"ABC Biased"... Trump and Harris Engage in Tense Exchange Ahead of 'Head-to-Head Debate'

Trump Mentions Possible Absence from ABC Debate
Both Sides Tense Over Microphone Muting
Vice Presidential Debate Scheduled for October 1

Former President Donald Trump, the Republican presidential candidate in the United States, hinted at the possibility of not participating in the TV debate scheduled for the 10th of next month against Democratic candidate Vice President Kamala Harris, engaging in a war of nerves.

According to major foreign media on the 26th (local time), Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social, which he created, "This morning, I saw a ridiculous and biased interview on ABC's fake news conducted by light reporter Jonathan Karl with Senator Tom Cotton (Republican, Arkansas) and a so-called Trump-hating panel," adding, "Why should I debate Kamala Harris on that network?"

He said, "They have many questions to answer," and added, "Let's see why Harris refused interviews with Fox, NBC, CBS, and even CNN."

Earlier, Trump had planned to hold a second TV debate on the 10th of next month following the first TV debate in June with President Joe Biden, who withdrew from the presidential race amid concerns about his age. Vice President Harris, who took over the Democratic candidacy baton, has decided to proceed with the scheduled September TV debate as planned. However, she rejected the debates proposed by Trump on Fox News on the 4th of next month and NBC News on the 25th.

Both Vice President Harris's and former President Trump's camps are engaged in a fierce battle over detailed rules such as microphone muting ahead of the first TV debate next month following changes in the presidential race lineup. Harris's camp insists that microphones must remain on throughout the debate, while Trump's camp argues that microphones should be turned off after speaking. After Trump successfully built a restrained image using the microphone mute function during the June debate, the two camps appear to have differing opinions on this rule. Previously, he was criticized for constantly interrupting his opponents during the 2016 and 2020 presidential debates.

Harris's camp stated, "We have communicated to ABC and other broadcasters hosting the October debate that microphones must remain on throughout the broadcast." On the other hand, Trump said, "We agreed to the same rules as the June debate with President Biden," adding, "I don't know. (Microphone muting) is not important to me."

In the CNN debate at the end of June, Trump and Biden entered the debate hall with only a pen, notepad, and a bottle of water. Microphones were only turned on during their speaking time. This reflected a request from Biden's camp.

Harris's camp has proposed a second debate to Trump's camp following the ABC debate. Participation in the conservative-leaning Fox News debate has been excluded, and the details have not been decided.

In October, debates between the running mates of the two candidates will also continue. Democratic vice-presidential candidate Tim Walz, Governor of Minnesota, and Republican vice-presidential candidate J.D. Vance, U.S. Senator (Republican, Ohio), will face off in a debate on CBS on October 1st.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.