Donald Trump shreds Kamala Harris for changing Sept 10 debate rules, questions her confidence

WASHINGTON, DC: Former president Donald Trump criticized Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris and ABC News for attempting to change the rules of their upcoming debate scheduled on the station on September 10.

It comes amid Harris and Trump's campaign squabble over the microphone rule, with Harris' team pushing for live mics and Trump suggesting they stick to the originally accepted rules.

Donald Trump thrashes Kamala Harris over mic rule dispute

The 78-year-old politician took to Truth Social to accuse Kamala Harris of avoiding media scrutiny amid mic rule conflict. 

"When is Comrade Kamala Harris going to start answering questions?" Trump asked.

"She’s a Radical Left, No Fracking Marxist, and the Public needs to know what she stands for, which is POVERTY AND FAILURE FOR AMERICA! Kamala refuses to do Interviews because she has NO CONFIDENCE in her own level of 'Intelligence,' and now wants to change the Rules of the Debate on ABC Fake News!" Trump further stated in his post on Monday.

Earlier the Harris campaign, led by senior advisor Brian Fallon, expressed concerns about the microphone rules, insisting that both candidates' microphones should remain live throughout the entire debate.

"We have told ABC and other networks seeking to host a possible October debate that we believe both candidates' mics should be live throughout the full broadcast," Fallon stated to Newsweek.

"Our understanding is that Trump's handlers prefer the muted microphone because they don't think their candidate can act presidential for 90 minutes on his own," Fallon added.

Donald Trump's team responds to Kamala Harris' debate rule demands: 'Enough with the games'

Donald Trump's senior campaign advisor Jason Miller, responded to the Kamala Harris camp's requests, accusing them of trying to change the rules after previously agreeing to them.

"Enough with the games. We accepted the ABC debate under the exact same terms as the [June 27] CNN debate," Miller said, according to the New York Post.

"The Harris camp, after having already agreed to the CNN rules, asked for a seated debate, with notes, and opening statements," he added.

During an August 26 appearance in Falls Church, Virginia, Trump reiterated Miller's points, saying that Harris' team had initially agreed to the same rules as the CNN debate, which included muted microphones.

However, Trump also mentioned that he would prefer not to change the rules, stating, "Doesn’t matter to me, I’d rather have it probably on but the agreement was that it would be the same as it was last time."

"I think it should be the same," Trump expressed.

"My guess is that they’re looking for a way to get out of any debate with President Trump. Regardless, there’s no way Harris is ready to be commander-in-chief," Miller stated further.

Donald Trump hints at withdrawing from 'biased' Kamala Harris debate

On Monday, the former US president hinted that he might withdraw from the ABC debate, citing what he perceived as biased coverage by the network.

Trump referred to an interview conducted by ABC with Senator Tom Cotton as "ridiculous and biased."

He also questioned the fairness of participating in the debate on ABC, writing on Truth Social, "I watched ABC FAKE NEWS this morning, both lightweight reporter Jonathan Carl’s ridiculous and biased interview of Tom Cotton (who was fantastic!), and their so-called Panel of Trump Haters, and I ask, why would I do the Debate against Kamala Harris on that network?"

Miller remarked, "Clearly they’re seeing something they don’t like. And I’m not sure why the Harris camp is panicking — it’s a given that they’ve already been handed the questions.”