Why Harris wants to unmute Trump

Analysis by Stephen Collinson, CNN

(CNN) — “Mr. Vice President, I’m speaking.”

Kamala Harris’ most stinging line in an otherwise unmemorable debate with then-Vice President Mike Pence in 2020 perfectly explains the latest twist in her showdown with Donald Trump.

Most Democrats have heard more than enough from the Republican nominee. But Harris wanted to let him have the chance to say exactly what he wants, when he wants in their scheduled debate clash on ABC News on September 10.

The vice president’s camp tried to reverse a rule that President Joe Biden’s team secured for their fateful debate with Trump in June that ensured that a candidate’s microphones were muted when it was not their turn to speak. The restriction was seen as an attempt to prevent a repeat of Trump’s constant interruptions in their debates in 2020 which drove Biden to warn at one point “Will you shut up man?”

It was clear that the Harris campaign hoped to give Trump the chance to sabotage himself with an insulting interruption or his overbearing personality.

Trump’s camp pushed back, although the ex-president on Monday suggested he’d be quite happy to lose the mute button. And on Tuesday afternoon, Trump said on social media that he’d reached an agreement with the Democrats to implement the original rules of the debate agreed upon with Biden before he pulled out of the race. That means silenced mics and no studio audience, according to a personal familiar with the matter. CNN has contacted the Harris campaign for comment.

The spat underscores the huge potential importance of the confrontation in defining the narrative for the rest of the campaign, following the most consequential presidential debate ever – on CNN in late June – that knocked Biden out of the race.

It’s especially key for Trump, who has struggled to adapt to his new foe since the withdrawal of Biden – whom Republicans were confident of beating in November. The meeting may be his best chance to slow Harris’ momentum coming out of her Chicago convention, especially since he and his campaign believe that she’s not ready for the pressure of responding to policy questions and follow-ups from an opponent as feral as Trump.

“Trump needs to debate. Harris needs to debate,” said CNN political analyst Scott Jennings, a Republican. “They both have something to prove.”

Monday’s bitter exchanges between the campaigns were another sign of how Harris has transformed the campaign. Her team is increasingly enjoying the chance to troll Trump – the ultimate political troll. It, for instance, released a web video featuring footage of the ex-president and the sound of a clucking chicken to suggest he might back out of the debate. And Harris aides suggested Trump’s “handlers” hadn’t dared to raise the mic question with their boss.

An open mic could encapsulate Trump’s struggles

An open mic would have tested the Republican nominee’s self-discipline in a debate with Harris, at a time when GOP strategists are pleading with him to stick to policy and quit his smash mouth politics for the good of his campaign.

Visuals of Trump talking over and openly disrespecting the woman who has a chance to be the first Black woman president would speak for themselves. Harris would also have a chance to demonstrate strength in standing up to Trump by reprising her famous riposte in the Pence debate. Histrionics by Trump that came across as sexist or had racial overtones could alienate female, minority and suburban voters who could be vital in swing states in November.

Imagery of Trump behaving obnoxiously would play into the wider conceit of the Harris campaign that she sharpened during the Democratic Convention last week — namely that Americans have a “fleeting opportunity to move past the bitterness, cynicism, and divisive battles of the past.”

“The Vice President wants the American people to see an unfettered Donald Trump because that’s what we are going to get if he becomes president again,” Harris campaign spokesman Ian Sams told CNN’s Alex Marquardt. “I think it is important that in this election and in this moment that the American people get to see the choice between the two candidates on stage.”

Daring Trump to interrupt on an open mic would not be risk free for the vice president. In 2016, the ex-president repeatedly talked over Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton and disrupted the flow of her answers. While it appeared unflattering to the Republican nominee at the time, he went on to win the election, nevertheless.

Maria Cardona, a CNN political commentator, suggested another reason why Harris might want an open mic. “By having the mics unmuted, it is going to give her the ability to control both what she says … as well as fact checking him on the spot,” Cardona, a Democrat, said.

Harris’ big viral moment in 2020

In her debate with Pence — conducted behind screens during the Covid-19 pandemic, Harris thwarted an attempt to interrupt her in an exchange on the pandemic by raising her hand and saying “Mr. Vice President, I’m speaking. … I’m speaking.”

The comment, that felt like a prepared moment that candidates practice in mock debates, left the impression that Pence was mansplaining to Harris. The back-and-forth was lent extra resonance by the races and genders of the rivals. The then-California senator liked the phrase so much that she repeated it later in the debate, before telling Pence, “If you don’t mind letting me finish, we can then have a conversation.”

At the time, Harris’ catchphrase went viral, leading to social media memes and memorabilia including mugs, tee-shirts and sweatshirts that helped build the vice president’s persona.

The disagreement over the terms of the September 10 debate is revealing familiar fault lines in the Trump campaign.

The candidate’s staff preferred microphones to be muted during the debate, according to a source familiar with the matter. Senior Trump adviser Jason Miller said in a statement that the ex-president accepted the ABC debate under the same terms as the CNN one with Biden. And he suggested that the change of tack on Harris’ part suggested her debate prep was in trouble. “Even their own campaign spokesman said the debate about debates was over. Clearly, they’re seeing something they don’t like,” Miller said.

But as often happens, the former president appeared to undercut his own team’s stand. “It doesn’t matter to me, I’d rather have it probably on but the agreement was everyone be the same as it was last time,” Trump said at a campaign stop in Virginia. “In that case, it was muted. I didn’t like it the last time, but it worked out fine.”

He added a caveat: “We agreed to the same rules. Same rules, same specifications.  And I think that’s probably what it should be.”

Harris’ team pounced, with Sam’s saying on CNN that the ex-president had resolved the question in favor of open mics.

“We heard from the horse’s mouth,” he said.

The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2024 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.