Former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris are set to face off in a highly anticipated debate on September 10, hosted by ABC News in Philadelphia. However, a dispute over the agreed-upon rules has emerged in the days leading up to the event.

The rules for the previous debate between Trump and President Joe Biden in June included turning off the microphone of the non-speaking candidate, no studio audience, and no access to staff or notes during breaks. These measures were implemented to address Trump's tendency to interrupt and speak over his opponents during the 2016 and 2020 debates.

In response to concerns about Trump's interruptions, the Biden campaign demanded that the microphones be turned off during the debate. However, some Biden aides are now second-guessing this decision, believing that Trump's uninterrupted interruptions might actually backfire and harm his own prospects.

Harris' communications advisor, Brian Fallon, expressed the campaign's preference for live microphones for both candidates throughout the entire debate. Fallon accused Trump's team of favoring the muted microphone because they believe their candidate is unable to maintain a presidential demeanor for the duration of the debate.

On the other hand, Jason Miller, spokesperson for the Trump campaign, stated that Trump had accepted the debate under the same conditions as the previous one with Biden. Miller accused the Harris campaign of wanting a "seated debate, with notes," a claim which the Harris campaign promptly denied.

Recent comments from Trump indicate that he doesn't see the microphone policy as a major concern. He noted that although he would prefer his microphone to be on, the agreement was to have the same rules as the previous debate, which included muting the microphone. Trump suggested that attempts to change the rules may be an attempt to avoid the debate altogether.

The issue of debate rules is being discussed in semi-public negotiations between a few television networks and both campaigns, deviating from the usual approach where the nonpartisan Commission on Presidential Debates organizes and decides on the rules. For most debates, the microphones have been live for both candidates, with the exception of the second 2020 debate between Trump and Biden, where the non-speaking candidate's microphone was muted to prevent excessive arguing.

As the debate approaches, the controversy surrounding the rules adds an additional layer of tension to the already highly contentious matchup between Trump and Harris. All eyes will be on Philadelphia on September 10 to see how the debate unfolds and how the microphone policy impacts the candidates' performances.