Former President Donald Trump suggested on the evening of Aug. 25 that he may skip a Sept. 10 ABC News debate with Vice President Kamala Harris amid dueling statements issued by both campaigns about whether the microphone should be muted.
Trump then wrote, “Why would I do the debate against Kamala Harris on that network?”
“When I looked at the hostility of that, I said, ‘Why am I doing it? Let’s do it with another network,’” the former president said. “I want to do it.”
When asked directly whether he will participate in the September ABC debate, he said, “We’re thinking about it. We’re thinking about it. They also want to change the rules. You know, the deal was we keep the same rules. Now, all of a sudden, they want to make a change in the rules.”
He did not elaborate on the proposed rule changes but said he wants to have a fair debate and is seeking “tough questions.”
He argued that the Disney-owned channel should not be holding the debate.
“I‘d much rather do it on NBC. I’d much rather do it on CBS. ... And certainly, I‘d do it on Fox. I’d even do it on CNN. I thought CNN treated us very fairly the last time,” Trump said.
Statements issued by both campaigns on Aug. 26 indicated that there was an impasse over microphones and whether they should be turned on or off.
Trump told reporters in the Virginia press conference that he would prefer to have his microphone switched on. During his CNN-hosted debate with President Joe Biden, his microphone was muted much of the time.
“Doesn’t matter to me. I'd rather have it, probably, on. But the agreement was that it would be the same as it was last time,” the former president said.
“I’m not spending a lot of time on it. I think my whole life I’ve been preparing for a debate.
“You can’t cram knowledge into your head, for, you know, 30 years of knowledge in one week. So, you know, there’s a little debate prep, but I’ve always done it more or less the same way.”
In response to Trump campaign comments and his Truth Social post, Harris spokesperson Brian Fallon said in a statement that their campaign wanted ABC News to keep their microphones on for the full event and not be muted.
“The Vice President is ready to deal with Trump ... in real time,” Fallon said. “Trump should stop hiding behind the mute button.”
Trump campaign senior adviser Jason Miller said in a statement that the team already agreed to the same terms as the debate hosted by CNN in June.
“We said no changes to the agreed-upon rules,” he said.
Representatives for ABC News did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Harris obtained the Democratic Party’s nomination after Biden stepped aside last month, and she had said that she would do the Sept. 10 debate hosted by ABC News previously agreed to by Biden and Trump.
Trump had floated another debate hosted by Fox News on Sept. 4, which he said would become a televised town hall with just himself and host Sean Hannity if Harris didn’t accept. The Harris campaign said it was not interested.
The vice presidential candidates, Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, are scheduled to debate on Oct. 1 on CBS News.
