In a letter to the network, Harris' team expressed worry that the format, particularly the muted microphones, would put her at a disadvantage. Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK
"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," the letter stated, according to CNN's M.J. Lee. @mj_lee / X
This comes after President Joe Biden's team had previously negotiated for muted microphones in debates. Jack Gruber / USA TODAY NETWORK
Despite their reservations, Harris' campaign has agreed to the rules, acknowledging the risk of Trump potentially skipping the debate if his preferred format isn't used.
"We do not want to jeopardize the debate," the letter explained. @mj_lee / X
Lee reported that ABC News has agreed to unmute microphones during significant cross-talk moments.
Lee also noted that pool reporters would be present to capture any notable exchanges not picked up by microphones. Suvan Chowdhury / Pexels
The debate format has been a point of contention between the campaigns.
Harris initially wanted both microphones on at all times, believing Trump's team doubted his ability to "act presidential for 90 minutes on his own." David Sokol/Wicked Local / USA TODAY NETWORK
Trump, known for speaking over opponents, surprisingly agreed with keeping microphones live. Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK
Trump's campaign, however, pushed back against Harris' team's concerns.
Jason Miller, a senior adviser to Trump, stated, "Enough with the games. We accepted the ABC debate under the exact same terms as the CNN debate." Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK
He accused Harris' camp of requesting changes like a seated debate with notes and opening statements. David Sokol/Wicked Local / USA TODAY NETWORK
Miller further stated, “The Harris camp, after having already agreed to the CNN rules, asked for a seated debate, with notes, and opening statements. We said no changes to the agreed upon rules. If Kamala Harris isn’t smart enough to repeat the messaging points her handlers want her to memorize, that’s their problem.” Rick Cinclair/Telegram & Gazette / USA TODAY NETWORK
The former president has also questioned the choice of network, asking on Truth Social, "Why would I do the Debate against Kamala Harris on that network?" Trump continued, “They’ve got a lot of questions to answer!!! Why did Harris turn down Fox, NBC, CBS, and even CNN? Stay tuned!!!” Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK
