Donald Trump said today that he was still “thinking about” whether he should participate in a Sept. 10 debate with Kamala Harris on ABC News, threatening again to pull out of the only debate that both candidates have agreed to.
Harris’s campaign announced today that it was pushing for the agreed-upon rules to be altered. Her team said it wants both microphones to remain on throughout the entire debate, rather than muting the person who isn’t speaking. The effort seems to be aimed at turning Trump’s proclivity for speaking off the cuff and out of turn against him.
Such squabbles over debate rules might seem minor, but the last presidential debate proved to be the turning point that convinced many top Democrats that they needed a new candidate. My colleague Jess Bidgood, who writes the On Politics newsletter, said the debate could easily be the defining moment in a historically brief presidential campaign.
Here’s what else to know:
Trump and Harris strike starkly different tones on how to fight poverty.
Harris has become tougher on immigration, but the subject remains a political vulnerability for Democrats.
North Carolina’s rural voters could swing the election. Hear what they have to say about the candidates.
What would you like to know about the election? Send us your question and we’ll take it to our reporters.
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