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LOS ANGELES - Vice President Kamala Harris has accepted the debate rules for next week's presidential matchup with former President Donald Trump, despite voicing concerns that the format, which includes muted microphones, puts her at a disadvantage.
In a letter to ABC News, the host network, Harris' campaign acknowledged the rule change but suggested it shields Trump from direct exchanges.
Harris initially pushed for live microphones throughout the debate, but her team agreed to the format to ensure Trump participates, as he had previously threatened to skip the debate if the rules were not to his liking.
In a letter obtained by The Associated Press, Harris’ advisers wrote that the former prosecutor will be "fundamentally disadvantaged by this format, which will serve to shield Donald Trump from direct exchanges with the Vice President."
"We suspect this is the primary reason for his campaign’s insistence on muted microphones," her campaign added.
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Despite those concerns, Harris' campaign wrote, "we understand that Donald Trump is a risk to skip the debate altogether, as he has threatened to do previously, if we do not accede to his preferred format." So as not to "jeopardize the debate," Harris' campaign wrote, "we accepted the full set of rules proposed by ABC, including muted microphones."
The debate will take place at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia on Sept. 10, moderated by David Muir and Linsey Davis. Both candidates will face 90 minutes of questioning with two commercial breaks, but no audience, written notes, or pre-shared topics.
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Trump opts for town hall instead of debate prep
As Harris accepted the debate terms, Trump appeared at a solo town hall event hosted by Sean Hannity in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The event served as a form of debate prep for Trump, where he discussed topics typical of his campaign, including immigration, and criticized Harris and the Democratic Party's decision to substitute her for President Joe Biden.
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What to expect from first Trump, Harris debate
Former President Donald Trump says he has accepted the rules for the September 10 debate against Vice President Kamala Harris. LiveNOW's Austin Westfall discusses what we could expect from the debate with David Frank, a professor of rhetoric at the University of Oregon.
The location of Trump's town hall, alongside the debate in Philadelphia, underscores Pennsylvania's critical role as a battleground state in the upcoming election, with 19 Electoral College votes at stake.