Harris campaign outlines debate strategy against Trump as it decries ABC News rules as ‘disadvantage’
WASHINGTON, DC: Vice President Kamala Harris is gearing up for the much-anticipated September 10 debate with Donald Trump, concentrating on strategies to unsettle the Republican candidate and highlight his frequent policy misrepresentations, especially for maximum impact on social media, according to her aides and advisors.
Harris, the Democratic contender, last appeared in a 2020 debate against then-Vice President Mike Pence, an evening focused on policy issues and highlighted by Harris’ sharp rebukes of Pence’s interruptions.
However, for many American voters, the most memorable moment was the fly that briefly stole the spotlight during the event.
Kamala Harris to focus on Donald Trump’s policy failures and avoid personal attacks
Kamala Harris plans to highlight what her team sees as Donald Trump's failures on the border wall, infrastructure, and handling of the Covid-19 pandemic. Her advisors say she plans to stay away from personal attacks during the debate.
Trump and his vice-presidential candidate, JD Vance, have criticized Harris and President Biden on key issues such as inflation, the surge of undocumented immigrants at the US southern border, and economic plans they argue will increase government expenditure, The Economic Times reported.
They also claim that more Covid-related deaths have occurred under Biden's presidency compared to Trump's, blaming this on Biden's setbacks in political battles over mask mandates and vaccinations.
Trump has intensified his personal attacks on Harris as she leads in national polls, following President Biden's withdrawal from the presidential race on July 21 after a weak performance in the June debate.
Harris' team anticipates that the debate will garner significant viewership through video clips shared on social media platforms such as TikTok and X.
Harris' team is focused on creating memorable moments that resonate with viewers and are easily shared across social media. Their strategy reportedly includes provoking Trump into making inflammatory or offensive remarks, according to two sources.
Harris has been preparing for the prime-time debate by engaging in mock debates with Philippe Reines, a former advisor to Hillary Clinton, who is reprising his role as her debate coach.
The campaign expects the debate to be important, though they believe it is unlikely to significantly change public opinion about the former president.
Kamala Harris's campaign expresses concerns regarding the debate rules
Kamala Harris's campaign team has expressed concerns that the debate rules established by ABC News may put her at a "fundamental disadvantage" in her upcoming debate with Trump.
In a letter to the station, obtained by MJ Lee of CNN, Harris's team argued, "Vice President Harris, a former prosecutor, will be fundamentally disadvantaged by this format, which will shield Donald Trump from direct exchanges with the Vice President."
"Notwithstanding our concerns, we understand that Donald Trump is a risk to skip the debate altogether, as he has threatened to do previously, if we do not accede to his preferred format. We do not want to jeopardize the debate," the letter explained.
"Additionally, there would be pool reporters in the room during the debate who would presumably hear and report on any notable exchanges between Harris and Trump that are not picked up by mics/explained by moderators," Lee added.
