Vice President Kamala Harris has long been mulling Tuesday’s debate against former President Donald Trump.
“What we need is someone who is going to be on the debate stage with Donald Trump and defeat him by being able to hold on to the job for another four years,” Harris said during the July 2019 CNN Democratic presidential primary debate. “And let me tell you, we have a long rap sheet,” he said.
When it comes to political debate, Harris himself has more than a decade of priorities. Tuesday’s ABC News debate will mark the first time Harris and Trump have faced each other and only the third time a Republican has faced off. But the Democrat’s past debate performances dating back to 2010 offer some clues about how he plans to make his case against Trump and for his own candidacy — what techniques and tactics he relies on, potential weaknesses and other common themes that stretch across the state and national years. debates.
He reviewed some of his criticisms of Trump during the 2020 presidential race, calling the then-president “corrupt” and “unpatriotic,” criticizing his “weird” obsession with erasing former President Barack Obama’s achievements, and what Trump “did.” he said. I don’t understand what it means to be honest” while looking directly at Trump’s running mateMike Pence during the vice presidential debate.
“I’m talking” Harris repeated during the discussion When Pence talked about him.
And he often comes prepared with memorable one-liners and plenty of statistics to make his case and create a moment that can grab attention long after the debate is over.
Harris diligently prepared Tuesday between the campaign trail and his White House duties for strategic discussions on how to derail Trump and manage his impending attacks.
“He knows that every word, every facial expression matters, and he knows that the stakes are very high at this level,” said Brian Brokaw, a former Harris campaign aide.
“You can let the smartest people around you prepare you for weeks or months,” Brokaw later added, “but at the end of the day, there’s only one person standing with a microphone under the bright lights, and he has to be in that moment to know how to capitalize.”
Preparation is key
One of the main themes in Harris’ past debates: It’s clear how well-prepared he is, often armed with highly specific policy and statistical details or attacks on his opponents.
That preparation paid off for Harris with a number of big moments as well as some that fell flat.
During his Democratic debates, he sought to distinguish himself by revealing specific parts of his political platform, regularly spouting key statistics and repeating catchphrases and quotable lines to reinforce his point.
he asked during his first appearance on the Democratic presidential debate stage in June 2019 naming their specific plans for immigrationHarris was ready.
“I will immediately on January 20, 2021 — first of all, we can’t forget about our DACA recipients, and so I’ll start there. I will restore DACA status and DACA protections to those young people with immediate executive action,” he said. He then went on to outline plans for other deportation delays, a review of asylum claims, improved conditions in detention centers, and plans to get rid of private detention centers altogether.
During a 2020 debate with Pence, Harris jumped on the Trump administration’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic, calling it “the biggest failure of any presidential administration in the history of our country,” before brushing off a series of statistics about deaths, contractions, closures. businesses, impacts on front-line workers and unemployment competition.
Brokaw, who managed Harris’ campaign for California attorney general and advised his 2016 Senate campaign, noted his attention to detail.
“He would like to spend a lot of time having a thorough conversation about the substance,” Brokaw said. “It can be nerve-wracking for preppers because what we’re trying to emphasize is appearance, you just need a good, strong sound bite to get your point across. But he actually wants a thorough understanding of every issue that might arise.
Brokaw acknowledged that over-preparation comes with its own risks, but he emphasized that Harris also has a leg up because of his experience as a prosecutor in the courtroom.
Still, there were a few times Harris took clear positions or landed clear punches that could have helped his opponents in the moment, but ultimately backfired.
The most obvious example of this was in the first Democratic presidential debate of 2019. he replaced his then-rival Joe Biden for opposing the use of federal funds to desegregate schools by busing.
“There was a little girl who was in second grade in California to be integrated into public schools, and she took the bus to school every day. And that little girl was me,” Harris echoed on stage.
Harris’ campaign immediately launched merchandise and fundraising campaigns around the comments, giving his candidacy a jolt of energy as he seeks to differentiate himself in a crowded field. But a muddier message in later days His momentum on the issue has been blunted, and the issue — and Harris’s primary campaign — have both faded.
