Staffers of the main candidates for the US presidency, Donald Trump and Kamala Harris, are debating whether to turn off the microphone of one of their opponents during the election debate in September when the time for his speech ends and it is the turn of the other to speak. This is reported by the BBC, according to UNN.
Details
Harris's campaign reportedly insists that both candidates' microphones will be working continuously throughout the broadcast of the debate, which is scheduled for September 10.
Trump's campaign insists that the debate should follow the same rules that were agreed upon when Joe Biden was the Democratic candidate. Back then, it was about taking turns turning off the microphones.
According to the BBC, this dispute was started by Trump. The former president, according to the agency, questioned the impartiality of the TV channel that will broadcast the debate and even hinted that if his conditions were not met, he might not attend the debate.
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Before Biden conceded the Democratic nomination to his running mate, his campaign agreed with Trump's that the candidates would participate in two rounds of debates: one already held in June on CNN (and eventually led to Biden's replacement by Harris), and another to be held next month, live on ABC News.
Biden's team agreed on the rules of the debate and agreed that when a candidate was not speaking, his or her microphone would be turned off.
Trump's campaign also agreed to this rule, which was the basis for the June debate on CNN.
But now, 15 days before the ABC News debate is to be broadcast in Philadelphia, Harris' campaign has demanded that the microphones be kept running continuously throughout the debate.
This would give both candidates the opportunity to interrupt each other and speak at the same time, blocking the opponent's voice.
On Monday, Trump told reporters that he would have preferred to have the microphones on during the debate.
“We agreed to general rules and general details, and I think that's the way it should be, but (the Democrats) are trying to change the terms,” he said.
“In fact, she is just trying to evade because she does not want to debate. She does not know how to debate,” the former president said.
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