Trump Advisor Clashes with Fox News Host Over Infanticide Claims and Mics

The tension escalated on Fox News when Corey Lewandowski, a campaign adviser for Donald Trump, clashed with anchor Shannon Bream. This took place during a segment about the upcoming presidential debate, particularly focusing on the contentious issue of microphones being kept on throughout the event.

After considerable negotiation, both Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris have settled on a date for their debate—September 10. Prior to this agreement, Harris publicly urged Trump to ensure that microphones would be live at all times during the debate.

“Donald Trump is surrendering to his advisors who won’t allow him to debate with a live microphone,” Harris tweeted on Saturday. “If his own team doesn’t have confidence in him, the American people definitely can’t. We are running for President of the United States. Let’s debate in a transparent way—with the microphones on the whole time.”

According to reports from ABC News, the rules established by Trump’s campaign include several restrictions. There will be no audience, no opening statements, and two-minute closing statements. Additionally, only the candidate who is speaking will have a live microphone; others will be muted. Candidates will also not be permitted to ask each other questions. Harris’ team has yet to agree to these stipulations.

During the segment on Fox News Sunday, Lewandowski criticized Harris, stating that the debate rules had been agreed upon while Joe Biden was still the Democratic nominee, and claimed that Harris was part of this agreement as the vice-presidential candidate.

He made a point to say that Harris was aware of the debate parameters beforehand, as they were identical to those of the vice-presidential debate. “After she has been coronated to be the presidential nominee for the Democrats, what she’s done is come back and said I don’t like that criteria anymore,” Lewandowski remarked.

Further asserting his frustration, Lewandowski added, “I want to be seated so I can be the same height as Donald Trump.” Bream interjected, clarifying, “Okay, her team denies that.”

Lewandowski’s irritation intensified as he expressed exasperation at the shifting positions of Harris and her team. “We’ve been part of the negotiation back and forth for many, many days here and I don’t understand why once again Kamala Harris and her team are changing what their positions have been,” he continued.

Shifting topics, Lewandowski proceeded to reiterate an unproven claim regarding Democrats’ stance on abortion, specifically the controversial notion of infanticide. He said, “Kamala Harris … has had a radical position on the issue of abortion. Many Democrats believe that you can have an abortion not only up until the last week but also in some cases after the baby’s been born.”

Bream fact-checked Lewandowski’s assertion, noting, “To be clear, in a number of states, there is abortion allowed through pregnancy. And that includes a measure that Governor Tim Walz signed in Minnesota.”

“But Democrats say they absolutely disavow the idea of infanticide or of a baby that does survive an abortion somehow their life being taken at that point. We can continue that debate because there are a number of states that do allow it through pregnancy. But I think everybody agrees infanticide is illegal and wrong,” Bream concluded, attempting to clarify the contentious issue.

Both the Trump and Harris campaigns have been contacted for comments regarding these ongoing discussions and disagreements.