Donald Trump hints he might not join debate with Kamala Harris

Washington: Republican nominee Donald Trump cast fresh doubt over whether he would attend the only agreed-to debate with Democratic nominee Kamala Harris, which is slated to take place in about two weeks.

Trump in a post late on his Truth Social platform criticised ABC News (US) – the host of the September 10 debate – suggesting it was biased in favour of Harris, and asking “why would I do the Debate against Kamala Harris on that network?”

Donald Trump and Kamala HarrisCredit: nna\Jorgebranco

“They’ve got a lot of questions to answer!!!” he added. “Why did Harris turn down Fox, NBC, CBS and even CNN? Stay tuned!!!”

Biden’s campaign team made microphone muting a condition of its decision to accept any debates this year, and some aides now regret the decision, saying voters were shielded from hearing Trump’s outbursts during the debate. That move likely would not have helped the incumbent Democrat’s disastrous performance.

The Harris campaign now wants microphones to be live all the time, according to Harris spokesman Brian Fallon, who issued a statement needling Trump.

In a statement, Harris’ team said the campaigns were in a dispute over whether the microphones at the forum should be muted when the other candidate is speaking.

“We have told ABC and other networks seeking to host a possible October debate that we believe both candidates’ mics should be live throughout the full broadcast,” Brian Fallon, a Harris spokesperson, said in a statement.

Trump’s remarks and the clash over the debate rules threaten to jeopardise the only debate the two major party candidates have agreed to so far, with just over two months until election day. Trump originally agreed to the ABC News debate with President Joe Biden, then the Democratic nominee.

Trump and Biden held one debate – a calamitous performance for the sitting president that saw him pushed out of the 2024 race by members of his own Democratic Party. In that debate, the candidates’ microphones were muted when they were not answering questions.

Asked on Monday whether he wanted the microphones muted during the debate with Harris, Trump said his team had “agreed to the same rules” as the event with Biden, adding: “I don’t know, it doesn’t matter to me.”

Republican presidential nominee former president Donald Trump speaks during a stop at a campaign office in Roseville, Michigan, on Monday.Credit: AP

“I’d rather have it probably on, but the agreement was that it would be the same as it was the last time. In that case, it was muted. I didn’t like it the last time, but it worked out fine,” he added.

Fallon shared a video clip of Trump, seizing on the part of the former president’s answer that indicated indifference to the rules on the microphones, and saying the debate should go on without muting.

“Trump said unmuting the mics ‘doesn’t matter to me’. Always suspected it was something his staff wanted, not him personally,” Fallon wrote on X, insisting that “with this resolved, everything is now set for September 10.”

Trump has repeatedly expressed reluctance over the ABC News debate with Harris. He initially declined to commit to the forum after Biden’s exit. Trump assailed ABC News and its hosts and floated other venues, including a debate hosted by Fox News, a conservative outlet more friendly to his campaign.

Trump eventually agreed to attend the ABC News debate as he sought to counter the media attention on Harris, whose entry into the race has galvanised key parts of the Democratic base and seen her rise in national and swing-state polls.

Harris’ campaign has proposed a second debate with Trump – with the details to be determined – if he attended the ABC News forum. The Harris campaign has ruled out participating in a Fox News debate.

Trump and Harris’ running mates, Republican Senator J.D. Vance of Ohio and Democratic Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, are to hold their own debate on October 1 with CBS News.

Bloomberg, AP

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