Former President Donald Trump says his ABC News debate is on with Vice President Kamala Harris, ending their sparring over the parameters for their first showdown.
“I have reached an agreement with the Radical Left Democrats for a Debate with Comrade Kamala Harris,” Mr. Trump said on Truth Social. “It will be Broadcast Live on ABC FAKE NEWS, by far the nastiest and most unfair newscaster in the business, on Tuesday, September 10th, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.”
“The Rules will be the same as the last CNN Debate, which seemed to work out well for everyone except, perhaps, Crooked Joe Biden,” he said.
The Washington Times asked the Harris campaign for comment.
The Trump statement suggests that the Harris campaign failed to persuade ABC to tweak a debate rule that CNN relied in June in Atlanta, ensuring the candidates’ microphones would be muted when it was not a candidate’s turn to speak.
The Harris camp argued the rule allowed Mr. Trump to hide.
Political analysts and party insiders have said that silenced microphones cost Mr. Biden because they saved Mr. Trump from himself—namely, his previous penchant for talking over his rival and making controversial remarks.
For his part, Mr. Trump said Monday, “I’d rather have [the microphones] probably on.”
The rule also kept the spotlight on Mr. Biden, who turned in a disastrous performance that led him to end his bid and endorse Ms. Harris.
Mr. Trump said he and Ms. Harris would be standing and would not be allowed to bring notes.
Nailing down debate rules is typically a major point of contention between presidential contenders, but they are taking on greater significance now that the bipartisan Commission on Presidential Debates is no longer involved and both sides negotiate in private.
Mr. Trump, meanwhile, has raised doubts about whether ABC is biased in favor of Ms. Harris and, over the weekend, criticized the network for hosting a roundtable of “Trump Haters.”
The GOP nominee also expressed caution about Ms. Harris’s close friendship with a senior Disney executive whose portfolio includes ABC News.
“Why would I do the Debate against Kamala Harris on that network?” Mr. Trump said Sunday.
• Seth McLaughlin can be reached at smclaughlin@washingtontimes.com.