There will be a debate. Or so it seems. The doubts that have arisen since Sunday due to an ambiguous message from Donald Trump and a squabble between the Republican campaign and that of Democrat Kamala Harris are beginning to evaporate. The former president himself has published a message on his network, Truth Social, in which he assures that he has reached an agreement for the Philadelphia debate to be held, produced by the ABC network, with the same rules as the confrontation against Biden on June 27 in Atlanta, organized by CNN. Kamala Harris’s campaign has not confirmed this agreement at the moment.
“I have reached an agreement with the Radical Left Democrats for a Debate with Comrade Kamala Harris,” Trump wrote, referring to his rival in this way because he baselessly accuses her of being a communist. “It will be broadcast live on ABC FAKE NEWS, by far the most disgusting and unfair news network in the industry, on Tuesday, September 10th in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,” he added, reiterating his criticism of the television channel, which he accuses of bias against him.
“The rules will be the same as the last CNN debate, which seemed to work out well for everyone except, perhaps, corrupt Joe Biden,” continues Trump, who has given that nickname to his political rival despite being the convicted criminal found guilty of 34 counts of false pretenses, also convicted of civil fraud with his businesses, defamation and sexual abuse, and the one who is accused of dozens more crimes that he has tried to obstruct in order to gain time.
Biden sank himself in the June 27 debate because of his own performance. It was his team that asked that there be no audience and that the microphones be turned off for the candidate who was not enjoying his turn. This was to avoid the constant interruptions of the 2020 debates. The rule, in the end, ended up favoring Trump, because it made him appear more restrained and moderate. But Biden’s failure had little to do with these rules, although some notes (also prohibited) would surely not have hurt him.
“The debate will be ‘standing’, and the candidates will not be able to bring notes or ‘cheat sheets’. ABC has also assured us that it will be a ‘fair and equitable’ debate and that neither side will receive questions in advance,” Trump added in his message.
Harris’ campaign already agreed on all of those points, except for the part about keeping the microphone of anyone not speaking off. “Trump’s handlers prefer the microphone muted because they don’t believe their candidate can act like a president for 90 minutes on his own,” Brian Fallon, a spokesman for Harris’ campaign, said in a statement Monday. The candidate “is prepared to deal with Trump’s constant lies and interruptions in real time. Trump should stop hiding behind the mute button,” he added.
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Following Trump’s address, Harris’ campaign has insisted that there is disagreement regarding the microphones, but that does not seem to be enough to thwart the confrontation, which is the only one confirmed so far between the two candidates.
Trump offered another exchange on the conservative Fox network for September 4, but Harris’ campaign rejected it, as it was not what was initially agreed upon between Republicans and Democrats. “That date will remain open in case she changes her mind or opinion, as she has done on each and every one of her political beliefs,” Trump attacked in his message, in which he says that “a possible third debate, which would go to NBC FAKE NEWS, has not been agreed upon by the Radical Left.”
Harris gives her first interview
The Trump campaign has been repeatedly accusing Harris of hiding by not holding any press conferences or interviews since President Joe Biden dropped his bid for a second term and endorsed her on July 21.
The Democratic candidate assured that she would schedule one before the end of this month and it will finally be this Thursday on CNN in prime time. The peculiarity is that she will not grant it alone, but will be accompanied by her candidate for vice president, the governor of Minnesota, Tim Walz, as reported by the news channel.
The interview — conducted by CNN chief political correspondent and anchor Dana Bash — will air Thursday at 9 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST), or 3 a.m. Friday in mainland Spain.
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