off a candidate’s microphone,” wrote Bill Stepien, Trump’s then-campaign manager, in an October 19, 2020 letter to the Commission on Presidential Debates. “It is completely unacceptable for anyone to wield such power … This is reminiscent of the first debate in 2016, when the President’s microphone was oscillated, and it is not acceptable.”
Addressing Miller’s claim about Harris wanting a seated debate with notes, Fallon strongly denied such requests: “All three parties (Trump, Harris and ABC) have agreed to standing and no notes, and we never sought otherwise,” he stated. Another source dismissed the notion that Harris requested a seated arrangement, labeling it as false.
As the Harris campaign originally accepted ABC’s invitation with the caveat that debate rules were negotiable, this current disagreement suggests the discussions are far from over.
Sanya Singh for TROIB News
