After insisting on debate deal, Harris now wants rule change
WASHINGTON—US Vice President Kamala Harris earlier chided political rival Donald Trump for seeking a new debate schedule as she insisted on a deal that the Republican had with President Joe Biden before the then Democratic standard-bearer stepped aside.
Now, Harris is insisting on a change in the rules.
Harris and Trump have both agreed to a debate hosted by ABC News on Sept. 10, as set by Biden’s campaign.
Trump campaign spokesperson Jason Miller previously said that they and the handlers of Harris already agreed “to stay with the CNN format”—referring to the rules followed by Biden and the former president when they faced off on June 27.
In that debate, the microphone was kept off while it was not a party’s time to speak.
Harris and her campaign now want the mics “hot” throughout the debate.
Miller had told CNN that they sensed something “sinister” with the Harris campaign’s sudden insistence on a rule change.
‘Surrender’
“Donald Trump is surrendering to his advisors who won’t allow him to debate with a live microphone,” Harris said in a post on X. “We are running for President of the United States. Let’s debate in a transparent way—with the microphones on the whole time.”
Trump has said that he preferred to have his microphone kept on and that he did not like it muted during the last debate against Biden.
