This will undoubtedly be one of the main highlights of the American presidential campaign. After more than a month of sparring through rallies and media appearances, Kamala Harris and Donald Trump are set to face off on September 10 in a highly anticipated televised debate. The former American president said on Tuesday that he had “reached an agreement” for it to take place on ABC News, just two days after threatening not to participate.
But if the two candidates have agreed on a date, a place (Philadelphia) and a channel, the organization of this event risks being extremely tense until the end. One point in particular causes problems: the management of microphones during the 90 minutes of debate. In the rules communicated by ABC, the channel affirmed that these would be cut for the other candidate when his rival speaks. A way of avoiding the cacophony known during certain debates… but also requested by the two camps to prevent its candidate from making a gaffe.
It is for this last reason that Joe Biden’s campaign team made silencing the microphones a condition sine qua non of his participation in any debate. His confrontation with Donald Trump on June 28 on CNN was held under such conditions – not enough to avoid the disaster of his performance and partly precipitate his withdrawal from the race for the White House.
“Not able to remain presidential for 90 minutes”
But now, the Democratic camp has changed its tune, and insists at all costs on leaving the microphones on during the debate, judging this time that it can benefit from a slip-up by Donald Trump. On the contrary, the Republican candidate’s campaign team seems to be satisfied with the rules communicated by ABC News, even if he assured on his social network Truth Social that this question “does not matter” to him and that he would “probably prefer that (the microphones) be open.
“Both candidates have publicly stated their willingness to debate with microphones unmuted throughout the debate in order to allow for real exchanges. […] “But it seems that Donald Trump is letting his team contradict him,” Kamala Harris’ camp lashed out in a statement, accusing the entourage of the Republican candidate of the former Republican president of wanting to protect him because they “do not believe their candidate is capable of remaining presidential for 90 minutes.”
No notes allowed
Among the other notable facts surrounding this debate – which could well be the only one organized between the two candidates – the location of its organization, Philadelphia, is far from being a coincidence. It is the largest city in Pennsylvania, considered one of the seven key states in the election on November 5. The debates could revolve around the priorities of this state in the “Rust Belt”, in the northeast of the country, between reindustrialization and the fight against inflation.
Other elements in the rules released by ABC give an idea of what the future contest between Trump and Harris could look like. For example, there should be no audience around the two candidates and the presenters chosen by the network. According to the media Axioscandidates should also not be allowed notes. No introductory remarks either, but two minutes to answer questions and another two minutes to respond to their competitor. Conditions equivalent to the first debate between Joe Biden and Donald Trump, organized on CNN.