BAYHAM: What Trump Needs to Do (And Not Do) in Tonight’s Debate

As of right now, this evening’s presidential debate is the only one scheduled between former President Donald Trump and Vice-President Kamala Harris.

What people remember most from presidential debates (with only a few exceptions- John Kerry’s 2004 Global Test stands out) is not so much what was said but how things are said.

Cognizant of this political reality (and his disastrous lead off debate with Joe Biden in 2020), President Trump needs to focus on his style as much as his substance.

1) Don’t Be Mean – If you looked at the Trump record from his time in the White House, there’s a lot to like. However Trump has been judged more for his personality than his accomplishments. When people say they can’t vote for Trump, they almost never cite a particular policy but their intense dislike for him. It’s up to Trump to make it easier for some of those voters get beyond their reservations to cast a ballot for him.

Bullying or degrading the vice-president would only reinforce that mindset and make it that much more difficult for Trump to bridge the electoral gap with women.

2) Challenge Harris to a Second and Third Debate – This is taking a page out of Gerry Ford’s playbook when he was trailing Jimmy Carter by a substantial margin in 1976 and at the end of the day Ford came extremely close to pulling off the greatest upset since Truman beat Dewey. Trump needs to lure Harris away from the safe space of her curated campaign events and protective wall of teleprompters.  Odds are she’ll refuse anyway, which will make it appear Harris is hiding.

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3) Challenge Harris on Biden – Trump needs to demand that Biden step down from the presidency as if he’s unfit to run for the office then he shouldn’t remain in the office. Also Trump needs to ask Harris when she realized Biden wss in no condition to stay in the race. Harris can’t answer that question honestly and viewers will see it. Biden’s approval numbers are under water so it’s a free play against an unsympathetic figure and it implies she’s complicit in the Biden incompetence coverup- a national security matter.

4) Don’t Take the Bait on Social Issues – Harris will go heavy on social issues, and abortion in particular. Rather than denounce his own party’s prevailing ideology, Trump should 1) point out Harris’ own radical positions and 2) highlight the support of two social liberal former presidential candidates Tulsi Gabbard and RFK, Jr. underscoring overarching American interest issues that should bring people together. Trump does not represent a movement but a diverse coalition.

5) Accountability – If there’s one area where Trump can get away with pitching inside, it’s on accountability- at what point will Kamala Harris accept any responsibility for the failures of the Biden Administration,  from the border crisis to inflation and cost of living increases? Trump should respectfully press heavy in this area.

Finally, Trump cannot make the debate about himself. Period. The former president’s ability or inability to avoid doing so will set the tone of the balance of his candidacy in an election that hangs within the balance of the margin of error.

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