US Elections 2024: The presidential race in the United States is inching closer towards a critical month as rival candidates Donald Trump and Kamala Harris are gearing up for their first presidential debate on September 10. With so much at risk after President Joe Biden's faltering performance in June virtually forced him out of the race, the planning for the first showdown between Trump and Harris has already begun.
The former President has now roped in former Democratic Congresswoman and Indian-American leader Tulsi Gabbard to help sharpen his attacks in a recent practice session at his private Mar-a-:ago estate, two people familiar with Trump's schedule told the New York Times. This comes as Trump's campaign suffered some hurdles as managers are desperate to focus on policy issues like immigration and inflation rather than his personal remarks on Harris.
On the other hand, Harris held her first formal debate training session earlier this week at Howard University, the historically Black college in Washington that she attended nearly four decades ago, and she is working closely with a seasoned stand-in for Trump, according to CNN. After days of back and forth, the two presidential candidates have finally agreed on a debate at ABC News on September 10.
Tulsi Gabbard's impact on debates
Gabbard, who left the Democratic Party after her 2020 presidential run and has rebranded herself as a celebrity among Trump’s base of support, has long been friendly with Trump and was briefly considered to be his running mate. Her involvement in Trump's preparation comes from her experience with debating Harris during a 2019 Democratic presidential primary debate, where she managed to badly rattle the current Vice President in a memorable encounter.
Karoline Leavitt, a spokeswoman for Trump, said the former President had "proven to be one of the best debaters in political history as evidenced by his knockout blow to Joe Biden. He does not need traditional debate prep but will continue to meet with respected policy advisers and effective communicators like Tulsi Gabbard, who successfully dominated Kamala Harris on the debate stage in 2020.”
As Biden's exit and Kamala Harris' entry galvanised the Democrats and registered a strong surge in enthusiasm for the 59-year-old, Trump's personal remarks on her racial identity and policies have elicitated somewhat of a backlash that has perhaps necessitated Gabbard's help in preparing for their much-awaited showdown.
Gabbard vs Harris in 2020
Both Gabbard and Harris launched their unsuccessful presidential bids in 2020. The former's involvement in Trump's bid is expected to be beneficial for the Republican given that she has served as a former House member and has dealt a stinging blow to Harris against her role as a prosecutor that ultimately derailed the latter's presidential campaign.
Gabbard accused Harris of "putting over 1,500 people in jail for marijuana violations and then laughed about it when she was asked if she ever smoked marijuana." She also accused the VP of having obstructed evidence that could have let an innocent man leave death row, doing so only when a court “forced her to.”
Harris replied that she was “proud of making a decision to not just give fancy speeches, or be in a legislative body and give speeches on the floor, but actually doing the work.” Her aides later admitted that Gabbard's remarks helped lock Harris into a tailspin her campaign never recovered from.
Trump on seeking help from allies
Although Trump likes to say he needs no help in preparing for debates, he has spent considerable time in preparing for onstage encounters this year than he did in 2016 or 202-, according to his advisors. His first debate against Biden in 2020 came as a bit of shock for him as he appeared overbearing and unable to counter Biden's remarks.
As he prepared to face Biden, Trump invited several of the Republicans he considered for his running mate to discuss issues and potential talking points. However, he recently rebuffed the advice given by his allies like Nikki Haley and Vivek Ramaswamy, saying he would like to do things "my way".
Trump has also called for additional debates and has agreed to two others with Fox News and NBC. His running mate, Ohio Senator JD Vance, and Harris’ vice presidential pick, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, agreed on Thursday to an October 1 debate hosted by CBS News.
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