Doubts are emerging about the first presidential debate in September between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris.
According to sources, Trump’s team prefers to have the microphones muted during the debate, except when it’s the candidate’s turn to speak—similar to what was done in the first debate with President Joe Biden, as reported by CNN.
In contrast, the Harris campaign is requesting that ABC and other networks hosting a potential October debate keep the microphones on throughout, marking a departure from the June debate when the Biden campaign also supported muting microphones except when it was the candidate’s turn to speak.
Brian Fallon, senior communications adviser for the Harris campaign, stated, “We’ve told ABC and other networks interested in hosting a debate in October that we believe both candidates’ mics should be live for the entire broadcast.”
Fallon suggested that Trump’s team might prefer muted microphones because they fear their candidate won’t be able to maintain a presidential demeanor for 90 minutes without them. He speculated that Trump’s handlers likely haven’t even informed him about this preference to avoid embarrassment.
Responding to the claims, Trump’s team asserted that they agreed to the ABC debate under the same conditions as the CNN debate. Jason Miller, a senior adviser for the Trump campaign, said, “Enough with the games. We accepted the ABC debate under the exact same terms as the CNN debate.”
This debate controversy comes shortly after a major development in the 2024 presidential race: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. suspended his campaign and endorsed Trump. While Kennedy Jr. was polling at around 5 percent nationwide, his endorsement could influence the close contest between Harris and Trump, particularly in key battleground states.
Political experts have pointed out that most of Kennedy’s left-leaning supporters had already moved towards Harris, but the endorsement could still give Trump a slight edge. Pollster Chris Lane noted that 16 percent of swing voters had planned to vote for Kennedy, and this group could be crucial in deciding the election in battleground states.
Even anti-Trump pollster Frank Luntz conceded that Kennedy’s endorsement might prove decisive, potentially giving Trump a 1 percent boost in important swing states. Luntz also criticized the media for downplaying the significance of Kennedy’s endorsement, arguing that had Kennedy endorsed Harris, the media would have treated him as a hero.
Recent polling indicates that Trump has gained a slight advantage from Kennedy’s endorsement, with some surveys showing a tightening race between Harris and Trump. While the endorsement might offer Trump a small boost, other factors, like the upcoming debates and economic conditions, could also play a critical role in determining the election outcome.
