On Wednesday, the Harris-Walz campaign reluctantly accepted the terms for the upcoming debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump but voiced their dissatisfaction with the previously agreed-upon rules.
“Vice President Harris, a former prosecutor, will be fundamentally disadvantaged by this format, which will serve to shield Donald Trump from direct exchanges with the Vice President,” wrote Brian Fallon, senior communications adviser for the Harris campaign, in a letter to ABC News. “We suspect this is the primary reason for his campaign’s insistence on muted microphones.”
ABC News confirmed the debate guidelines, stating that both campaigns had agreed to them. According to the rules, only the candidate speaking will have their microphone live, while the other will be muted. Questions will come solely from the moderators.
A virtual coin toss was held Tuesday to determine podium positions and the order of closing statements, with Trump winning the toss. He chose to deliver the final closing statement, while Harris opted for the right podium position (stage left). There will be no opening statements, and each candidate will have two minutes for closing remarks.
Each candidate is allowed two minutes to answer a question, followed by a two-minute rebuttal, with an additional minute for follow-ups or clarifications. They will stand behind podiums, and no props or pre-written notes are allowed—just a pen, paper, and water. Campaign staff are prohibited from interacting with candidates during breaks.
Despite these strict rules, CNN reports that ABC News may be willing to relax them to benefit Harris. A source familiar with the situation said that if significant cross-talk occurs between Harris and Trump, the network might activate both microphones so the public can follow. The moderator would also discourage interruptions and provide clarity to viewers on the candidates’ exchanges.
ABC News denies these claims. A spokesperson told CNN, “Beyond the debate rules published today, which were mutually agreed upon by both campaigns on May 15th, we have made no other agreements.”
However, it’s worth noting that a top ABC News executive is a longtime friend and donor to Harris. The New York Times reported in August, “On paper, the potential for a conflict of interest seems obvious: ABC News, the host of next month’s high-stakes presidential debate, falls under the purview of a top corporate executive at Disney who happens to be longtime friends with the Democratic nominee.”
The executive in question, Dana Walden, first met Kamala Harris in 1994, and their husbands have known each other since the 1980s. The Waldens have donated to Harris’s political campaigns since at least 2003, and Harris herself once quipped at a fundraiser in 2022, “In many ways, Dana and Matt are responsible for my marriage,” referencing how the Waldens played a role in introducing her to her husband, Doug Emhoff.
