On Wednesday, the Harris-Walz campaign begrudgingly accepted the rules for the upcoming debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump but made it known that they weren't pleased with the previously agreed-upon rules.
“Vice President Harris, a former prosecutor, will be fundamentally disadvantaged by this format, which will serve to shield Donald Trump from direct exchanges with the Vice President," Brian Fallon, senior communications adviser for the Harris campaign, wrote in a letter to ABC News Wednesday. "We suspect this is the primary reason for his campaign’s insistence on muted microphones."
ABC News announced the debate rules on Wednesday, acknowledging that both campaigns had agreed to them.
Microphones will be live only for the candidate whose turn it is to speak and muted when the time belongs to another candidate. Only the moderators will be permitted to ask questions.
A coin flip was held virtually on Tuesday to determine the podium placement and the order of closing statements; former President Trump won the coin toss and chose to select the order of statements. The former president will offer the last closing statement, and Vice President Harris selected the right podium position on screen, i.e., stage left.
There will be no opening statements, and closing statements will be two minutes per candidate.
Each candidate will be allotted two minutes to answer each question with a two-minute rebuttal, and an additional minute for a follow-up, clarification, or response.
Candidates will stand behind podiums for the duration of the debate and no props or pre-written notes will be allowed on stage. Each candidate will be given a pen, a pad of paper, and a bottle of water.
Campaign staff may not interact with candidates during commercial breaks.
Despite these rules, CNN reports that ABC News may be willing to bend the rules to help Kamala during the debate.
The network, according to the source familiar, has offered assurances to the Harris campaign that if there is significant cross talk between Harris and Trump, it may choose to turn on the mics so that the public can understand what is happening, the moderator would discourage either candidate from interrupting constantly and the moderator would also work to explain to viewers what is being said.
Pool reporters, who can report on what they hear both sides saying, will also be in the room, the source added.
ABC News, however, denies this. A spokesperson told CNN, “Beyond the debate rules published today, which were mutually agreed upon by two campaigns on May 15th, we have made no other agreements."
It should be noted, however, that a top executive at ABC News is a longtime friend and donor of Kamala Harris.
"On paper, the potential for a conflict of interest seems obvious: ABC News, the host of next month’s high-stakes presidential debate, falls under the purview of a top corporate executive at Disney who happens to be longtime friends with the Democratic nominee," the New York Times reported in August. "The executive, Dana Walden, first met Kamala Harris in 1994. Their husbands, Matt Walden and Doug Emhoff, have known each other since the 1980s."
The Waldens — “extraordinary friends,” per the vice president — have donated money to Ms. Harris’s political campaigns since at least 2003, when she ran for district attorney in San Francisco.
“In many ways, Dana and Matt are responsible for my marriage,” Ms. Harris joked at a fund-raiser in April 2022 at the Waldens’ home in Brentwood, a wealthy Los Angeles enclave where Ms. Harris and Mr. Emhoff also own a residence. The Waldens, Vice President Harris explained, set up a couple who in turn had set her up with Mr. Emhoff on a blind date.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member