‘She Is Going To Wow the Country’: Confidence in Harris Ahead of Debate
Presidential rivals to face off in front of the nation Tuesday evening
Political analysts have high expectations for Vice President Kamala Harris — and expect her doing well — going into her debate against Donald Trump.
Harris, who vaulted to the top of the ticket after President Biden withdrew from the election following the previous debate, will face off against Trump Tuesday evening, to be shown on ABC News.
The debate between Harris and Trump will be at 9 pm ET, and broadcast live from Philadelphia, Pa.
The vice president has shaken up the race and largely eliminated the lead Trump was amassing against Biden before he dropped out in July.
Polls show the presidential contest still is tight, however, and the Tuesday debate could be the final opportunity Harris has to speak to such a large swath of voters ahead of Election Day.
“I love these pre-debate days because we all have theories and ideas of what she should do and then it turns out to be something totally different that surprises us. She is going to wow the country at the debate,” said David Jolly, a former Republican congressman from Florida who supports Harris.
Jolly offered Harris some advice on how to approach the encounter with Trump, which will be the first time that the two opponents have ever met each other because Trump skipped attending the inauguration in 2021 after fomenting the violent insurrection on January 6 of that year.
“I think you punch back by being dismissive, by belittling Donald Trump, and not directly engaging him, almost dismissing him as the old incoherent, rambling, insulting, xenophobic racist that he is,” Jolly said. “I know that’s hard to do with just a wink and a nod, but do it. There’s one question of how to deal with Trump, there’s another question of what the greatest opportunity on the debate stage for the vice president.
“And I think the greatest opportunity has nothing to do with Donald Trump. I think it’s how she engages in exchanges with the moderators on policies and the vision for the country and how she defends her and President Biden’s record because she will be pushed on that just as hopefully Donald Trump will be pushed on his,” he added. “But the opportunity to command the stage I think is in: one, dismissing Donald Trump for the incoherent aging ex-president that he is, but secondly, to demonstrate command of policy and most importantly vision when she has exchanges with the moderators, let the American people believe in you on the debate stage. And if she does that, which she has given us every indication she’s certainly capable of doing. Watch out, it will be a good night for her.”
James Carville, one of the architects of Democrat Bill Clinton’s presidential victory in 1992, thinks Harris has an excellent opportunity ahead Tuesday.
“People know what Trump is. They don’t yet know what Vice President Harris is. If she can successfully fill out the what, she has some upside here, some real upside, and I think that’s very important,” he said. “She can gain more or lose more. Trump’s going to be at 48 no matter what he does, all right? She can either be at 52 or 46. It’s kind of a choice.
“By the way, Jen, I never try to predict things. I said when it started it was going to be a close election. I got attacked as being a ‘Debbie Downer’ and, ‘What’s James doing?’ Of course, no one’s attacking me anymore. But I'll go out on a limb, I think she’s going to do really well on Tuesday night. I really do,” Carville said during an appearance with MSNBC host Jen Psaki. “My expectations are high. She has the right people for debate prep, from everything I hear, and I think she's got great opportunities.”
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