Kamala Harris's campaign rejects Trump's claim about debate rules agreement

(Patria) - Vice President Kamala Harris's presidential campaign has rejected the claim by Republican rival Donald Trump that the two sides agreed to mute microphones during the September 10 debate.

That remains a matter of ongoing discussion with the host – the ABC network, a campaign official said.

In a social media post earlier on Tuesday, Trump said an agreement had been reached and that the rules for next month's debate would be the same as those for the June 27 CNN debate he had with President Joe Biden, Reuters reported.

"The debate will be 'stand up,' and the candidates cannot bring notes, or 'cheat sheets.' ABC has also given us assurances that this will be a 'fair and equitable' debate, and neither side will get the questions in advance," Trump wrote.

Kamala Harris's campaign says the debate terms have not been agreed upon.

"Both candidates have publicly stated their willingness to debate with their microphones on for the duration of the debate to fully allow for a substantive exchange between the candidates, but it appears Donald Trump is allowing his handlers to overrule him. Sad!" they said in a statement, mocking Trump's common use of the word "sad" in statements over the years.

The candidates' campaigns clashed on Monday over the previously agreed-upon debate, with the vice president's team seeking a return to live microphones, while Trump threatened to withdraw entirely after suggesting the ABC network was biased.

Kamala Harris's campaign said they want the broadcaster to keep the candidates' microphones on for the entire event instead of being turned off while their opponent is speaking, as was the case in the last presidential debate. So-called "hot mics" can help or hurt political candidates, capturing off-the-cuff remarks that were sometimes not intended for the public.

Although Trump's team said he had already agreed to muted microphones, Trump later told reporters that he would prefer his microphone to remain on.