Former U.S. President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump (L) speaks after speaking during a town hall meeting with former U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard on August 29, 2024 in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Dance as you leave the stage.
Kamil Krzaczynski | AFP | Getty Images
Former Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, who supported the campaign of Republican former President Donald Trump, suggested the Republican nominee focus on Vice President Kamala Harris’ policy pivots during the upcoming debate.
Harris “has shown that she is trying to move away from her record and move away from her stance,” Gabbard He said in an interview on CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday.
Gabbard is part of a group of Trump advisers who are helping the former president prepare for the debate, which is scheduled to air on ABC on September 10.
The Trump campaign insists the candidates will not participate in traditional role-playing debate practice sessions. Still, given Gabbard’s first-hand experience during the 2020 Democratic primaries, she’s well-suited to help Trump understand what a debate with Harris would look like.
“What I called out on the debate stage in 2020 was her hypocrisy,” Gabbard said.
In July 2019, Gabbard launched a noteworthy attack on Harris during a Democratic primary debate, noting that as a prosecutor, Harris served time in prison for marijuana offenses and accusing Harris of her role in eliminating cash bail. not enough.
At the time, criminal justice reform was a very popular issue among Democratic primary voters.
Five years later, Republicans hope Trump can repeat Gabbard’s success in angering Harris, albeit on a completely different topic.
“Kamala Harris is trying to hide from voters,” Gabbard said Sunday. “She says her position is one thing, but her actions and record say exactly the opposite.”
Compared with Harris’ 2019 Democratic primary platform, her 2024 general election policies are more center than left, especially on issues like fracking and immigration.
For Trump, however, taking Gabbard’s advice could come with risks as well as potential rewards.
The former congresswoman from Hawaii agreed with Trump’s conspiratorial views on how the Biden administration wields power. often accuse The White House targets “political opponents,” including herself.
If Trump leans into such conspiracy themes on the debate stage, he could risk drawing attention to his various legal battles and even alienating undecided voters.
Still, surrogates like Gabbard and former Democratic presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who recently dropped out of the race and endorsed Trump, have allowed Republicans to portray his campaign as an independent and a haven for Democratic defectors.
The Trump campaign recently added Gabbard and Robert Kennedy Jr. to its official transition team, and both are reportedly in talks for potential Cabinet positions if Trump wins the White House.
About The Author
