Republican nominee Donald Trump cast fresh doubt over whether he would attend the only agreed-to debate with Democratic nominee Kamala Harris, which is slated to take place in about two weeks.

Trump in a post late on Sunday on his Truth Social platform criticised ABC News - the host of the Sept 10 debate - suggesting it was biased in favour of Harris, and asking “why would I do the debate against Kamala Harris on that network?”

“They’ve got a lot of questions to answer!!!,” he added. “Why did Harris turn down Fox, NBC, CBS and even CNN? Stay tuned!!!”

In a statement on Monday, Harris’ team said the campaigns were in a dispute over whether the microphones at the forum should be muted when the other candidate is speaking.

“We have told ABC and other networks seeking to host a possible October debate that we believe both candidates’ mics should be live throughout the full broadcast,” Brian Fallon, a Harris spokesperson, said in a statement. “Our understanding is that Trump’s handlers prefer the muted microphone because they don’t think their candidate can act presidential for 90 minutes on his own.”

“The Vice President is ready to deal with Trump’s constant lies and interruptions in real time,” Fallon added. “Trump should stop hiding behind the mute button.”

Trump’s remarks and the clash over the debate rules threaten to jeopardise the only debate the two major party candidates have agreed to so far, with just over two months until Election Day. Trump originally agreed to the ABC News debate with President Joe Biden, then the Democratic nominee.

Their first debate, however, saw Biden deliver a calamitous performance that led Democrats to push him out of the race. After Biden’s exit, Trump declined to commit to the second debate. Trump assailed ABC News and its hosts and floated other venues, including a debate hosted by Fox News, a conservative outlet more friendly to his campaign.

Trump eventually agreed to attend the ABC News debate as he sought to counter the media attention on Harris, whose entry into the race has galvanised key parts of the Democratic base and seen her rise in national and swing-state polls. 

Harris’ campaign has proposed a second debate with Trump - with the details to be determined - if he attended the ABC News forum. The Harris campaign has ruled out participating in a Fox News debate.

Trump and Harris’ running mates, Republican Senator JD Vance of Ohio and Democratic Minnesota governor Tim Walz, are slated to hold their own debate on Oct 1 with CBS News. 

  - Bloomberg