Donald Trump He said he plans to allow his opponent, Kamala Harristo speak without interruption during next week’s presidential debate, a turnaround for the reality-television-star-turned-politician who built his career on combative exchanges.
“I’ll let him speak,” Trump said Wednesday at a town hall taping with Fox News’ Sean Hannity in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. “Debates are interesting, you can go in with all the strategy you want, but you have to feel it out.”
The September 10 debate hosted by ABC News is the next big test for both candidates. The forum has already become the focus of controversy over microphone rules, and Trump has claimed the network is biased in favor of Harris.
ABC News released the debate rules on Wednesday and said they had been accepted by both campaigns.
Trump left little room to change his plans for the event, saying on Wednesday: “Mike Tyson made the statement, ‘Everybody has a plan until you get punched in the face.'”
Trump has in the past resisted the traditional debate plan employed by presidential campaigns, which involves detailed policy briefings and mock exchanges. Instead, he prefers less formal preparation from his team and relies more on his intuition. He refused to debate his Republican rivals during the 2024 primary battle.
This high-stakes contest is the first – and possibly only – opportunity for the two candidates to go head-to-head in a very close contest. With just two months before election day, they have little chance to influence the small fraction of persuasible voters.
The debate presents risks for both Harris and Trump. The former president has been rebuked by both allies and critics for attacks on Harris, including criticism of her intelligence, gender and racial identity, which could alienate key voters. The vice president has been largely untested as a presidential candidate in unproven settings, having given only one television interview since becoming the Democratic nominee.
Debate on debate
Trump had originally agreed to an ABC News debate with President Joe Biden, who was the Democratic nominee at the time. For weeks, he suggested he might not attend a debate with Harris, but then said he would attend after all. Trump and Biden held a single debate, which was a catastrophic performance for the incumbent president that led to members of his own party calling for him to drop out of the race.
For the past several weeks, the campaigns have clashed over microphone rules. Harris’ camp has demanded that both candidates’ microphones remain on throughout the broadcast, while Trump’s team has insisted that they be muted when not answering questions, as was done during the Biden-Trump debate on CNN in June.
In rules released Wednesday, ABC said microphones “will be on only for the candidate whose turn it is to speak and will be muted when it is time for another candidate.” According to the network, candidates have two minutes to answer questions, two minutes for a rebuttal and one minute for follow-up or clarification.
According to a Harris campaign official, the letter to ABC said muted microphones would put Harris at a disadvantage and prevent Trump from speaking directly to the vice president. The official said Harris’s team was concerned Trump would leave the debate if they did not agree to mute the mics, and said if there is significant cross-talk, the network may unmute the candidates’ voices so viewers can understand what is happening.
Trump has also courted other debates, including one on Fox News. The Harris campaign has declined to participate in a forum on that network but has proposed a second debate, with details to be worked out when Trump attends the ABC program.
Swing States
The debate will take place in Philadelphia, the largest city in Pennsylvania, one of the most important swing states. Trump’s appearance at the town hall on Wednesday is his second visit there in the last few weeks. The two candidates are in a tough competition for the state’s working-class voters, some of whom are uncomfortable with Biden’s economic agenda and attracted to Trump’s populist appeals.
Harris campaigned in the western part of the state with Biden over Labor Day and is returning Thursday for a 10th time this year, according to her campaign. The state is the most populous of the seven key battleground states, with 19 electoral college votes.
Trump’s team has acknowledged surveys that show the race has become more competitive. A Bloomberg News/Morning Consult poll released in late August found Harris outpacing Trump in Pennsylvania, 51% to 47%. Last week, on Bloomberg Television’s Balance of Power, Republican National Committee co-chair Lara Trump said the party would consider putting more money and attention into “winnable” battleground states like Pennsylvania.
“I’ll let him speak,” Trump said Wednesday at a town hall taping with Fox News’ Sean Hannity in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. “Debates are interesting, you can go in with all the strategy you want, but you have to feel it out.”
The September 10 debate hosted by ABC News is the next big test for both candidates. The forum has already become the focus of controversy over microphone rules, and Trump has claimed the network is biased in favor of Harris.
ABC News released the debate rules on Wednesday and said they had been accepted by both campaigns.
Trump left little room to change his plans for the event, saying on Wednesday: “Mike Tyson made the statement, ‘Everybody has a plan until you get punched in the face.'”
Trump has in the past resisted the traditional debate plan employed by presidential campaigns, which involves detailed policy briefings and mock exchanges. Instead, he prefers less formal preparation from his team and relies more on his intuition. He refused to debate his Republican rivals during the 2024 primary battle.
This high-stakes contest is the first – and possibly only – opportunity for the two candidates to go head-to-head in a very close contest. With just two months before election day, they have little chance to influence the small fraction of persuasible voters.
The debate presents risks for both Harris and Trump. The former president has been rebuked by both allies and critics for attacks on Harris, including criticism of her intelligence, gender and racial identity, which could alienate key voters. The vice president has been largely untested as a presidential candidate in unproven settings, having given only one television interview since becoming the Democratic nominee.
Debate on debate
Trump had originally agreed to an ABC News debate with President Joe Biden, who was the Democratic nominee at the time. For weeks, he suggested he might not attend a debate with Harris, but then said he would attend after all. Trump and Biden held a single debate, which was a catastrophic performance for the incumbent president that led to members of his own party calling for him to drop out of the race.
For the past several weeks, the campaigns have clashed over microphone rules. Harris’ camp has demanded that both candidates’ microphones remain on throughout the broadcast, while Trump’s team has insisted that they be muted when not answering questions, as was done during the Biden-Trump debate on CNN in June.
In rules released Wednesday, ABC said microphones “will be on only for the candidate whose turn it is to speak and will be muted when it is time for another candidate.” According to the network, candidates have two minutes to answer questions, two minutes for a rebuttal and one minute for follow-up or clarification.
According to a Harris campaign official, the letter to ABC said muted microphones would put Harris at a disadvantage and prevent Trump from speaking directly to the vice president. The official said Harris’s team was concerned Trump would leave the debate if they did not agree to mute the mics, and said if there is significant cross-talk, the network may unmute the candidates’ voices so viewers can understand what is happening.
Trump has also courted other debates, including one on Fox News. The Harris campaign has declined to participate in a forum on that network but has proposed a second debate, with details to be worked out when Trump attends the ABC program.
Swing States
The debate will take place in Philadelphia, the largest city in Pennsylvania, one of the most important swing states. Trump’s appearance at the town hall on Wednesday is his second visit there in the last few weeks. The two candidates are in a tough competition for the state’s working-class voters, some of whom are uncomfortable with Biden’s economic agenda and attracted to Trump’s populist appeals.
Harris campaigned in the western part of the state with Biden over Labor Day and is returning Thursday for a 10th time this year, according to her campaign. The state is the most populous of the seven key battleground states, with 19 electoral college votes.
Trump’s team has acknowledged surveys that show the race has become more competitive. A Bloomberg News/Morning Consult poll released in late August found Harris outpacing Trump in Pennsylvania, 51% to 47%. Last week, on Bloomberg Television’s Balance of Power, Republican National Committee co-chair Lara Trump said the party would consider putting more money and attention into “winnable” battleground states like Pennsylvania.
