MJ Lee
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In their letter to ABC News, Harris campaign wrote in part:

"Vice President Harris, a former prosecutor, will be fundamentally disadvantaged by this format, which will serve to shield Donald Trump from direct exchanges with the Vice President."
5:10 PM · Sep 4, 2024 //

How will Harris be "fundamentally disadvantaged" by having complete control of the floor when she's asked a question? That makes no sense on its face. There is no disadvantage in not being interrupted during a debate.

Clearly, Harris wanted a food fight because she felt that would play into her hands. Part of it was no doubt about having another "I'm speaking" moment, a line she dropped on Mike Pence during the 2020 vice presidential debate. //

Putting that all together, Harris' demand for unmuted mics was not just about hoping Trump would interrupt her. It was about her wanting to interrupt him. Harris wanted to get into a back-and-forth with Trump in which she could cosplay as a good prosecutor, prodding him with yes and no questions to loaded accusations. With the mics staying muted, Harris can't set that up, and she's ticked off about it, as evidenced by her campaign's continued whining in the letter.