'Let Trump be Trump': Harris campaign ramps up messaging strategy

26 August 2024

According to reporting in Politico Playbook, Vice President Kamala Harris' presidential campaign has a definite reason for wanting the candidates' mics to be open throughout the Tuesday, September 10 debate on ABC News: They are "hoping to get" GOP nominee Donald Trump to "lose his cool on mic."

Meanwhile, in Axios, journalist Sophia Cai reports that Harris' campaign has been working on its strategy to "counter Trump" in the weeks ahead.

"Kamala Harris' strategy for the 71-day sprint to the November 5 election is built around a few key goals: Outwork Donald Trump, stay in the news, and campaign aggressively in states that could increase her paths to victory," Cai explains. "Why it matters: That's why the vice president is packing her campaign schedule this week, starting with a bus tour in southern Georgia. She'll also sit for her first interview as a presidential candidate and ramp up preparations for her September 10 debate against Trump."

Cai adds, "Harris' team hopes to continue riding a wave of good vibes and encouraging polls coming out of the Democratic convention by keeping the pressure on Trump — and encouraging Americans to buy into her optimism while turning the page from Trump's divisiveness."

The Axios reporter notes that Harris' team "has been devising a debate strategy for dealing with what it expects to be a torrent of falsehoods from the former president."

"The vice president, who took part in a mock debate at Howard University before the Democratic convention, plans to do several more before the debate," Cai reports. "A small group of aides is helping her prepare. They include policy advisers Brian Nelson and Rohini Kosoglu, and Harris' White House and campaign chiefs of staff Lorraine Voles and Sheila Nix. Between the lines: Both sides see the debate as (a) crucial moment that could change the trajectory of the race overnight."

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, one of the speakers at the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, offered Harris some advice for the debate.

Shapiro told Axios, "I would let Trump be Trump. I think Kamala Harris has the opportunity to remind people about what he did and show the risk that he poses in the future."

The Pennsylvania governor and former Pennsylvania attorney general added, "She is a skilled debater. She will do that effectively."

Read Axios' full report at this link.

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