Donald Trump's comment on a possible omission of the debate is mocked: “Fear”

Several Democratic figures accused Donald Trump of being “afraid” to participate in the upcoming debate with Kamala Harris as the two argue over the format of the event.

The former president and vice president are expected to participate in the presidential debate moderated by ABC on September 10.

The high-stakes debate could prove crucial in the 2024 election, with Harris hoping to continue the growing enthusiasm and support for her White House bid with a strong performance. The previous CNN-moderated debate between Trump and his then-2024 challenger Joe Biden in June ultimately led to the president abandoning his re-election campaign and endorsing Harris in the race.

There were suggestions that the former president might withdraw from the September 10 debate after accusing ABC News of being “ridiculous and biased” and full of “Trump haters.”

“And I ask why I should have the debate against Kamala Harris on this network,” Trump posted on Truth Social on Sunday. “Why did Harris turn down Fox, NBC, CBS and even CNN? Stay tuned!!!”

Trump's office was contacted via email for comment.

Trump accused Harris' team of trying to “change the rules for the ABC Fake News debate,” referring to disagreements within the campaign over the muting of microphones during the September 10 event.

In June, before the CNN presidential debate, the Trump and Biden teams agreed that the candidates' microphones would be muted unless they were asked to respond, a measure designed to avoid interruptions and the candidates shouting over each other.

Harris' team has asked that the microphones not be muted during the ABC debate, apparently to prevent Trump's outbursts of anger.

“The Vice President is prepared to confront Trump's constant lies and interruptions in real time. Trump should stop hiding behind the mute button,” Harris' spokesman Brian Fallon said in a statement.

Jason Miller, a senior adviser to Trump's campaign, said both sides had already agreed to the same terms as the CNN debate in June, including muting the microphones. He added: “We have said there will be no changes to the agreed-upon rules.”

The dispute over debate rules has led to speculation that Trump might use it as an excuse to withdraw from the September 10 event, leading to ridicule and criticism of the former president.

In a video posted on X (formerly Twitter), Harris' campaign shared a montage of Trump discussing whether he would debate the Democratic nominee for the 2024 election. The scene was edited to include the clucking of a chicken.

“You scared Donald Trump?” posted the Harris HQ account, adding a chicken emoji.

On MSNBC, Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren said Trump was “afraid” of a debate with Harris.

“Trump is really afraid of Kamala Harris, or as I like to call it, the felon is really afraid of the prosecutor,” Warren said.

“And for a damn good reason. She's smart, she's disciplined and she's not afraid of bullies. Donald Trump is afraid, and I have to say, I think his whole team is afraid.”

“And that's why they're trying to find ways to silence him, to prevent this debate if possible, because Kamala Harris is going to wipe Donald Trump out of the ground,” Warren added.

Democratic political strategist Lindy Li wrote on X: “Trump is TOO afraid to debate Harris on ABC. TOO afraid to serve our country, so he ducked the draft five times. TOO afraid to face peaceful protesters, so he hid in the White House bunker. TOO afraid to testify under oath.”

“Trump is just a whiny COWARD posing as a strong man.”

When asked by reporters whether he wanted to mute the microphones during the US debate on September 10, Trump said on Monday that he “didn't care” but that he would “rather” have them on.

“We agreed to the same rules, the same regulations, the same guidelines, and I think that's probably how it should be. But they're trying to change that,” Trump said.

Florida congressman and Trump supporter Byron Donalds said Harris did not want to mute the microphones during the debate so she could turn the event into a “spectacle” against Trump.

“She wants to create a kind of snapshot and a kind of YouTube spectacle that can be played over and over again so that she can hide behind the debate instead of talking about the policies that affect the American people,” Donalds told Fox News.

“She wants to create this moment where she owns Donald Trump for ten seconds. That's just ridiculous. That's not what matters in our country.”