Senior adviser to the Trump campaign, Jason Miller, claimed in an interview with Fox News that Vice President Kamala Harris’s campaign is searching for an “escape hatch” ahead of next Tuesday’s ABC News presidential debate. The allegations come amid a dispute over debate rules, particularly regarding microphone controls during the event.
Miller accused Harris’s team of attempting to backtrack on previously agreed-upon rules, which included muting the microphones of the opposing candidate during speaking time. “They’re afraid,” Miller told “Sunday Morning Futures” guest host Sean Duffy. “They don’t want to put Kamala Harris out there… because she’s going to have to answer for every bit of this last three and a half years.”
Miller argued that Harris would be held accountable for issues like the economy, border control, and international relations during the debate. “You can’t talk about turning the page when you’re the one who broke the economy, broke the border, broke the world,” he said.
The Harris campaign has yet to finalize their agreement on the debate rules, which were initially expected to follow the guidelines set for the CNN debate between former President Trump and President Biden in June. Harris’s spokesperson, Brian Fallon, took to X to explain the campaign’s position, saying, “The memo sent by ABC is a draft set of rules that both campaigns need to sign off on and indicate agreement. We have not done so because we think both candidates have expressed a clear desire to have hot mics.”
Fallon also criticized the Trump team’s stance, suggesting that the Trump campaign is overriding their candidate’s preferences. “We have been asked to accede to Trump’s handlers’ wishes on this point for the sake of preserving the debate. We find the Trump team’s stance to be weak, and remain in discussions with ABC on the final rules,” Fallon wrote.
Miller dismissed the Harris campaign’s objections, claiming they stem from concerns raised during Harris’s debate preparations. “The Harris campaign is looking for an escape hatch, looking for a way to get out of this debate,” Miller stated. He contended that the Democrats had initially written the debate rules and that the Harris team is now realizing the challenge they face. “They realize that they’re in real trouble with Kamala Harris,” he said, adding, “They also know that President Trump is the greatest debater in modern political history, so I think they’re nervous and want a way out.”
In response to the ongoing dispute, Miller also mentioned that the Harris campaign had requested changes to the debate format, including a seated debate with notes and opening statements—requests the Trump campaign rejected. “If Kamala Harris isn’t smart enough to repeat the messaging points her handlers want her to memorize, that’s their problem,” Miller said.
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One Response
Harris doesn’t want a debate. she wants to be a prosecutor and cross-examine Trump. You can’t do that with muted mikes. I’m surprised she didn’t ask that Judge Merchine should be a moderator.