Biden: Muting mics at debate ‘a good idea,’ we need ‘more limitations’

Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden praised the Commission on Presidential Debates’s decision to mute the candidates’ microphones while the other is speaking at the upcoming debate in Nashville, Tenn., saying the forums need more limitations. 

“I think it’s a good idea,” Biden told Milwaukee’s ABC affiliate WISN on Tuesday. “I think there should be more limitations on us not interrupting one another.”

“If you noticed last time, according to Chris Wallace, he interrupted the president and me 148 times,” Biden added. “I hope [Trump] is going to come prepared to talk about what he’s for, but my guess is, he’s kind of signaling that it’s going to all be about personal attacks because he doesn’t want to talk about why he’s taking away health care at the time we’re in the middle of a pandemic, why he has no plan for health care, why he hasn’t provided the money to allow businesses the ability to reopen, why he’s not dealing with unemployment, etc.” 

“But I’m going to try very hard to focus on the issues that affect the American people, and talk to them,” he said. 

The commission announced on Monday it was adopting the rule following the last debate between Trump and Biden where it was at times not possible to clearly hear the candidates due to interruptions. 

“Both campaigns this week again reaffirmed their agreement to the two-minute, uninterrupted rule. The Commission is announcing today that in order to enforce this agreed upon rule, the only candidate whose microphone will be open during these two-minute periods is the candidate who has the floor under the rules,” the commission said in a Monday evening statement.

“For the balance of each segment, which by design is intended to be dedicated to open discussion, both candidates’ microphones will be open,” it said.

The Trump campaign initially voiced its disapproval for the commission’s announcement, but said the president would still participate “regardless of last minute rule changes from the biased commission in their latest attempt to provide advantage to their favored candidate.”