Republicans and Trump voters alike are looking forward to watching Donald Trump rip apart the world's top word salad chef, Kamala Harris, but let's take a lesson from Crassus of the Triumvirate, and not let our superior strength convince us to ignore sound tactics.
Yeah, that's that deep knowledge you subscribe to these VIP articles for.
Yes, Trump has the experience, the accomplishments, and the ability to say complete sentences that make sense, but what Harris has is the media and rabid activists ready to make the debate less about the facts and the country and more about scoring socio-political points.
In other words, Harris doesn't have to win on facts. All she has to do is create two or three "girl boss" clips that the press can latch onto and push those moments over and over again until the entire debate became about these short moments that show her as a no-nonsense go-getter.
How do I know this is going to happen. A few things.
According to The Hill, James Carville more or less outlined this very strategy for Harris to follow:
The first debate between former Trump and Harris will be moderated by ABC News on Sept. 10. Carville wrote Trump “must be a train wreck” during this debate, noting it’s up to Harris “to lay the tracks.”
“In the Sept. 10 debate, Ms. Harris must enable exactly what his campaign is scared to death of: letting Trump be Trump. She should let him talk over her,” he wrote. “Not just let him but goad him into spouting insane conspiracy theories about the previous election. She should use her sense of humor at key moments to get under his skin and show he’s not getting to her.”
“And she should welcome the personal attacks as a badge of honor,” he continued. “And each time, no matter how many times he does it, respond with this refrain: It’s the same old tired playbook, and I’m focused on a new way forward.”
The Harris campaign wants the open microphone, opposite of what Joe Biden had during his debate with Trump, because the Democrats want Trump to ramble, interrupt, and jab at Harris.
Not only can the media use this to make Trump look rude and/or desperate, they can also use it to paint Trump a sexist/misogynist for daring to speak over a woman. One of the moments they want, in particular, is the "I'm speaking" moment for Harris.
She'll bait it by stating something that is entirely false or accusatory that Trump will be highly tempted to respond to at that moment. When Trump takes the bait, she can shut him down by holding up her finger, looking him in the eye, and say "I'm speaking" or something to that effect.
You already saw her pull this against former Trump VP Mike Pence during their debate.
God, this "I'm speaking" move from Kamala Harris was so incredibly nauseatingpic.twitter.com/IF4XUAFf94
— Libs of Tik Tok 2 (Unofficial) (@LibsofTikTok2) September 1, 2024
Like before, the media will then turn this into a viral moment that shows how Harris is a strong woman fighting for everyone against the misogyny and corruption of a field dominated by men.
It's not exactly like the Harris campaign is hiding that this is their plan, either. They're already telegraphing this move with the unbelievable amount of repetition you're suddenly seeing this phrase with, including t-shirts people are wearing to Harris events, Etsy stores, and more.
VP Kamala Harris shakes hands with a young supporter wearing an “I’m Speaking” t-shirt in Pittsburgh today. 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/EcZGCbY4cp
— 🪷 Madam Auntie VP Kamala Harris for PRESIDENT! (@flywithkamala) September 2, 2024
It shouldn't get by anyone that for all the "I'm speaking" she's allegedly doing, she's not doing it with the press, but they won't focus on that fact. The narrative will be established that she's a fighter in a man's world regardless.
Trump can be as factual and hold up his record against hers all day. It will be ignored by the media, and they will turn it all into moments just like that one.
So what should Trump do?
Trump should act like he did during the Biden debate and take much the same line of attack that he did then. Harris is a rambler, but not because she's in cognitive decline, but because she's just not very good without a teleprompter. She becomes awkward, nonsensical, and cackles when she's nervous and knows she has nothing of real substance to say. Trump should let her do exactly that.
However, this won't mean that he won't fall into the trap the Harris team and the media set for him. They will work to make it happen. They need that moment. If and when it does happen, Trump should call it out for what it is. Make it clear that this is the media's sad attempt to paint Harris as something she's not, a strong and capable person, and that they have to fall back on this kind of cheap nonsense in order to sell her.
He should remind the American people if this is the kind of thing she and the media focus on, then they fundamentally don't understand the trouble America is in, and that trouble is something that Harris a direct hand in causing. She wants to make this about presenting herself as presidential, when she's had four years to do that already. Trump already did that, and he wants to get America back on track and away from the failures that Harris represents.
If he can do that effectively, Harris and the media will be totally disarmed. Their empowerment moment will be shattered, and the Democrats will have another disastrous debate on their hands.