Donald Trump has insisted that no boxes or “artificial lifts” should be used in his debate against Kamala Harris next week.
The bizarre demand came ahead of the presidential hopefuls’ showdown in Philadelphia.
Trump, who is 6’3″, took to his platform Truth Social to denounce the use of height enhancers as “cheating”.
“There will be no artificial boxes or lifts allowed during my upcoming debate with Comrade Kamala Harris,” he said.
“We had already discussed this with former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg when he was in a debate and was not allowed to be brought in. It would be a form of cheating, and the Democrats cheat enough. It was determined that “you are who you are”!
Donald Trump has insisted that no boxes or ‘artificial lifts’ should be used in his debate against Kamala Harris next week
The issue is of potential importance as past elections have shown that the taller candidate tends to win more popular votes.
This could be a problem for Harris, who at 5’4″ will be dwarfed by Trump even in heels.
Trump’s own height has been a source of debate after a discrepancy arose
He himself reported his height and weight as 1.90 meters and 97 kilos before his admission to the Fulton County jail in Georgia, where he had previously been charged with election interference.
The figures were different from the 1.88 metres and 119 kilos he claimed to weigh in April 2023, when he was charged in New York with falsifying business records.
Ahead of the ABC debate, Trump’s team also reportedly agreed that candidates’ microphones would be muted when they were not speaking.
This is said to have been a blow to Harris, who was reportedly hoping to use one of his famous outbursts to his advantage during the confrontation.
The bizarre demand came ahead of the presidential hopefuls’ showdown in Philadelphia.
Trump turned to Truth Social to detail the unusual stipulation
Trump’s team also received a boost after New York Judge Juan Merchan delayed Friday His sentence in the Stormy Daniels case until weeks after the November election.
The decision sets sentencing for November 26, when Americans will have voted and the election results will be known.
Voting was scheduled for September 18, just two months before Election Day.
Trump’s team had asked for an extension, while prosecutors had left the matter to the judge’s discretion, something Merchan took as an indication that prosecutors supported the move.
