Reporter asks Trump if mics should be muted at upcoming debate with Harris

fresh drama. And the 2024 presidential race is raising questions over whether Donald Trump and Kamala Harris will actually debate next month. Two campaigns are at a stalemate. We are told over the rules. Sources tell CNN that Trump's team wants microphones muted when a candidate is not speaking. But the Harris campaign wants the mics left on. And Trump posted scathing remarks about ABC and some of its journalists over the weekend asking, quote, why would I do the debate against Kamala Harris on that network? End quote. Let's bring in CNN's Priscilla Alvarez. Priscilla, tell us more about this dispute. What's going on here? Well, the debate about the debates continues. In this case, the dispute is about microphones. So we have to rewind a little bit, because when these debates were agreed upon, it was with then candidate President Joe Biden. And at the time, one of the red lines for the Biden campaign was that they wanted the mics turned off when the other candidate was speaking. Well, now it's different with the Harris campaign. They actually want to keep the mikes on for the duration of the presidential debate. That is not what the Trump campaign wants, their pushback being that the rules were already agreed upon. But here is what the campaign is saying in a statement. It says, quote, the vice president is ready to deal with Trump's constant lies and interruptions in real time. Trump should stop hiding behind the mute button, so they're clearly trying to needle him a little bit here as they try to get this dispute over the mikes settled. Now, the Trump campaign has suggested that the Harris campaign has also wanted the candidates to be seated and have notes. That is not the case. According to the Harris campaign. This is very much about the microphones. Of course, they know this is a critical moment. This is another opportunity to put these two candidates in front of a large audience. For her to go toe to toe with former President Donald Trump, be in the same room with him. And it's something that she has spent the last several weeks preparing for. I am told that the next two weeks are going to be a lot of doubling down on those preparations for her. We know that she has taken the time out of her day where she can to read up on Trump's statements on what he has said before about multiple policies. So there is clearly a lot happening here when it comes to the debate, because they are so well aware of how important a moment this is on a truncated timeline, when they don't always have visibility, or when you Americans are not always tuning in to every development of the election. Yeah, and there's this compressed election schedule. I mean, she obviously has to prepare for the debate even before the DNC as she's preparing for the DNC. And, Priscilla, tell us about the fundraising numbers that the Harris campaign is announcing. These are pretty big numbers. They're big, they're historic. They're a record, and they're all something that the campaign is very pleased about, $500 million that they have raised over the last month, a big chunk, 82 million during the week of the DNC. The notable part about that, 82 million is that a third of those are first time donors, first time contributors. This is something that the campaign has always latched on to, because it indicates for them some level of enthusiasm among voters. If you have these first time contributions, I will say, though, that part of the discussion happening within the campaign is how do you keep this momentum going, especially because they had so many big time donors in the beginning of this, and they're going to have to seize on moments. And so that is part of the discussion that they're having potentially splashy fundraisers in the future. But certainly they're feeling good about these numbers. I'll also note, Jim, that they already have plans for some of that to at least 370 million of that going to TV and digital advertising between Labor Day and Election Day. So they are pouring money into that period of time, trying to take up as much space as possible. All right. So they have raked in a ton of dough since she ascended to the top of the ticket. No question. Thank you very much. Let's bring in Democratic strategist and CNN political commentator Maria Cardona and press advisor to former House Speaker John Boehner. More Gillespie ladies, thanks to both of you for being with us. I guess, Maria, your reaction to you first and I should note, I mean, the Trump campaign seems to be saying there's an issue over the mute button at the debate, but he was just asked about this a few moments ago. We're trying to cut the sound. We may play this out before the end of this segment, but he we do have it. All right, let's play it. Let's go ahead and play it. All right. What do you want the microphones muted in the debate. Whenever you're not speaking we agree to the same rules I don't know. It doesn't matter to me I'd rather have it probably on. But you know the agreement was that it would be the same as it was last time. In that case, it was muted. I didn't like it the last time, but it worked out fine. They're trying to change it. The truth is, they're trying to get out of it because she doesn't want to debate. She's not a good debater. She's not a smart person. She doesn't want to debate President Trump. How are you specifically preparing for the debate versus Harrison? I'm not really I'm not I'm not spending a lot of time on it. I think my whole life I prefer regular debate. All right. And I just want to repeat he said, quote, we agree to the same rules. I don't know, it doesn't matter to me. This was in response to the question, would you want the microphones muted? It doesn't matter to me. I rather have it probably on. I don't know what that means. the room was that it would be the same as it was the last time. I didn't like the last time, but it worked out fine. summary. It sounds as though what he's saying, and we