Agreement after hiccup

ABC duel: these are the rules for Harris & Trump

(Bild: AP)

US broadcaster ABC has published the rules for the eagerly awaited first televised duel between Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and his Democratic opponent Kamala Harris.

There had previously been a dispute between Trump and Harris over the microphones - specifically whether they should be muted when the political opponent is speaking. An agreement now seems to have been reached.

During the TV duel on September 10 (local time / September 11 CEST), the microphones of the person who is not speaking will be muted. Harris has now apparently backed down.

A spokesperson for the Democrat Harris campaign team said last week that it would be preferable for both candidates' microphones to remain switched on for the entire broadcast. "We assume that Trump's advisors prefer the muted microphone because they don't believe their candidate can act presidential for 90 minutes," it said in a statement.

Biden wanted mute during duel
During the TV duel between Trump and the then Democratic presidential candidate, US President Joe Biden, in June, the microphones of the person who was not speaking were muted. The muting was reportedly the fault of Biden's team.

The Democrats wanted to prevent Trump from constantly interrupting the 81-year-old Democrat. After the debate, however, observers came to the conclusion that the muted microphones had actually helped Trump because the 78-year-old appeared more in control.

Trump was upset that Harris now wanted to change these rules and indirectly threatened to cancel the entire TV debate. The debate between Trump and Biden at the time was hosted by US broadcaster CNN, now it is ABC's turn.

TV debate will last 90 minutes
The spectacle will be hosted by journalist David Muir and journalist Linsey Davis. ABC stated that both candidates had agreed to the now published rules. The broadcaster announced that the debate would last 90 minutes, with two commercial breaks planned. There will be no opening statements and the candidates' closing statements will last two minutes.

"No props or pre-written notes will be allowed on stage," ABC added. Harris and Trump would be given a pen, a pad of paper and a bottle of water. Two minutes will be allotted for answering questions, two minutes for rebuttals by the other candidate and another minute for follow-up questions or clarifications.