Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris is bracing for her Republican rival Donald Trump to mislead and misinform in their first face-to-face debate, she said in an interview that aired Monday.
"I think he's gonna lie," the vice president said on "The Rickey Smiley Morning Show."
Trump "plays from this really old and tired playbook right?" Harris said in the interview, which was taped last Wednesday. "There's no floor for him in terms of how low he will go, and we should be prepared for that."
Smiley had asked Harris how she is preparing to handle Trump's "attacks" and "temperament" during the debate hosted by ABC News, which is set for Tuesday night at 9 p.m. ET.
"We should be prepared for the fact that he is not burdened by telling the truth, and we should be prepared for the fact that he is probably going to speak a lot of untruth," she replied.
Harris' remarks to Smiley followed a New Hampshire campaign rally, where she focused on her policies to help small businesses. She told Smiley she plans to point out how Trump "tends to fight for himself, not for the American people."
"I think that's going to come out during the debate," Harris said.
"I expect that he's gonna, you know, I think he's gonna lie."
"He has a playbook that he has used in the past, be it, you know, his attacks on President [Barack] Obama or [former Democratic nominee] Hillary Clinton," she added. "So we should expect some of that might come out."
The 90-minute debate Tuesday night will be the first, and possibly only, time that Trump and Harris square off in person before the Nov. 5 election.
It presents a crucial second chance for the Democratic ticket. A previous presidential debate in late June between Trump and President Joe Biden went so poorly for the incumbent that he dropped out of the race weeks later and endorsed Harris as his replacement.
Harris in a matter of weeks has appeared to close the polling gap that Trump held over Biden. But a poll from The New York Times and Siena College released Sunday showed Trump and Harris in a neck-and-neck race, with voters saying they needed to know more about the new Democratic nominee.
Preparing for the Unpredictable: Insights from Biden and Clinton
An important part of Vice President Kamala Harris’ preparations to debate Donald Trump Tuesday night has entailed getting ready for possible insults, derogatory comments and name-calling from the former president, two sources familiar said.
The team helping to prepare Harris have had to look no further than Trump’s recent public comments, including at his political rallies, to get a sense of the kinds of things the GOP nominee may say on the debate stage.
“Just go look at his rallies,” one of the two sources, a senior adviser, told CNN. “His rallies are a preview of the debate.” Trump has recently called Harris “nasty,” questioned whether Harris is Black and insulted her intelligence.
It is anybody’s guess just how much Trump will be inclined to try to personally insult his rival tomorrow night — and how much of it will even be heard by the public, given that candidates’ mics will be off when it is not their turn to speak. If the mics were on the entire time, the Harris adviser said, “it would show he does not have the temperament to be president.”
As she has been reading up on Trump’s policy positions, past comments and even insults he has directed at her, two people Harris has extensively spoken with are President Joe Biden and former Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton — both have experienced insults thrown their way by the former GOP president on the debate stage.
Harris' Debate Preparation
Coming just weeks after the Democratic National Convention, where Harris formally accepted her party’s nomination for the presidency, the vice president’s advisers see this week’s ABC News debate as a critical opportunity to speak to voters, including those who are starting to tune in for the first time and are interested in giving her a second look.
Harris said in an interview on “The Rickey Smiley Morning Show” released Monday that she is preparing for Trump to “speak a lot of untruths” and to attack her personally during Tuesday’s debate, pointing to the “tired playbook” of attacks he’s thrown at her and others throughout his political career.
“There’s no floor for him in terms of how low he will go and — and we should be prepared for that. We should be prepared for the fact that he is not burdened by telling the truth, and we should be prepared for the fact that he’s probably going to speak a lot of untruths,” she said.
Harris specifically referenced Trump’s previous attacks on Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, suggesting he may invoke her identity as a Black woman during the debate.
“I think he’s gonna lie, and, you know, he has a playbook that he has used in the past, be it, you know, his attacks on President Obama or Hillary Clinton. So we should expect that some of that might come out,” she said.
