ABC News event in doubt

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump is waffling on whether he will debate with Vice President Kamala Harris as previously agreed.

And their campaigns are squabbling over terms for the ABC News showdown on Sept. 10.

In a social media post late Sunday night, Trump questioned whether he should debate the Democratic nominee Harris given what the former president suggested would be a hostile setting.

“I watched ABC FAKE NEWS this morning, both lightweight reporter Jonathan Carl’s(K?) ridiculous and biased interview of [Arkansas Sen.[] 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?” Trump wrote in his Truth Social post on Sunday.

“Will panelist Donna Brazil give the questions to the Marxist Candidate like she did for Crooked Hillary Clinton? Will Kamala’s best friend, who heads up ABC, do likewise. Where is Liddle’ George Slopadopolus hanging out now? Will he be involved. They’ve got a lot of questions to answer!!! Why did Harris turn down Fox, NBC, CBS, and even CNN? Stay tuned!!!” Trump wrote.

On Monday morning, Trump told NBC News that ABC was “the single worst network for unfairness” and “I think ABC really should be shut out,” and said he would rather do the debate on another network.

The eyebrow-raising suggestion came amid reports of a dispute between the campaigns over whether ABC would keep both candidates’ microphones on throughout the debate. This would capture any comments that candidates make while it is their opponent’s turn to speak.

Harris’ campaign wants hot mics, but the Trump campaign does not, NBC News confirmed, following a report by Politico.

This is a reversal of the campaigns’ positions during the previous presidential debate, hosted by CNN in late June. Then-presumptive Democratic nominee President Joe Biden‘s campaign asked for — and got — the candidates’ microphones turned on only when it was their turn to speak. The Trump campaign had wanted hot mics.

Nonetheless, the debate was a disaster for Biden, whose halting performance and jumbled answers effectively ended his reelection hopes. Less than a month later, Biden dropped out of the race and endorsed Harris.

The vice president is a former prosecutor who might benefit from a format that allows her to rebut Trump in the fly, instead of waiting for her turn.

Harris campaign spokesman Brian Fallon, in a statement, said, “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.”

“Our understanding is that Trump’s handlers prefer the muted…