WASHINGTON — Vice President Kamala Harris has accepted the rules set for next week’s debate with former President Donald Trump, although the Democratic nominee says the decision not to keep both candidates’ microphones live during the contest will be to her detriment .
The development, which came Wednesday in the form of a letter from Harris’ campaign to host network ABC News, appeared to mark a conclusion to the microphone mute debate that for a time threatened to throw the Sept. 10 presidential debate into the spotlight. to derail National. Constitution Center in Philadelphia.
Harris’ acceptance of the debate rules came as Trump — taking advantage of an evening he had billed as a debate with Harris on Fox News Channel — instead participated in a solo town hall with host Sean Hannity in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, a version of debate prep with an old ally questioning him about his plans to take on the Democratic nominee.
President Joe Biden’s campaign had made muting microphones except for the candidate whose turn it is to speak a condition of his decision to accept debates this year. Some aides have said they now regret that decision, saying voters were shielded from hearing Trump’s outbursts during the June debate. A disastrous performance for the incumbent Democrat caused him to abandon the campaign.
When Harris emerged in Biden’s place and became their party’s choice for president, her campaign had advocated for live microphones for the entire debate, previously saying the practice would “fully enable substantive exchanges between the candidates.”
But on Wednesday, Harris’ advisers wrote in a letter obtained by The Associated Press that the former prosecutor “will be fundamentally disadvantaged by this format, which will serve to shield Donald Trump from direct exchanges with the vice president.”
“We suspect this is the main reason his campaign is pushing for muted microphones,” her campaign added.
Despite these concerns, Harris’ campaign wrote, “we understand that it is a risk for Donald Trump to skip the debate altogether, as he has previously threatened to do, if we do not agree to his preferred format.” To “not jeopardize the debate,” Harris’ campaign wrote, “we accepted the full set of rules proposed by ABC, including muted microphones.”
According to a Harris campaign official, a group of journalists will be on hand to hear what the muted candidate is trying to say when his or her microphone is turned off. That detail was not included in the full debate rules, which were also released by ABC on Wednesday, and are essentially the same as for the June debate between Trump and Biden.
The network laid out parameters from the basic format — 90 minutes, with two commercial breaks — to specifications that moderators David Muir and Linsey Davis will be “the only people asking questions,” perhaps hoping to prevent a freewheeling battle between the candidates. .
“Moderators will attempt to enforce timing agreements and ensure civil discussion,” the network noted.
Harris’ campaign official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss scheduling around the debate, said a candidate who repeatedly interrupts will receive a warning from a moderator, and that both candidates’ microphones may not be muted if there is any significant crosstalk so the audience can understand what is happening.
After a virtual coin toss held Tuesday that Trump won, the GOP nominee opted to make the final closing statement, while Harris chose the podium to the right of the viewer’s screens. No audience, written notes or topics or questions will be shared in advance with campaigns or candidates, the network said.
At Wednesday’s town hall, Hannity walked Trump through many of the topics typical of the Republican candidate’s campaign events, with a strong emphasis on immigration, and asked questions after showing video clips of Harris in media interviews and other appearances.
Trump also repeatedly shifted his focus from Harris to Biden, calling the Democrats’ replacement of their top candidate “a coup” and saying he would have preferred a debate with Harris rather than the town hall.
Asked about next week’s debate, Trump reiterated his previous criticism of ABC as a “dishonest” and “dishonest” network, also reiterating his previous claims that Harris’ campaign is “going to get the questions in advance.”
The location of Trump’s town hall, combined with next week’s debate in Philadelphia, underlines the importance of battleground Pennsylvania, where 19 Electoral College votes are up for grabs in the November election.
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Price reported from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. AP White House Correspondent Zeke Miller contributed to this report.
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Meg Kinnard can be reached at http://x.com/MegKinnardAP