Harris said in the interview, which was taped last Wednesday, during her trip to New Hampshire, that she is hoping to make the case that Trump “tends to fight for himself” drawing the contrast with her own commitment to work on behalf of voters.
“What I intend to point out is what we, so many people know, and certainly, as I’m traveling the country in this campaign, he tends to fight for himself, not for the American people. And I think that’s going to come out during the course of the debate,” she said.
Harris has been in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania since Thursday preparing for tomorrow’s debate against Trump.
The Stage is Set: Harris vs. Trump
The most important moment in the race between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump comes tomorrow, as the vice president prepares for what could be her only opportunity to directly confront a former president whose political dominance she is pledging to end.
Their debate is particularly important for Harris, who is battling to define herself in voters’ eyes and keep up the positive momentum she’s enjoyed since becoming the Democratic Party’s new nominee this summer.
For Harris, it’s a marquee moment to show Americans that she is ready to assume the presidency, a question very much on the minds of voters as the fall campaign intensifies.
“Look, it’s time to turn the page on the divisiveness,” she said during a weekend stop in Pittsburgh, taking a break from her debate preparations. “It’s time to bring our country together, chart a new way forward.”
Trump, meanwhile, is eager to negatively shape voters’ perceptions of his Democratic rival and halt the gains she has made since ascending to the top of the Democratic ticket in July. Harris has eliminated what for much of the year had been Trump’s lead over Biden in presidential polling.
Both Harris and Trump are offering themselves as change agents of sorts. Harris has pitched herself as a clean break from a bitterly divisive era of politics dominated by Trump. The former president, though, points to Harris’ time in the Biden administration and says she bears the blame for inflation, higher mortgage rates and more.
The Countdown Begins:
As Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump gear up to face off Tuesday in the presidential debate, both camps continue working to court voters.
Here’s who you can expect to see and where:
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Donald Trump: Will join a National Faith Advisory Pre-Debate Prayer Call with Pastors Paula White, Jentezen Franklin, Lorenzo Sewell, and IFA President Dave Kubal at 8 p.m. ET.
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Kamala Harris: A pre-recorded radio interview with Vice President Harris will be aired on Monday morning. Later, at 4.40 p.m. ET Harris will depart Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and land in Philadelphia, PA ahead of Tuesday’s debate.
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Tim Walz: The Minnesota governor will travel to Dallas and in the afternoon will deliver remarks at a campaign reception on behalf of the Harris Victory fund. He’s also expected to campaign in Nevada tonight.
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Doug Emhoff and Gwen Walz: At 2:00 p.m. ET, Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff and First Lady of Minnesota Gwen Walz will deliver remarks in Raleigh from a Harris-Walz Campaign “Fighting for Freedom” Bus Tour Stop. At 4:05 p.m. ET, Emhoff will deliver remarks at a team Harris-Walz phone bank in Raleigh.
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President Joe Biden: Biden will travel back to Washington, DC from Delaware. At 5:00 p.m. ET, Biden will deliver remarks from the White House to celebrate the Americans with Disabilities Act and to mark Disability Pride Month.
The Debate's Significance
The debate at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia will be the first face-to-face encounter between Harris and Trump, who are locked in a tight race.
The contest shows both Trump’s enduring appeal to tens of millions of Americans as he seeks a political comeback and the huge task facing Harris as she tries to save an election Democrats seemed doomed to lose before Biden bowed out.
That makes tomorrow’s debate — the first since June’s consequential clash on CNN that eventually ended Biden’s campaign — the most critical scheduled event before Election Day.
Beyond the Rhetoric: A Look at the Policies
There is a new addition to the Harris/Walz campaign website: a host of policy positions under an issues tab.
Republicans have persistently called out the Democratic ticket for failing to outline their policy aspirations online clearly.
Now, with just two days to go until her debate with former President Donald Trump, Vice President Kamala Harris’ vision for what she characterizes as “a new way forward” includes details on how to address economic anxieties, safeguard fundamental freedoms, promote public safety, and strengthen national security.
