In a week already brimming with political tension, the Harris campaign found itself at the center of a firestorm after a spokesperson’s comments regarding the upcoming presidential debate rules ignited widespread backlash online. The controversy began when Brian Fallon, a spokesman for Democrat presidential nominee Kamala Harris, claimed that the campaign had not agreed to a key debate stipulation set by ABC News: the muting of candidates’ microphones while their opponent speaks.
The issue arose just hours after The New York Post reported that ABC News had informed both the Harris and Trump campaigns of the rules for the September 10 debate. These rules, laid out by ABC News Chief Counsel Eric Lieberman, echoed those of the June CNN debate, stipulating that candidates would stand with muted microphones, be prohibited from using notes, and have no audience present.
CNN further reported that the Harris campaign had been urged to drop its opposition to the microphone rule to ensure the debate could proceed as planned. Yet, Fallon’s statement suggested that the campaign was still not on board, blaming the Trump campaign for supposedly pushing for the muted microphones despite Trump’s earlier comments suggesting he was fine with them being unmuted.
Stop trying to manufacture excuses to avoid debates. He agreed to three. You agreed to one with the original rules, and one provisionally; then you tried to change the original rules. You’re a campaign of cowardice. https://t.co/Khuhod6evt
— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) August 29, 2024
“Our latest understanding is that even though Trump said Monday he would be fine with an unmuted mic, his handlers don’t trust him to spar live with VP Harris and are asking ABC to ignore Trump’s comments and keep the mics muted or else they will back out of the debate for a third time,” Fallon asserted. This claim, however, quickly drew criticism from across the political spectrum, with many accusing the Harris campaign of attempting to deflect blame and avoid the debate altogether.
John Podhoretz, editor of Commentary Magazine, was particularly blunt in his assessment, tweeting, “Here’s the thing about shills: They are literally paid to be dishonest and disingenuous. Though in Brian’s case, I’m sure he’d do it for free, since he hasn’t made an honest argument in his entire life.” This sentiment was echoed by numerous other commentators who saw Fallon’s statement as an attempt to manufacture an excuse to pull out of the debate.
Stephen L. Miller, host of the Versus Media Podcast, pointed out the contradiction in Fallon’s narrative, noting that “Biden made these rules and ABC is abiding by the original debate rules, just as you originally wanted. Don’t know what else to tell you.”
The criticism was further amplified by Ben Shapiro, Daily Wire Editor Emeritus, who accused the Harris campaign of cowardice: “Stop trying to manufacture excuses to avoid debates. He agreed to three. You agreed to one with the original rules, and one provisionally; then you tried to change the original rules. You’re a campaign of cowardice.”
Adding to the chorus of dissent, Red State writer Bonchie remarked, “No one is buying this. Especially not after ABC News’ own memo on the rules leaked showing the rules were always the same as the CNN rules. You got caught trying to manufacture a reason to pull out. Own it.”
