Kamala Harris Claims ABC News Debate Rules Favor Donald Trump

ABC News on Saturday set the rules for next week’s debate between Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris in Las Vegas. 

Both campaigns agreed to the ground rules, which were first put in place back in May when Trump was about to debate then-President Joe Biden.

The debate, moderated by World News Tonight anchor David Muir and Prime anchor Linsey Davis features a long list of regulations.

First, no opening statement or closing statements longer than two minutes per candidate. The candidates will stand behind the podiums during the debate. No props, nor pre written notes are allowed on stage.

Next, no topics or questions will be shared with the campaigns ahead of time. Each candidate will be given a pen, paper and water. Responses to individual queries will be capped at two minutes, with the candidates getting up to that long each for rebuttals and a further minute for follow-up or clarification.

The microphones will only be live during their speaking time and candidates will not be allowed to question one another. 

The moderators will rush timing agreements and put in an effort to have a civil conversation. No audience will be allowed in the room.

However, Harris’ campaign complained in a letter to ABC News claiming that Harris was at a disadvantage.

“Vice President Harris, a former prosecutor, will be fundamentally disadvantaged by this format, which will serve to shield Donald Trump from direct exchanges with the Vice President,” the letter said. “We suspect this is the primary reason for his campaign’s insistence on muted microphones.”