CNN has reached out to the campaign for comment.
The Rules of Engagement: A Look at the ABC News Debate Format
ABC News officially announced the rules last week of tomorrow’s presidential debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump, noting that both candidates had agreed to the format.
ABC’s rules, first shared with the campaigns last month, largely mirror the format of CNN’s presidential debate in June between Trump and President Joe Biden.
Harris’ camp had lobbied for the mics to remain on for the duration of the debate to “fully allow for substantive exchanges between the candidates,” to no avail.
Here are the rules of the face off:
- The network, according to the source familiar, offered assurances to the Harris campaign that if there is significant cross talk between Harris and Trump, it may choose to turn on the mics so that the public can understand what is happening, the moderator would discourage either candidate from interrupting constantly and the moderator would also work to explain to viewers what is being said.
You will be able to watch the ABC debate live on CNN tomorrow night at 9 p.m. ET.
Harris' Campaign Attacks Trump's
The campaign appears to be attempting to get under Trump’s skin as he prepares to face off with Vice President Kamala Harris: It will run, the campaign said, on “Fox News and in the West Palm Beach and Philadelphia media markets on debate day.”
“This ad will remind Fox News viewers, perhaps even a certain defeated former president himself, about how Trump’s own national security team can’t stomach him anymore because of how he’d put the country at risk,” Harris deputy campaign manager Quentin Fulks said in a statement.
It features first-person testimony from some of Trump’s top lieutenants, including his vice president, Mike Pence.
“Anyone who puts himself over the Constitution should never be president of the United States,” Pence said in 2023.
It also features his defense secretary, Mark Esper, who said in 2023 that Trump’s actions “(place) our nation’s security at risk.”
And his national security adviser, John Bolton, who warned days ago on CNN that Trump “will cause a lot of damage.”
And his chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, Gen. Mark Miley, who obliquely referenced Trump as he said in 2023, “We don’t take an oath to a king or queen, pirate or dictator. We don’t take an oath to a wannabe dictator.”
The ad, titled “The Best People,” is part of an existing $370 million digital and TV advertising expenditure by the Harris campaign.
A Tight Race: Will Harris or Trump Prevail?
Harris has an average of 49% support in the new Poll of Polls, while Trump has 47% across polls conducted between August 23 and Sept. 6. The new average is largely unchanged from the previous average, which found Harris at 50% to Trump at 48%.
The Poll of Polls includes the four most recent national polls measuring the views of registered or likely voters in a 2024 presidential general election.
Taking a Stand on Marijuana:
Former President Donald Trump said Sunday he would vote for a ballot measure in Florida that would legalize adult recreational marijuana use — a position that puts him at odds with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and other Republican leaders in the state who oppose the initiative.
“As I have previously stated, I believe it is time to end needless arrests and incarcerations of adults for small amounts of marijuana for personal use. We must also implement smart regulations, while providing access for adults, to safe, tested product. As a Floridian, I will be voting YES on Amendment 3 this November,” Trump posted on Truth Social.
He continued, “As president, we will continue to focus on research to unlock the medical uses of marijuana to a Schedule 3 drug, and work with Congress to pass common sense laws, including safe banking for state authorized companies, and supporting states rights to pass marijuana laws, like in Florida, that work so well for their citizens.”
Trump previously said he thought the ballot initiative in Florida would pass and that he thought adults in Florida shouldn’t be arrested for having “personal amounts” of marijuana on them. He also called for the Florida legislature to create laws that prohibit recreational marijuana use in public spaces.
DeSantis, who ran against Trump in the GOP presidential primary but then endorsed the former president when he dropped out, has bashed the ballot initiative as “radical” and said earlier this year if it passed, “This state will start to smell like marijuana in our cities and towns.”
A Look at the 2024 Race:
The fight to define Kamala Harris is dominating campaign advertising as the vice president heads into her first debate matchup with Donald Trump tomorrow night, and as polling shows there are many voters still seeking more information about the new Democratic standard bearer.
