As the September 10 presidential debate approaches, it seems Kamala Harris is getting a bit jittery, constantly pushing to change the established ABC debate rules. Meanwhile, former President Donald Trump, ever the confident debater, has already given his stamp of approval on the current rules, casually noting on Truth Social that “the rules will be the same as the last CNN debate, which seemed to work out well for everyone.” In other words, Trump is ready to go, no changes necessary.
The debate rules, which will closely mirror those used during CNN’s June 27 debate, include muted microphones while the other candidate is speaking and no live audience—pretty standard stuff. But Harris, it appears, is not thrilled about the muted mic aspect. “On the one side, you have Harris claiming we need to change the rules, there’s a live mic, and the Trump campaign right now saying, ‘No, we’re not going to change the rules,'” explains Matthew Peterson, Blaze Media’s editor-in-chief.
Harmeet Dhillon, founder of the Center for American Liberty and a Trump campaign surrogate, sees this as a clear indication of Harris’s debate strategy—or lack thereof. “What it does tell you very clearly is that Kamala Harris intends to rely on gimmicks to get herself past this debate,” Dhillon pointedly remarks. She suggests that the idea of going head-to-head with Trump in this format probably sends shivers down Harris’s spine.
Dhillon goes on to break down Harris’s apparent game plan. “What she wants with the open mic is to be able to do her tired girl boss trope, to interrupt him when he makes a comment about her and say, ‘I’m speaking, it’s my turn, I’m claiming my time,’ whatever platitude you want to plug in there,” Dhillon says, with more than a hint of sarcasm. It’s all about trying to score some quick points with the usual scripted lines.
And it doesn’t stop there. Dhillon suggests that Harris’s other requests—like being seated and possibly having her “comfort governor” Tim Walz by her side—are just more crutches. “No, she’s a big girl, and the president of the United States is expected to stand toe to toe with the worst despots, demagogues, dictators, and evil people in the world,” Dhillon asserts. In other words, if Harris wants to play in the big leagues, she needs to ditch the props and face Trump head-on, no lifelines allowed.
