Donald Trump Lashes Out at Disney Company Subsidiary, Threatens to End Original Agreement
Republican Presidential nominee Donald Trump lashed out at a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company over the weekend, calling it “the worst” in its industry–and calling the prospect of next month’s presidential debate into question yet again.
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The “Hot Mic” Debate Threatens the Presidential Debate
On Sunday, former President and current Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump said he might not participate in the presidential debate with Vice President Kamala Harris scheduled for September 10.
The news comes as both sides continue to spar over whether to allow the ABC News Network to mute each candidate’s microphone when it is the opponent’s turn to speak.
The Harris/Walz campaign believes that the microphones belonging to the two Presidential hopefuls should remain active or hot throughout the entire exchange. Mr. Trump, however, says that his campaign agreed to the same rules that were in place during the first presidential debate, which was hosted by CNN in June.
Mr. Biden Passes the Torch
President Joe Biden left the U.S. presidential race after his performance during the June debate raised concerns across his own party about whether he could defeat Republican presidential nominee and former president Donald Trump.
On July 4, as the President hosted a massive event to commemorate the Independence Day holiday, he repeatedly reaffirmed his dedication to the race and to his constituents, assuring them, “I’m not going anywhere.”
But in a radio interview broadcast on Civic Media’s Earl Ingram Show, the 81-year-old president admitted he “screwed up” during the debate and that the evening of the televised event was “a bad night.” But Mr. Biden noted that the event was only 90 minutes on stage, urging those calling for him to yield the campaign to “look what [he’s] done in the last three and a half years.”
Many in Biden’s party felt uneasy about the president’s fitness for a second term in office, and though the President was initially determined to stay the course and finish the race, he ultimately yielded to the will of his party, officially exiting the race on July 21. Vice President Kamala Harris immediately took his place.
But before Biden stepped away, his campaign had already laid out its parameters for debates, demanding that each candidate’s microphone only be active when it was that candidate’s turn to speak.
“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,” explained Brian Fallon, a spokesman for the Harris campaign. “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.”
Trump Calls Out the Disney-Owned News Network
At an event on Sunday, Mr. Trump cast doubt about whether he will, in fact, participate in the September 10th debate, slated to be hosted by the Disney-owned ABC News Network, citing the organization’s alleged bias.
Mr. Trump spoke about a recent interview on the network’s news show, This Week, saying that host Jonathan Karl’s interview with Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton was “ridiculous and biased.”
He also asked why he should debate Vice President Kamala Harris on the Disney-owned network, saying that panelist and former chair of the Democratic National Committee Donna Brazile could grant Ms. Harris access to the debate questions ahead of time, as she did during the 2016 election season when she leaked town hall topics to Hilary Clinton’s campaign ahead of the meeting, essentially giving the Clinton side a leg up.
Mr. Trump repeated his sentiments with a post on the Truth Social network that reads in part:
Why would I do the debate against Kamala Harris on that network? Why did Harris turn down Fox, NBC, CBS, and even CNN? Stay tuned!!!
Trump Echoes the Criticism of Harris’s Bond With Disney Exec
Mr. Trump also criticized the friendship between Ms. Harris and the co-chair of Disney Entertainment, Dana Walden. Their bond has come under fire in recent weeks, and the Republican presidential nominee fanned the flames with his comments on Sunday evening.
Walden, a Disney executive, and Harris have been friends for years, but ABC News has pointed out that Ms. Walden is only involved in the news outlet’s financial and corporate sectors, likely in an effort to dispel rumors that Disney’s news network will show favoritism to Harris in the news cycle.
Will He or Won’t He?
The Disney-owned ABC News network is set to host the debate on September 10. The event is the only debate the two candidates have agreed to before the November election.
Only One More Debate Has Been Planned Before November
Regardless of the eventual outcome of the planned debate on September 10, Trump’s and Harris’s running mates–Republican Sen. JD Vance of Ohio and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, respectively–will participate in a debate on October 1 hosted by CBS News.