According to AdImpact data, 60 out of 80 unique TV ads that aired in the presidential race over the last 30 days targeted Harris, including ads with either a positive or negative tone, and ads drawing contrasts. Over the same period, 42 out of 80 TV ads targeted Trump.
Ads targeting Harris accounted for about $194 million out of $215 million in total broadcast TV spending over the last 30 days, reflecting both sides’ focus on shaping perceptions of the vice president. By comparison, ads targeting Trump over the same period account for about $69 million in TV spending.
More on ad spending: Looking ahead, Democrats continue to hold a significant advantage in future ad bookings through Election Day — though Republicans have cut into that edge as leading GOP outside groups have bought more ad time. With a total of about $534 million in advertising bookings left to air in the presidential race, Democrats lead with about $333.3 million to about $200.7 million for Republicans.
A New Era:
The most important moment in the race between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump comes tomorrow, as the vice president prepares for what could be her only opportunity to directly confront a former president whose political dominance she is pledging to end.
Their debate is particularly important for Harris, who is battling to define herself in voters’ eyes and keep up the positive momentum she’s enjoyed since becoming the Democratic Party’s new nominee this summer.
The debate at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia will be the first face-to-face encounter between Harris and Trump, who are locked in a tight race.
For Harris, it’s a marquee moment to show Americans that she is ready to assume the presidency, a question very much on the minds of voters as the fall campaign intensifies.
“Look, it’s time to turn the page on the divisiveness,” she said during a weekend stop in Pittsburgh, taking a break from her debate preparations. “It’s time to bring our country together, chart a new way forward.”
Trump, meanwhile, is eager to negatively shape voters’ perceptions of his Democratic rival and halt the gains she has made since ascending to the top of the Democratic ticket in July. Harris has eliminated what for much of the year had been Trump’s lead over Biden in presidential polling.
Both Harris and Trump are offering themselves as change agents of sorts. Harris has pitched herself as a clean break from a bitterly divisive era of politics dominated by Trump. The former president, though, points to Harris’ time in the Biden administration and says she bears the blame for inflation, higher mortgage rates and more.
A Close Race:
Donald Trump limbered up for his debate with Kamala Harris by showing the extremism that risks playing into the vice president’s claim that he’s an “unserious man” who is an “extremely serious” threat if he’s returned to the White House.
Trump warned he will jail election officials he considers cheats; is complaining Pennsylvania’s voting is a fraud; vowed to pardon January 6 rioters; railed against women who accused him of sexual misconduct; and spent hours in recent days on sometimes incoherent rants that raised questions about his state of mind.
But new polling ahead of Tuesday’s showdown in Philadelphia shows the race tied up nationally, suggesting Harris’ momentum after replacing President Joe Biden on the ticket hasn’t resulted in a commanding edge.
The tightness of the contest shows both Trump’s enduring appeal to tens of millions of Americans as he seeks a political comeback and the huge task facing Harris as she tries to save an election Democrats seemed doomed to lose before Biden bowed out.
That makes tomorrow’s debate — the first since June’s consequential clash on CNN that eventually ended Biden’s campaign — the most critical scheduled event before Election Day.
The way each candidate is preparing highlights the different paths Americans can choose in November and the sharp contrast in the style of the presidency that will ensue if Harris or Trump are at the Oval Office desk.
The Debate Preview:
The debate at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia will be the first face-to-face encounter between Harris and Trump, who are locked in a tight race.
The contest shows both Trump’s enduring appeal to tens of millions of Americans as he seeks a political comeback and the huge task facing Harris as she tries to save an election Democrats seemed doomed to lose before Biden bowed out.
That makes tomorrow’s debate — the first since June’s consequential clash on CNN that eventually ended Biden’s campaign — the most critical scheduled event before Election Day.
The way each candidate is preparing highlights the different paths Americans can choose in November and the sharp contrast in the style of the presidency that will ensue if Harris or Trump are at the Oval Office desk.
