Negotiations Heat Up Ahead of Harris-Trump Debate in Washington D.C.
With just a couple of weeks to go until the epic showdown on September 10 between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump, the two camps are stuck in a bit of a pickle. Talk about a drama! It seems both sides can’t agree on whether the candidates’ mics should be muted when it’s not their turn to speak. Can we say “mic drop?”
The Background Story
Back in June, President Joe Biden’s team struck a deal with Trump’s crew, and they collectively agreed on two debates — one that already happened in June, hosted by CNN, and the upcoming one in September by ABC. A major point agreed upon was the microphones. Biden’s team was adamant that the microphones would be muted except for the candidate currently speaking. The Trump camp said, “Sure, why not?” But things have changed since then.
Now that Biden is out of the race, Harris is in the mix, and her campaign wants those mics hot all the time. This is how it’s usually done in debates, after all. Talk about a game changer!
Harris’ Camp Makes Their Demands
According to Brian Fallon, a senior advisor for Harris, the campaign believes that both candidates’ mics should be live the entire time. He mentioned to various networks that they think Trump’s team wants a muted mic because they believe he might struggle to appear presidential for a full 90 minutes. Fallon suspects Trump’s team hasn’t even shared this mic issue with him because it would be too embarrassing for them. Yikes!
But Harris’ camp is confident that she can get under Trump’s skin and perhaps catch him saying something he shouldn’t. “She’s more than happy to have exchanges with him if he tries to interrupt her,” stated one insider. With Trump’s history of getting a bit riled up, it’s not outside the realm of possibility that he might slip up on live mic.
Trump’s Response
On the flip side, Trump’s campaign thinks Harris is just trying to play mind games. They want to stick to the original mic rules agreed upon during the CNN debates. Jason Miller, a senior advisor for Trump, expressed frustration, saying, “Enough with the games.” He also suggested that the Harris campaign is trying to create an “unfair advantage,” questioning whether she can handle herself on the debate stage without prepping from her team.
Donald himself chimed in, saying he doesn’t mind the arrangements as long as they stick to what was previously agreed upon. He added, “I think it should be the same,” referring to the muted mic format that was set last time. Funny to think he didn’t exactly love that approach during the last debates, but here we are!
Getting Ready for a Potential Showdown
Meanwhile, the debate preparations don’t seem to be stopping anytime soon. The former president even floated the idea of more debates, possibly on different networks like Fox News. As for Harris, her camp doesn’t seem to be backing down in their calls for the mics to stay live.
In an interesting twist, Trump previously pushed for live mics during his 2020 debates against Biden, and now his own crew is trying to tread those same waters again. Miller has commented that “this seems to be a pattern for the Harris camp,” making it sound like they’re just trying to dodge the spotlight instead of facing Trump head-on.
Final Thoughts
As the clock ticks down to what is being touted as a fierce debate, there’s no denying the excitement and drama surrounding it. Will the mics be muted or live? Will this turn into an epic back-and-forth or a strategy game of the highest order? Only time will tell, but one thing’s for sure: the political theater is heating up in D.C., and we’re all just here for the front-row seats!
