The camera will be on the candidates for a full 90 minutes, and even when they’re not speaking, they’ll be watched. Clips will go viral. Biden looked like a zombie on his side of that white line at his June debate. His chances of success and a second term withered, arguably, within the first 10 or 15 minutes.
Trump, rarely restrained, came across as restrained even though he was weaving fables throughout the debate. Restraint won the day over befuddled. Harris has been adept, optimistic, informed and regularly pitch-perfect on the campaign trail. That’s who she should be on the split screen.
Trump, like all comedians, is at ease in front of crowds and enjoys performing. He’s also easily rattled, and the things that rattle him are bespoke. He doesn’t mind be labeled a liar; he does mind being seen as weird. He doesn’t mind being labeled a buffoon; he does mind being seen as incompetent. He’s fine if you say he fawns over dictators; he’s not cool if you say he tried to torch the Constitution.
He’s fine if you say he’ll abuse the presidency’s legal powers; he’s not if you describe him as lawless. He’s fine attacking people for how they look; he’s not fine being described as a low-energy senior citizen. He likes saying he presided over a booming economy in the White House; he doesn’t like hearing that Biden’s economy has been stronger. Harris has already gotten under Trump’s skin. Finding the right places to needle him further will throw him off balance in a debate. She should go on the offensive accordingly.
As long as the participants don’t routinely try to run roughshod over their opponent or simply ignore every question moderators put in front of them, the audience at home can forgive a lot of dodging in a debate. Biden beat Trump in their 2020 debates, in part because Trump, sweating and belligerent, interrupted Biden ad nauseam.
Biden was the clear adult in the room. He accepted the moderators’ guidance more frequently than Trump did while also knowing when it was time to deflect or dodge a question. Harris can do the same.
Abortion and reproductive rights are a winning issue for the Democrats and for Harris. Trump has flipped and flopped on abortion and related issues so many times he can’t truly be said to have a credible position anymore. Harris should tee that up, alongside her record as a prosecutor and her views on crime and law enforcement.
Immigration has been an Achilles’ heel for Democrats, though an available and good riposte on this is reminding viewers that Trump tanked a bipartisan immigration bill for craven political reasons and Biden’s recent tightening of asylum laws has helped calm down the southern border. A sound, post-Covid public health approach could be useful to point to, along with race, gender and wealth inequities. Paramount: Harris is a messenger for mature judgment, optimism about the American Dream and a focus on the future. Joy and opportunity are always good cards to play.
This is related to the previous point about issues. This race has always been about six or seven swing states and the undecided or persuadable voters who live there. They care about a multitude of things, of course. But the economy regularly tops their lists. Inflation — a proxy for a broader and more grinding affordability nightmare for many folks — has been one facet of this.
Trump will surely pound away at this theme along with fearmongering about an immigrant invasion. Harris has data and reality on her side on the economy. Goldman Sachs recently projected that the US economy would fare better under a Harris White House than a Trump White House. Harris should fly that flag.
Trump isn’t a public servant or a healer. It’s always been about him rather than voters. He has broken many promises along the way. Harris should flick at his self-absorption and grifting throughout the debate.
Trump decided to call on his running mate, Senator JD Vance, Representative Matt Gaetz and former Representative Tulsi Gabbard, among others, to help him prepare for the Philadelphia debate. That alone should put a spring in Harris’ step.