The evident disparities between Harris and Trump are evident in their readiness for the upcoming debate next week.
For Harris, having a stand-in for the former president, dressed in his signature red tie, has aided her in visualizing the upcoming situation. On the other hand, Trump has declined to utilize a sparring partner to portray Harris, instead opting to reenact the impromptu "policy time" that formed his preparations for the debate against President Biden in June.
That encounter ended disastrously for the incumbent president, who conclusively ended his reelection campaign three weeks later, transforming the presidential race into uncharted territories. Insiders close to Trump insist that his debate preparations have remained virtually unaltered despite the shift at the top of the Democratic ticket. However, there is one notable difference: the enlistment of one of Harris' ex-competitors, Tulsi Gabbard, the former Hawaii representative who ran for president as a Democrat in 2020 with a crowded field that also included Harris.
The inclusion of Gabbard is particularly considerable considering the contentious exchanges she engaged in with Harris during their 2020 election, an encounter that left Harris visibly unnerved.
To determine if Trump's strategy with this new, younger candidate will yield comparable results remains an unsettled question. In contrast, Harris' team views her as an underdog due to Trump's considerable experience in general election debates, with this being his seventh debate in total – more than any candidate in history.
During the week leading up to the Tuesday face-off, Trump maintains a fairly light campaign schedule, shuttling between his Bedminster and Mar-a-Lago resorts, as well as Trump Tower in Manhattan, where advisors stated that he has allotted "policy time" on his schedule.
Allies have advised Trump to maintain a consistent focus on inflation and immigration, aiming to portray Harris as the incumbent in this race. Many close to Trump believe their best opportunity to win in November lies in associating Harris with some of Biden's less popular areas, specifically the economy and immigration, where polls indicated that Trump held a substantial advantage against Biden among voters, and Harris now appears to be closing the gap.
Trump's team has been outlining potentially effective responses regarding reproductive rights, anticipating that Harris may emphasize this issue during the debate.
The Harris and Trump campaigns continue negotiations over the debate rules, particularly regarding whether microphones will be muted when a candidate is not speaking. The Harris campaign has advocated for microphones to remain active throughout the debate, while the Trump campaign supports them being deactivated when the other candidate is speaking, adhering to the rules established during the CNN-hosted debate in June. The Trump campaign maintains that the issue has been definitively settled.
Harris revamps her preparations to meet the election leader's standards
Even before Biden withdrew and Harris emerged as the Democratic leader, the vice president had begun building a debate preparation team in anticipation of challenging Trump's running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance.
Her ascension to the Democratic nominee added a sense of urgency to the preparations, with a new opponent to study and the stakes significantly amplified.
In the past month, Harris has participated in debate rehearsals with a tight-knit team of advisors, led by Rohini Kosoglu, a significant policy advisor, and Karen Dunn, a seasoned Democratic debate specialist. Other contributors to the rehearsals include Harris' White House chief of staff, Lorraine Voles; her campaign chief of staff, Sheila Nix; and Sean Clegg, an experienced strategist.
The preparations include mock debate sessions, with the role of Trump played by Philippe Reines, a long-time aide to Hillary Clinton who impersonated Trump during Clinton's own debate rehearsals in 2016.
Harris has benefitted from counsel from the only two Democrats who have faced off against Trump on a debate stage: Biden and Clinton. Harris maintains close relationships with both, and they have provided valuable guidance since she became the nominee.
However, even some of Harris's most devoted supporters have cautioned against taking victory for granted heading into the showdown. In an interview on CNN this week, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker asserted that underestimating Trump would be a mistake, referencing debates that Trump won against Biden and Clinton.
“We shouldn’t assume that somehow Kamala Harris has a greater ability to win a debate than Donald Trump,” he said. “They are going to appear as significant rivals with markedly different viewpoints. And I believe that ensuring that their distinctive standpoints are conveyed while avoiding, frankly, being swayed by Donald Trump will be crucial for Kamala Harris.”
Trump adheres to familiar methods despite seismic changes in the race
People around Trump tend to avoid using the word “preparation” when referring to the debate. No one is expected to perform as Harris, just as no one played the role of Biden in advance of the June debate.
