Kamala Harris and Donald Trump are diverging sharply in how they gear up for Tuesday’s presidential debate, setting up a showdown that reflects not just two visions for the country but two politicians who approach big moments very differently.
The vice president is cloistered in a historic hotel in downtown Pittsburgh where she can focus on honing crisp two-minute answers, per the debate’s rules. She has been working with aides since Thursday and chose a venue that allows the Democratic nominee the option of mingling with swing-state voters.
Trump, the Republican nominee, publicly dismisses the value of studying for the debate. The former president is choosing instead to fill his days with campaign-related events on the premise that he’ll know what he needs to do once he steps on the debate stage at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia.
“You can go in with all the strategy you want, but you have to sort of feel it out as the debate’s taking place,” he said during an interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity, who has previously advised Trump.
Trump then quoted former boxing great Mike Tyson, who said, “Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the face.”
Harris has said she is prepared for Trump to rattle off insults and misrepresent facts, even as her campaign has seen value in focusing on the middle class and the prospects of a better future for the country.
“We should be prepared for the fact that he is not burdened by telling the truth,” Harris said in a radio interview for the “Rickey Smiley Morning Show.” “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.”
In Harris’ debate preparation, the Democratic consultant Philippe Reines, a longtime aide to Hillary Clinton, is portraying Trump. Harris likes to describe Trump as having a “playbook” of falsehoods to go after Democrats such as Clinton and former President Obama.
Harris has said she understands Trump on a deeper psychological level. She has tried in speeches like her remarks at the Democratic National Convention to show that she would be a stronger leader than him — an argument that gets at Trump’s own desire to project and show strength.
Trump’s June 27 debate against President Biden shook up the election, with Biden’s performance ultimately leading to his stepping aside as the Democratic nominee and endorsing Harris. Both campaigns know the first in-person meeting between Harris and Trump could be a decisive event in a tight race.
Trump is preemptively criticizing the ABC News debate moderators, claiming he will not be treated fairly.
Trump aides said that this time would be no different from the previous debate and that the former president would not be doing any more traditional prep. There are no stand-ins, no sets, no play-acting.
Instead, they point to Trump’s frequent interviews, sitting for hourlong podcasts and participating in events with friendly hosts such as Hannity.
Trump also meets with policy advisors who are experts on issues that may come up during the debate, they say.
“I have meetings on it. We talk about it. But there’s not a lot you can do. You either know your subject or not. You either have good policy or not,” Trump said in a New Hampshire radio interview.
Before the last debate, Trump held sessions with Republicans such as Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, who at the time was under consideration to be Trump’s vice presidential pick. This time he has held sessions with Tulsi Gabbard, the former Democratic congresswoman and presidential candidate who is now backing Trump.
Gabbard, a member of Trump’s transition team, was brought in specifically to help Trump this time around because she debated Harris when the two were running for the 2020 Democratic nomination. She also hosted a recent town hall with Trump in Wisconsin.
Trump, aides insist, intends to put Harris on the defensive. He wants to portray her as too liberal as he tries to tie her to Biden’s economic record and points out reversals on issues such as a fracking ban that she no longer supports.
Harris’ team is banking that Trump will come off as extreme and that they can use the debate as a springboard to build on the momentum her short campaign has generated. The campaign plans to use the pre-debate weekend to hold 2,000 events with volunteers and reach more than 1 million voters.
“With hundreds of offices and thousands of staff across the battlegrounds, we are able to harness all the buzz around the debate and break through to hard-to-reach voters,” said Dan Kanninen, the campaign’s battleground states director, in a statement.
Associated Press writer Boak reported from Washington, Colvin reported from New York. AP writer Michelle L. Price in Harrisburg, Pa., contributed to this report.