Donald Trump and Kamala Harris have agreed to the rules for their upcoming debate on September 10 on ABC News.
The most surprising rule for the electoral debate is that the microphones will be muted, only going live for each candidate when it is their turn to speak. Vice President Kamala Harris agreed to the rule but said it would work to her disadvantage.
Previously, the microphone muting rule threatened to cancel the debate altogether, as Harris’ campaign wanted the mics to be live for the whole discussion, and Trump’s campaign wanted them muted. The Harris campaign tried to get their way last week but appeared to have dropped the matter.
In a letter to ABC News Officials written on Wednesday, Brian Fallon, a senior advisor for Kamala Harris, said that the Vice President will be “fundamentally disadvantaged by this format, which will serve to shield Donald Trump from direct exchanges. We suspect this is the primary reason for his campaign’s insistence on muted microphones.”
President Biden’s campaign had no problems with muted microphones, but Harris’s campaign feels differently. They believe that if they keep the microphones live throughout the debate, Trump will work against himself by interrupting the debate and having outbursts.
Trump said that the muted microphones “doesn’t matter to me” and that he would “rather have it probably on.” However, Trump also said he would like to stick to the debate format they have had throughout the election cycle.
The debate rules
Along with having the microphones muted when it is not the candidate’s turn to speak, plenty of other rules will set the format for the debate.
The debate is set to be 90 minutes long with two commercial breaks. David Muir and Linsey Davis will moderate it. ABC said the moderators will “Seek to enforce timing agreements and ensure a civilized discussion.” The moderators will also be the ones to introduce the candidates on stage and will be the only ones to ask questions throughout the 90 minutes.
The moderators’ questions will not be given to either candidate in advance, and the candidates will be given a pen and a pad to write notes. Trump and Harris are also not allowed to bring any notes they may have prepared in advance on stage.
Trump and Harris will each have two minutes to answer questions and two minutes for rebuttals. Each candidate will also be allotted one minute for follow-up questions or clarifications.
In a virtual coin toss on Wednesday, Donald Trump won, allowing him to select the order in which the statements would be made in the debate. Trump chose to make the closing statement, and Kamala Harris chose to be on the right podium.