Donald Trump has indicated he may withdraw from a planned debate with fellow presidential contender Kamala Harris, citing that the network hosting it is “antagonistic” towards Republicans.
While at a Vietnamese diner in Virginia, Trump remarked that he viewed ABC’s This Week on Sunday and was displeased with Republican senator Tom Cotton’s treatment.
“After witnessing such hostility, I thought, ‘Why should I proceed with this? Let’s opt for a different network’,” Mr. Trump told journalists.
He preferred NBC or other networks, including CBS, CNN, and “definitely Fox”.
Mr Trump mentioned he was “still contemplating” whether he wished to participate, asserting that the Harris campaign sought to “alter the regulations” regarding the debate.
Negotiations for the debate between the candidates have reached a standstill. Pics: AP
Discussions concerning the one-on-one debate have stalled due to “hot” microphones, which would capture all comments, regardless of who was speaking.
It had previously been agreed that microphones would be muted to avoid candidates interrupting each other.
Harris’s campaign spokesperson, Brian Fallon, claimed that Trump’s team prefers the candidates’ microphones to be muted “because they doubt their candidate can perform presidentially for 90 minutes unassisted.”
“The vice president is equipped to handle Trump’s continuous fabrications and interruptions spontaneously,” he elaborated. “Trump should refrain from concealing himself behind the mute button.”
However, the Trump campaign has responded with contradictory claims. The candidate indicated he favoured active microphones, while his team asserted the opposite.