just listen to the show moments ago is he's just fine. How? The mute, the mixer, if they're muted, if they're not muted, whatever he does, it sounds as though he's ready to do this debate. So what's going on? You know, it's Donald Trump. You never know what he's going to say from one moment to the next. You know he hates all of the mainstream media. ABC is within that. The fake media. He said that earlier, which is why he said he didn't want to do the debate. And then there was this back and forth about the rules. But you know what fundamentally that says to me, Jim, he just said that it doesn't matter. It says to me that the real worry is with his team, because his team understands that when Donald Trump is unleashed, he is his own worst enemy, and that every time something comes out of his mouth, it alienates the voters that he needs to win. So I hope that he says yes, and he tells his team, yes, I want the mikes on. This is what happens at the rallies when you have Republicans, strategists and advisers begging him to set the teleprompter, to stick to the talking points and to stick to the policy. They can say that until they're blue in the face. He doesn't do that because he doesn't want to do that. He thinks of what worked with him. What worked for him in 2016 is going to work with him again. And he's super wrong about that. Yeah, more it sounds like it's the Trump campaign that wants the mute button on Donald Trump. Absolutely. And why wouldn't they bring his point? I mean, it's really frustrating, to watch him time and time again go off method and really derail what could be a really good opportunity for Republicans down ballot. The House is looking to grow their majority. The Senate could possibly flip. But with Donald Trump out there talking about crowd sizes and how good looking he thinks he is, that's not helpful. And again, you think this this press conference opportunity to talk about, which should have been about Afghanistan and what happened to 13 service members, he still would back on this message that his campaign clearly is asking him to talk about, that. He doesn't seem to care about, because I don't think he really does care about the debate about being president. He wants just to be in front of his MAGA world to espouse this, you know, authority over them and just show the control he has. He could say the most contradicting things, and they will still not their heads and support him. Yeah, I mean, Maria, I mean, one of the things I've learned about Donald Trump over the years is he he does like to play games with these debates. I mean, he has this Truth Social post. I mean, that appears to be setting the stage for him to withdraw from the debate. Why would I do the debate against Kamala Harris on that network? and so is it about the mikes? Is it about ABC? You know, obviously the people at ABC are terrific journalists. They would do an excellent debate. so what what is this? Here's the problem. He didn't do the debates with the Republican candidates during the primary process. Right. Let's not forget, it's never about anything other than what Donald Trump wants at that moment, at that very moment. Yeah. And that is the problem because Donald Trump and Donald Trump's campaign is about Donald Trump. And you saw this massive contrast, during the Democratic convention, everything that came out of every speaker, especially Vice President Kamala Harris, the last night was about public service, was about here's what I'm going to do for you. I wake up every morning. This is about you and your families. Donald Trump is all about what Donald Trump wants at that moment. And what he wants more is right. He wants the world to see that he has control over his campaign, over his MAGA, supporters. He doesn't care about anything. And he said how he was asked, how are you preparing for the debate? He says, I'm not really. So I mean, he thinks of my experience covering him as a he thinks he can wing it. but I do want to play a little bit because Trump was just asked whether he would appoint RFK Jr, to a cabinet post after RFK junior endorsed, endorsed Donald Trump last Friday. Let's listen to that talk about on the other side, are you considering RFK Jr as your health secretary? If you're like, well, we haven't talked about it, but he knows a lot about the subject matter, and he's really been well received by the party. I will tell you, he's a great guy. N/A more not exactly knocking it down, that, RFK Jr may be a part of a future Trump administration. And obviously, we should note RFK Jr, a vaccine skeptic. I mean, a vaccine denier for a large part of of, recent memory. Yeah. This is, one hard to believe that they didn't have this conversation because I'm fairly confident that's what RPW Jr was doing by endorsing Trump was to ensure he would get a cabinet position should Trump be elected. so again, I was going to pass that there, but with that caveat. But I do think that this is, again, a sign of what Donald Trump has has done and again, back and forth to what we're talking about. but it does not reflect what the Republican Party down ballot is looking forward to. again, they're focused on the economy, on safety and security, and the House and Senate really need to distance themselves, and focus on the policy issues, because what's happening at the top of the ticket for Republicans, which, you know, I'm a Republican and it's largely our fault, right? We let Donald Trump be our candidate again. but they need to distance themselves because if they have any chance in November, it can't be with the erratic, behavior of Donald Trump. He is honestly rattled by Kamala Harris. He could talk about Biden because he is worried about the fact that he is also aging, and that what happens if he loses and the party throws him out? you know, so he's trying to get ahead of things by really, again, hitting the wall on so many different levels. but it, it showing his, his decline, honestly. And the party needs to take back their own, narrative and the message.