A Look at Harris and Trump’s Distinct Approaches to Debate Preparation

Donald Trump and Kamala Harris are preparing for their upcoming debate with distinctly different approaches that reflect their contrasting political styles.

Kamala Harris has been diligently preparing with a team of trusted advisors. To simulate Trump’s presence, one of her advisors even donned three-inch shoe lifts and an ill-fitting suit for their preparations. In contrast, sources claim that Trump is not dedicating much time to preparing for the debate scheduled for September 10 on ABC News.

Harris has not faced a debate stage since 2020, when she debated then-Vice President Mike Pence. That encounter was notable, particularly for the viral moment when a fly landed on Pence’s head for two minutes. In this new debate, marked as the first time both candidates will engage directly, Harris is being trained by Phillipe Reines, who previously portrayed Trump for Hillary Clinton’s preparations in 2016.

Reines shared insights about his training techniques in a 2020 interview with the Washington Post. He studied Trump’s eleven Republican primary debates, watching each one multiple times. His practice involved viewing the debates in different ways: first in their entirety, then focusing on exchanges involving Trump, and finally, observing only Trump’s gestures and body language while muted, to hone in on non-verbal cues.

Recently, Reines was seen wearing a long tie at Howard University, where Harris engaged in a mock debate at her alma mater, missing only the wig from his previous impersonations. In addition to Reines, Harris’s preparation team includes Rohini Kosoglu, a longtime aide, and Karen Dunn, who helped her prepare for the 2020 vice presidential debate. Sean Clegg, who served as a lead strategist in her 2020 campaign, is also part of this circle.

Harris’s team is focusing on strategies to unsettle Trump and maintain her composure when he resorts to personal attacks, as a source familiar with her preparations disclosed to NBC News. Notably, her team aims to prevent a repeat of her experience during the Democratic primary debate in July 2019 when Tulsi Gabbard criticized her record as a prosecutor. Gabbard accused Harris of incarcerating over 1,500 individuals for marijuana offenses, pointing to what she called Harris’s “hypocrisy” when the vice president laughed about whether she had ever used marijuana.

This incident remains vivid in Harris’s mind, as she was reportedly unprepared for Gabbard’s attack, leaving her “rattled” and struggling to regain her footing during the debate.

On the other hand, Trump appears to be adopting a relaxed attitude toward his preparations. Following his debate against President Joe Biden in June, he expressed to CNN, “I’m not spending a lot of time on it. I think my whole life I’ve been preparing for a debate.” He was spotted playing golf in the days leading up to the June debate, a moment his team touted as a decisive victory that led to Biden’s withdrawal from the race.

Trump’s campaign spokesperson, Karoline Leavitt, emphasized his adeptness in debate settings, stating that he has demonstrated himself to be one of the best debaters in political history, evidenced by his performance against Biden. Leavitt noted that Trump does not require traditional debate prep but will continue discussions with respected policy advisors and effective communicators like Gabbard, who previously performed well against Harris on stage.

Trump’s strategy will likely involve targeting Harris’s political positions and what his campaign describes as her lack of clarity on critical issues including immigration, the border wall, fracking, and the economy.

Gabbard expressed her willingness to assist Trump in any way possible, sharing insights based on her experience confronting Harris during the debate and noting how Harris has tried to distance herself from her earlier record and positions.

As both campaigns prepare with different tactics, issues, and strategies, the anticipation for this high-stakes debate is growing with less than a week to go.

Source: various news outlets