Trump on preparing for first debate with Harris: ‘I’m not’

Former President Donald Trump isn't losing sleep over a scheduled debate with Vice President Kamala Harris this September as the country awaits the two’s first matchup.

While speaking to the press in Virginia on Monday, Trump said he's not actively preparing for the debate.

"I'm not, really, I'm not. I'm not spending a lot of time on it. I think my whole life, I've been preparing for a debate,” Trump said during an appearance at a Vietnamese restaurant.

“Basically, you have to be real. You can't cram 30 years of knowledge in your head in one week,” the former president continued. “There's a little debate prep, but I've always done it more or less the same way. You have to know your subject. And I think I know it better than anybody."

A senior communications adviser to Trump said the former president has "been preparing all his life, and he regularly interacts with the press, which is a form of getting ready, something comrade Kamala refuses to do," in comments to Newsweek.

Trump and Harris are set to go head-to-head in an ABC News debate on Sept. 10. Recent remarks from Trump indicate the pair's faceoff could be up in the air.

“I watched ABC FAKE NEWS this morning, both lightweight reporter Jonathan Carl’s(K?) ridiculous and biased interview of Tom Cotton (who was fantastic!), and their so-called Panel of Trump Haters, and I ask, why would I do the Debate against Kamala Harris on that network?” he posted on Truth Social Sunday evening.

“Stay tuned!!!” he added.

Meanwhile, Harris is reportedly fighting to reverse a debate rule pushed by President Joe Biden‘s campaign in his first and only debate against Trump. A Politico report alleged the Harris campaign wants to have live microphones for both candidates.

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A senior adviser to the Harris campaign said Monday that “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.”

The Washington Examiner reached out to the Trump campaign for comment.