In some instances, advisors have acted as moderators, but more often than not, these conversations function as briefings with occasional questioning.
Among those assisting with the policy review are senior advisers Jason Miller and Vince Haley, as well as Stephen Miller.
Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz, who helped prepare Trump for his debate against Biden, is also anticipated to play a part in this round of preparations.
Although Trump's team aspires to achieve similar outcomes to the initial debate against Biden, some allies of the former president acknowledge that Harris is a distinct debater compared to the current president. Allies also have expressed concern about the tone Trump will employ with Harris, noting that his frequently aggressive demeanor may resonate differently with a woman.
Sources indicate that Harris is well-aware of the approach Trump may adopt on the stage.
“She's deeply cognizant of who he is and what he's going to bring,” one source near the campaign informed CNN, adding: “She has a strategy, she has a vision, she'll make it known.”
The race itself has undergone a fundamental shift. According to a recent ABC News/Ipsos poll, 46% of potential voters hold favorable views towards Harris, contrasting the 43% who view her unfavorably. Trump, on the other hand, boasts a disappointing 33% favorability rating versus a staggering 58% who view him unfavorably.
This coming Tuesday, the debate stage will mark their closest encounter yet, in terms of their professional paths overlapping. Their only previous encounter occurred within the House chamber during Trump's State of the Union speeches; he skipped her inauguration when she assumed office as vice president.
The night's proceedings might very well be their final encounter, as neither candidate has pledged to participate in a second debate.
The prospect of a face-off has been on Harris's mind for several weeks, as she ramps up her campaign and anticipates potential attacks from her opponent. Advocates urge Harris to steer clear of personal retorts, lest she gets entangled in Trump's verbal agitational tactics.
Brazile, a close Harris ally and former manager of Al Gore's 2000 campaign, echoed this sentiment, citing Trump's performance during the 2016 debate with Clinton.
"Prepare her for Donald Trump to stride in with a fiery demeanor, ready to attack and potentially throw her off balance," Brazile advised, emphasizing Trump's commanding presence on stage.
"This is a candidate and former president adept at commanding a stage. That's his forte," Brazile emphasized. "Avoid attempting to contend against someone who is a master at this."
Instead, advocates like Brazile stress the importance of adhering to their narrative.
"In such environments, an argument, a thesis, a message needs to be presented, which they wish to communicate about Trump. Subsequently, they will utilize evidence to reinforce their argument. This is where Harris's prosecutorial skills prove invaluable," a former Harris advisor explained to CNN.
Preparation sessions also involve pushing Harris to address uncomfortable topics to avoid her encountering them for the first time on stage, cited the advisor. Harris has grown accustomed to dealing with personal attacks due to increased Republican criticism in the past three years.
A memorable moment that advocates often recall is Harris's 2020 debate against then-Vice President Mike Pence. In the initial stages, as Harris countered the Trump administration's claim that their 'sluggish response' to the Covid-19 pandemic was a deliberate attempt to keep Americans calm, Pence attempted to interrupt her.
"Ms. Vice President, I'm speaking," Harris asserted.
In preparation for the upcoming presidential debate, Harris has intentionally restricted her travel, dedicating her time to preparation. Sources informed CNN that she plans to travel to Pittsburgh on Thursday to prepare with her team, intending to stay for several nights until the debate.
She will then campaign in Pittsburgh on Labor Day, making community visits and continuing her campaign trail in a critical battleground state, according to one of the sources.
Harris's approach resembles President Obama's, who in 2012 held his 'debate camp' at resorts outside Las Vegas and in Williamsburg, Virginia.
Unlike Biden, who retired to Camp David in Maryland without public appearances for a week prior to his disastrous debate in June, Harris's strategy is more akin to Obama's.
- While Harris focuses on revamping her debate preparations to meet the standards set by political leaders like Biden and Clinton, Trump adheres to his familiar methods of debate preparation, relying on briefings and question-and-answer sessions rather than using impersonators.
- Despite the potential for a different dynamic due to Harris' experience and Trump's controversial demeanor, political insiders believe that the upcoming debate could follow a similar pattern to their previous encounters, with Harris maintaining a strategy to avoid getting entangled in Trump's verbal attacks and focusing on presenting a clear narrative.
