Insiders have revealed how Donald Trump and Kamala Harris are preparing for next week’s debate.
The presidential hopefuls will face off in Philadelphia against ABC anchors David Muir and Linsey Davis.
Their preparations have taken very different forms, sources close to their campaigns told the AFP news agency. The New York Times.
Harris has been holed up in a Pittsburgh hotel fighting with a Trump lookalike wearing a suit and tie, confidential sources said.
Meanwhile, the former president has maintained his insistence that he does not prepare for debates, instead calling his sessions “policy time,” where he is reportedly reviewing his record and answering the occasional set of questions.
Insiders have revealed how Donald Trump and Kamala Harris are preparing for next week’s debate
Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz has reportedly offered to ask the toughest questions.
Trump is also said to be studying his opponent’s techniques and keeping an eye on his speech at the Democratic National Convention.
In addition to the different approaches, the challenges each candidate faces are also unique.
Harris must try to assert her political identity among undecided voters who are unfamiliar with her style and record, experts said.
Trump, meanwhile, may need to rein in some of his personality to avoid appearing too aggressive, as he has done in other debates.
Nowhere is this more evident than in the reported request from both sides to mute microphones during the speech.
Trump’s team agreed to turn them off when candidates aren’t speaking, while Harris hoped to leave them unmuted in hopes of catching the Republican nominee talking over her or making snide remarks.
Harris has been holed up in a Pittsburgh hotel fighting with a Trump lookalike wearing a suit and tie, sources close to the event said.
The technique worked well for Harris during a confrontation with Mike Pence in which she managed to undermine his attempts to interrupt her.
The debate is said to serve as a warning to Trump, who wants to avoid a repeat of the situation.
But former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton hopes Harris can still pull off some of the colorful outbursts for which Trump is praised and loathed in equal measure on both sides of the political divide.
“She shouldn’t let herself be provoked, she should provoke him,” Clinton told the NYT.
“When I said he was a Russian puppet, he started babbling on stage. I think it’s an example of bringing up a fact about him that really makes him nervous.”
There are fears that he could repeat his performance against Joe Biden in the 2020 debate, in which he repeatedly interrupted the president.
His team is also bracing for tough questions on topics like his criminal convictions and his stance on abortion, which has been somewhat confusing lately.
But Jason Miller, a top strategic adviser, hopes Trump can focus on the perceived failures of the current administration and Harris’ role within it.
Trump, pictured debating Joe Biden earlier this year, is said to be brushing up on his past record during “political sessions.”
Harris reportedly hopes to irritate Trump and make him lose his cool.
“You cannot ‘turn the page’ when you are the only one responsible for the current economic and border nightmare our country is experiencing,” he said.
Similarly, Harris is reportedly trying to portray Trump as someone repeating tired tactics from her previous playbook, having moved away from trying to portray him as a bad person.
Trump has an added advantage: He has participated in debates more recently than Harris.
Still, he is said to be preparing more than ever before the clash.
Sources also suggested that Trump had considered withdrawing, citing perceived bias on the part of ABC, but ultimately decided that doing so would appear weak.