Debate to feature ‘mute’ button
WASHINGTON - The final debate between President Donald Trump and Democratic rival Joe Biden will feature a mute button to allow each candidate to speak uninterrupted, organisers said on Monday, looking to avoid the disruptions that marred the first matchup.
The Trump campaign voiced objections to the change — made after the president repeatedly talked over both Mr Biden and the moderator at last month’s debate in violation of its agreed-upon rules — but said the Republican would still take part in the Thursday night event, one of his last chances to reach a large primetime audience before voting ends on November 3.
The Presidential Commission on Debates said each candidate’s microphone at the debate in Nashville, Tennessee, would be silenced to allow the other to make two minutes of opening remarks at the beginning of each 15-minute segment of the debate. Both microphones will be turned on to allow a back-and-forth after that time.
“President Trump is committed to debating Joe Biden regardless of last-minute rule changes from the biased commission in their latest attempt to provide advantage to their favoured candidate,” campaign manager Bill Stepien said.
The Biden campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment. More than 30 million Americans have already cast their ballots, limiting Mr Trump’s chances of reframing a contest that national and state opinion polls show him trailing.
Mr Trump repeatedly interrupted Mr Biden during a chaotic and illtempered debate on September 29, at one point provoking Mr Biden to snap: “Will you shut up, man?”
‘THEY CUT YOU OFF’
Mr Trump backed out of a second scheduled debate set for last Thursday over a disagreement about the virtual format following his COVID-19 infection. At that time, he raised concerns about having his microphone muted.
“You sit behind a computer and do a debate — it’s ridiculous, and then they cut you off whenever they want,” Mr Trump said in an October 8 interview on Fox Business.
Earlier on Monday, Mr Trump’s campaign said it was unhappy with the announced set of topics for Thursday’s debate, arguing that it should focus more on foreign policy and asserting that the nonpartisan group was tilted toward Mr Biden.
“I will participate but it’s very unfair that they changed the topics and it’s very unfair that again we have an anchor who’s totally biased,” Mr Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One as he returned to Washington from rallies in Arizona.