Harris and Trump prepare for Tuesday's debate in very different ways

Josh Boak and Jill Colvin
| Associated Press

Pittsburgh — Kamala Harris and Donald Trump have deviated dramatically in their preparation for Tuesday’s presidential debate, setting up a showdown that reflects not only two distinct visions of the country but also two politicians who approach big moments in very different ways.

The vice president is holed up in a historic hotel in downtown Pittsburgh, where she can focus on preparing concise, two-minute answers that comply with debate rules. She has been working with aides since Thursday and has chosen a venue that allows the Democratic nominee to mingle with voters in key states.

Trump, the Republican nominee, has publicly denied the point of studying for the debate. The former president has chosen to fill his days with campaign events, assuming he will know what to do once he steps on the debate stage at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia.

“You can go in with whatever strategy you want, but you have to kind of feel it out as the debate unfolds,” he said during a town hall meeting with Fox News host Sean Hannity.

Trump then quoted former boxer Mike Tyson, who said: “Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the face.”

Harris said she was prepared for Trump to hurl insults and distort facts, even though his campaign saw the value in focusing on the middle class and the prospects for a better future for the country.

“We have to prepare ourselves for the fact that he doesn’t have to tell the truth,” Harris said in a radio interview on the Rickey Smiley Morning Show. “He tends to fight for himself, not for the American people, and I think that’s going to show in the debate.”

For her own preparation, Harris tapped Democratic consultant Philippe Reines, a longtime adviser to Hillary Clinton, to play Trump. She likes to describe Trump as having a “playbook” of lies to go after Democrats like Clinton and former President Barack Obama.

Harris has said she understands Trump on a deeper psychological level. She has tried, in speeches such as at the Democratic National Convention, to show that she would be a stronger leader than he is — an argument that challenges Trump’s desire to project himself and show his strength.

The June 27 debate between Trump and President Joe Biden turned the election on its head, with Biden’s disastrous performance ultimately leading him to abandon his candidacy for the Democratic nominee and endorse Kamala Harris. Both teams know that the first in-person meeting between Harris and Trump could be a decisive event in a tight race.

Trump preemptively criticized the ABC News debate moderators, saying he would not be treated fairly. But he said he plans to let Harris speak, just as he did in his debate with Biden.

“I let her talk. I’m going to let her talk,” he said during Hannity’s town hall meeting.

Trump advisers have said this debate will be no different than the last one, and that the former president will not do more traditional preparation. There will be no stunt doubles, no sets, no staging.

Instead, they point to Trump’s frequent interviews, including answering questions at lengthy press conferences, giving hour-long podcasts and participating in town hall meetings with sympathetic hosts like Hannity.

Trump also meets regularly with political advisers who are experts on the issues likely to be discussed in the debate. During these informal sessions, they discuss the issues, Trump’s policies during his time in office and his plans for a second term.

“I have meetings about it. We talk about it. But there’s not much you can do. You either know your stuff or you don’t. You either have good policy or you don’t,” he said in a New Hampshire radio interview.

Before the final debate, Trump held talks with prominent Republicans, including Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, who was then tipped to be Trump’s running mate. This time, he held talks with Tulsi Gabbard, the former Democratic congresswoman and Democratic presidential candidate who is now a Trump supporter.

Gabbard, who is now also part of Trump’s transition team, was specifically tasked with helping Trump this time around because she knows Harris, having debated with her when the two were running for the Democratic nomination in 2020. She also recently held a town hall meeting with Trump in Wisconsin.

Trump, advisers say, is intent on putting Harris on the defensive. He wants to portray her as too liberal, trying to tie her to Biden’s economic record and highlighting her reversals on issues such as a ban on fracking, which she no longer supports.

“We look forward to seeing her on stage, unable to defend her policies and her reversals,” said Karoline Leavitt, a Trump campaign spokeswoman. “The president has proven that he has a handle on the issues, and she has not.”

Harris’ team is banking on Trump coming out as an extremist and using the debate as a springboard to build on the momentum generated by her short campaign. The campaign plans to use the weekend before the debate to hold 2,000 volunteer events and reach more than a million voters.

“With hundreds of offices and thousands of staffers spread across battleground states, we are able to capitalize on all the buzz around the debate and reach hard-to-reach voters,” Dan Kanninen, the campaign’s key states director, said in a statement.

Colvin reported from New York. Associated Press writer Michelle L. Price in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, contributed to this report.