Ahmed Atef (Washington, Cairo)
Donald Trump and Kamala Harris will face off for the first time in front of millions of Americans on Tuesday in what could be the only televised debate before the presidential election.
With less than two months to go until Election Day, the two contenders will face off on ABC in a highly anticipated event after President Joe Biden’s disappointing performance in his debate with Trump on June 27, which was one of the reasons he withdrew and nominated his running mate. Despite the differences in preparations for the upcoming debate in Philadelphia between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, both agree that it will be “critical” to shaping their political image among millions of undecided voters before the presidential election begins on November 5, according to what the New York Times reported from about 20 people close to the candidates. The newspaper indicated that Harris has been “retreating” for five days in a hotel in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where she is conducting intensive debate rehearsals in preparation for Tuesday’s confrontation. The Democratic candidate’s team has prepared a stage and lighting that simulate the atmosphere of a television broadcast, while one of the advisers wore a wide suit and a long tie, impersonating Trump.
Trump’s preparations, by contrast, have been more ad hoc, with his team describing the preparatory sessions as “policy time” rather than just debate preparation. No one plays Harris, and sometimes Trump’s aides sit across a long table from him, exchanging questions; sometimes he sits nearby. Harris’s priority, The New York Times reported, is to “provoke Trump’s aggression” as well as present herself as a calm, presidential presence.
For her part, Hillary Clinton, the last woman to face Trump in a debate, said in an interview last Thursday: “She should not be provoked, she should provoke him.”
At this point, Trump’s advisers are keenly aware, according to the newspaper, of the danger of him appearing overly aggressive, as happened in his “disastrous” first debate with President Biden in the 2020 election. The advisers also stressed the need for Trump to adopt the persona of “happy Trump” during the debate, rather than “aggressive Trump,” with a focus on making political arguments against Harris, according to a close ally.
The New York Times said that Trump’s team is seeking a clear goal in the debate, which is to push Harris to take responsibility for her partnership with President Biden, and to take responsibility for the periods in which voters felt dissatisfied during his presidency.
In contrast, Harris has made clear how she plans to attack Trump. Unlike Biden, she will not focus entirely on portraying the former president as a fundamental threat to American democracy, but will try to diminish his relevance by portraying him as an old, worn-out figure who repeats the same boring tactics.
She also seeks to portray the Republican nominee as a rich man who cares only about helping other rich people, a populist attack strategy that resonates well with voters in focus groups. Harris and her advisers understand that the debate is a crucial opportunity to shape her political image and define her identity before Trump can.
The New York Times saw that Harris faces a challenge in that Trump, who debated Biden last June, has had more recent debates than her, considering that the Vice President must overcome her lack of experience, anticipating what it would be like to stand a few feet away from someone she has never met before, but who attacked her policies, political past and even her ethnic identity. The newspaper also pointed out Harris’s readiness to face attacks related to her race, political and personal relationships. American political expert Charles Bowman told Al-Ittihad that Trump’s frequent media appearances have benefits in several aspects, the most important of which is that he is always present in the media, as this means that his face appears on television and on phones every day, which gives him a continuous opportunity to enhance his presence. American political expert Charles Bowman told Al-Ittihad that Trump’s frequent media appearances have several aspects, as it is generally beneficial for him to always be present in the media, as this means that his face appears on television and on phones every day, which gives him a continuous opportunity to enhance his presence.
But what is most important, from Bauman’s point of view, is Trump’s media message. If he sticks to the message his team has developed based on research and opinion polls, then this strategy could be exceptionally useful, especially during tomorrow’s debate.
#Trump #Harris #televised #debate #tomorrow