WASHINGTON — ABC News has declined to adopt Vice President Kamala Harris’ request to have wholly unmuted microphones during her Sept. 10 debate with former President Donald Trump — after days of wrangling over what Republicans viewed as Democrat attempts to lay a trap for the GOP nominee.
A network email reviewed by The Post lays out similar rules as those for Trump’s June 27 CNN debate against President Biden — including no audience, no pre-written notes or props and muted mics when a candidate is not speaking.
Trump and Harris will be standing on stage and will only be allowed to have a pen, a pad of paper and a bottle of water.
The Republican campaign had insisted the debate — set to be held at Philadelphia’s National Constitution Center — follow the same rules as the June showdown with Biden.
However, Harris’ team claimed on Monday that they wanted both candidate mics on for the entire 90-minute showdown.
Kamala Harris speaks with supporters as she walks to board Marine Two to depart from the Soldier Field landing zone in Chicago, Illinois, August 23, 2024. POOL/AFP via Getty Images
Donald Trump speaks at the National Guard Association of the United States’ 146th General Conference, Monday, Aug. 26, 2024, in Detroit. AP
A Trump campaign source told The Post Wednesday that they understood that the Harris campaign had backed off the request, though the precise chronology was unclear.
“The Harris folks are completely full of it,” Trump campaign senior adviser Jason Miller told Newsmax on Wednesday.
“Everything was agreed to and set last week,” he added. “The Harris people are trying to distract and come up with something shiny to move away from from the fact that she’s not doing interviews.”
ABC news will be hosting the debate in Philadelphia on Sep. 10 at 9 pm. SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
A campaign spokesman for the vice president did not immediately comment.
It was widely assumed that Harris wanted the microphones unmuted to deploy an interjectory line to garner viral buzz.
Harris, a former prosecutor, generated sympathetic coverage for delivering a stern “I’m speaking!” rebuke in 2020 against then-Vice President Mike Pence — depicting him as sexist — after savaging Biden on a presidential primary debate stage in 2019 for opposing federally mandated interracial school bussing.
“That little girl was me!” Harris emoted in a racially charged attack that prompted a furious future first lady Jill Biden to say the California senator should “go f–k herself.”
Both debate-stage quotes were later used on pro-Harris campaign merchandise.
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