“Obviously, he’s rehearsed these things and he’s ready to go when he’s looking for that viral moment,” said Marc Short, Pence’s former chief of staff and NBC News contributor. He added that this may be part of the reason Harris’ campaign is headed for failure mute the microphones for all the debate, in search of a viral moment that pushed Trump back.
A related issue also emerged during the review of the 2019 debates: Many of the positions Trump takes as he tries to appeal to the Democratic primary electorate will be the kinds of policies Trump may display on stage next week.
It was a tactic Pence used in 2020, and as Short said, it could work well for Trump.
He pointed to Harris’ challenge in 2018, saying, “It would play better for Trump because he’s given up all those positions now. The border is one of the best issues for Trump.”critically again–Review ICE and its role.”
“The question is: Can Trump really pursue a policy case?” Short asked.
Breaking the fourth wall
Some of the highlights from Harris’ past debates have come when he’s effectively broken the fourth wall, reacting to his opponents in real time and trying to get the crowd on his side.
Towards the beginning of the first presidential debate, Harris took the opportunity to address his fellow candidates and the audience at one point, portraying himself above a group of bickering politicians talking over each other.
“Hey guys, you know what? America does not want to witness a food fight, they want to know how we will put food on their table. he said to applause This set him up to answer the question of economic inequality.
In the 2010 California attorney general debate, one such point was a key part of his victory against Los Angeles District Attorney Steve Cooley.
Near the end of the debate, a moderator asked Cooley if he planned to “double dip” and receive both a pension and a salary if elected, and Cooley said he did, and received an “unbelievably low salary” for a state attorney. general.
He asked if he had anything to add. Harris simply pointed at Cooley and said“Go for it, Steve,” and laughed. His campaign is fast Cooley’s response turned it into a TV ad in LA Countycutting off its base of support.
Six years later, Harris’ Senate opponent, then-Democratic Rep. Loretta Sanchez, “dabbed” after his closing statement. The dance move was not caught on stream of the debate, but later went viral when a local news reporter shared the video online.
While Sanchez’s dance move may not be clear to viewers at first, Harris reacted, his eyes widening. “So there’s a clear difference between the candidates in this race,” he began, continuing to cast himself as a more serious candidate than Sanchez.
“He knows when to shoot and when to let the opponent hurt himself,” Brokaw said.
Harris broke the fourth wall more often in his debate against Pence, looking directly into the camera to speak directly to the audience. he says at once“America, you deserve better,” after looking back at Trump’s controversial comments about Mexican immigrants, the Proud Boys and white supremacy in 2017 in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Harris also referenced the historic nature of her nomination, sending a signal to viewers to think about women in these positions. From the 2010 state attorney general debate to the 2019 presidential debate, Harris noted his use of the pronouns “he” and “her” when referring to those office holders.
Navigating criticism
Harris has often managed critical moments in past debates by writing notes. Although ABC News debate rules do not allow candidates to bring pre-recorded notes, they will be provided with a pen and paper set, the network announced Thursday.
And his past discussions offer a preview of how he might respond to attacks on Harris’ record. In 2020, Pence criticized his past support for the so-called “Green New Deal,” a trade deal between the United States, Mexico, and Canada, and offered an analysis that considered Harris the most liberal senator.
In some cases, Harris directed criticism at the Trump administration. But Harris for supporting the Green New Deal looked straight into the camera and said“Joe Biden will not ban fracking. This is a fact.”
Some of her most memorable and direct debate clashes in 2019 were with former Hawaii representative Tulsi Gabbard, who is now supporting Trump. After Gabbard criticized the Democratic Party during a November 2019 debate, Harris tried to judge her record.
“Unfortunately, there is someone on this stage who is trying to run for the Democratic nomination for president of the United States, who spent four years full-time on Fox News during the Obama administration criticizing President Obama,” he said. He approves of Trump.
After Gabbard pushed back, Harris didn’t take the bait. Instead, it became her campaign elevator pitch and slogan: Kamala Harris for the people.