The final format for the imminent debate in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, scheduled for September 10, was announced by ABC News last Thursday. Despite attempts by Vice President Harris to implement modifications to the standard protocol, which would have seen the inclusion of live microphones during the entire discourse, the network has decided to stay true to the traditional format. Information acquired by The New York Post revealed that the participants are allowed only a pad and pen, plus a bottle of water during the 90-minute tête-à-tête.
ABC’s stance on the debate methodology mirrors previous instances, such as the June 27 debate hosted by CNN, which featured former President Trump and current President Joe Biden. The set of agreed-upon regulations for that debate insisted on the absence of a studio audience and banned the use of any pre-written notes, much like the one before us now.
This decision caps off a week that saw a trail of negotiations and opposing views between the Trump campaign and Vice President Harris’s team. Both parties wrestled towards reaching a consensus on what would be the agreeable rules for the engaging verbal duel.
Ensuring a fair and balanced discourse, ABC has stuck to their guns and decided to move forward without incorporating an array of changes proposed by the Harris campaign. These propositions, if to go by the Trump camp’s point of view, encompassed possibly changing the debate format to a seated one, and that ABC would allow candidates to bring their own written references with them.
A question was posed to Trump regarding his thoughts on muting the microphone while the other candidate was delivering their viewpoint. To this, he brought up his time engaging with Biden, expressing a preference for an always-on microphone. Yet, he underscored that the established rules should be implemented with consistency in the approaching debate.
Now that the outline for the debate has been officially confirmed, audiences can look forward to the second presidential debate of the 2024 election cycle, slated to occur in less than a fortnight.
Amidst the political euphoria, it’s expected that a large number of citizens will tune in to watch the first-ever debate between Vice President Harris and former President Trump. The debate presents an opportunity for Americans to assimilate the candidates’ ideologies and perspectives, significantly aiding them in making an informed decision about who they believe will make the most effective leader for the forthcoming four years.