The first presidential debate between the two major party candidates in the United States, former President Trump and Vice President Ho Jinli, is set to take place in Philadelphia on September 10. However, there is a disagreement between the two campaign teams on whether the microphones should be muted during the debate. This discrepancy has introduced uncertainty regarding whether the debate will proceed as planned.
Trump’s campaign team believes that the debate rules should be similar to the rules both candidates adhered to during the debate with President Biden in June on CNN, where the microphones were to be muted when it was not the candidate’s turn to speak. However, Ho Jinli’s campaign team stated they do not agree with these rules and have requested for the microphones to remain open throughout the entire event.
According to reports from the Associated Press, after visiting Arlington National Cemetery on Monday (August 26), Trump stated during a stop in the Washington area that both campaign teams had previously agreed to use the same rules as in June for the September 10 debate. He mentioned that the microphone being muted or not is “indifferent to him.”
Brian Fallon, a spokesperson for Ho Jinli’s campaign team, stated in a press release, “We have informed ABC and other television stations intending to host debates in October that we believe the microphones of both candidates should remain open throughout. Our understanding is that Trump’s aides would prefer to use muted microphones as they believe their candidate may not be able to maintain presidential demeanor throughout the 90 minutes.”
Fallon expressed that Ho Jinli is prepared to deal with potential interruptions from Trump during the debate.
Jason Miller, a senior advisor to Trump, mentioned in a statement that the former president’s team has rejected any modifications to the rules of the previous CNN debate.
Previously, Trump had agreed to hold two debates with President Biden, scheduled for June 27 and September 10. However, the first debate held in June on CNN altered the dynamics of the entire campaign. Biden’s performance in the debate triggered calls for him to relinquish the Democratic nomination, and he announced his withdrawal at the end of July, with Ho Jinli becoming the new Democratic presidential candidate.
Miller stated in a press release, “This seems to be a pattern from Ho Jinli’s campaign team. They do not allow Ho Jinli to partake in interviews or press briefings and now want to provide her with debate cheat sheets.”
Miller believes this is an excuse from Ho Jinli’s team to avoid debating Trump. He pointed out that Ho Jinli’s campaign team mentioned in a statement on August 15 that the “debate about debates” had concluded.
Miller argued that Ho Jinli’s team had requested to hold a seated debate with speeches and opening statements, a claim denied by Ho Jinli’s campaign team.
The microphone issue has sparked new discussions on whether the September 10 debate will take place, despite both parties seemingly reaching an agreement on debate rules beforehand.
Some of Biden’s supporters believe that muting the microphone during the June debate aided Trump by preventing him from frequently interrupting his opponent.
Additionally, on Sunday (August 25), Trump expressed hesitation about appearing on ABC, posting on his social media platform “Truth Social” that host Jonathan Karl’s interview with Republican Senator Tom Cotton was “absurd and biased.” Trump questioned the need to debate Ho Jinli on that network citing the presence of a “so-called Trump enemies group.”
However, he urged his supporters to “stay tuned.”