'Night-and-day dichotomy' as 'risk-averse' Harris and 'freewheeling' Trump prepare for debate: aides

The first — and possibly only — presidential debate between Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Kamala Harris will be hosted this Tuesday night, September 10 by ABC News at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia.

This isn't the first time the GOP nominee has participated in a presidential debate in 2024: Trump avoided the Republican primary debates but debated President Joe Biden in late June. And Biden's debate performance drew so much criticism that he ending up dropping out of the race and endorsing Harris for president.

In an article published by NOTUS, Jasmine Wright and Reese Gorman describe the dramatically different ways in which Trump and Harris have been preparing for the debate.

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"Kamala Harris and Donald Trump are entering the most important stretch of the presidential campaign with their first-ever meeting in Tuesday night's debate," Wright and Gorman explain. "But the way each candidate has readied themselves to meet this moment couldn't be more different — a night-and-day dichotomy that emphasizes how different they are from one another."

The reporters continue, "Harris, an often risk-averse politician, focuses heavily on doing her homework. Trump, a freewheeling celebrity, blusters, exaggerates and fabricates his way through basically anything. And the debate is coming at what could be a pivotal moment for both campaigns. After weeks of Democrats riding a sugar high built off the switch-out of their unpopular candidate following the last debate, Harris' momentum seems to have stalled. In swing states, polling suggests a stalemate."

Trump, Wright and Gorman observe, "doesn’t like the traditional debate-prep model."

A Democratic operative, presumably interviewed on condition of anonymity, told NOTUS, "The thing about Kamala, if you call the play, she's going to execute. The problem then becomes whether the aides calling the play are right or wrong."

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Harris, according to Democratic NOTUS sources, engaged in debate prepare in Pittsburgh over the weekend.

"Two people close to the vice president say her weekend prep sessions in Pittsburgh went well," Wright and Gorman report. "Holed up in a hotel, in a room configured to mirror the debate set, Harris practiced sparring with Philippe Reines, who the campaign hired to play Trump. Reines, who played the part for Hillary Clinton in 2016, sported an oversized tie and suit."

The NOTUS journalists add, "Harris has completed more than one full-on 90-minute mock debate, the Democratic operative with knowledge of the sessions told NOTUS. And she hasn't been overloaded with information, like many Democrats suspected Biden was after his catastrophic performance, allowing her to be more nimble in her attacks, a Harris ally told NOTUS."

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Read NOTUS' full article at this link.