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York, the Washington Examiner’s chief political correspondent, pointed out that President Joe Biden’s campaign previously tried framing former President Trump as a threat to democracy. However, this strategy didn’t gain much traction before Biden dropped out. When Kamala Harris stepped into Biden’s role as the Democratic nominee in July, York observed that she quickly shifted gears, abandoning that approach in favor of what he called a “vibes campaign.”
“So, will she revert to it? I’m not sure,” York remarked during an appearance on Fox News’s The Ingraham Angle. “I think it’s more likely she’ll go into prosecutor mode, focusing on Trump’s legal battles, including the guilty verdict he received in New York. The goal will be to see if she can rattle him. If there’s one big play in her debate strategy, I think that’s it.”
Trump was convicted on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records back in May, although his sentencing has been delayed twice, with the most recent postponement pushing it to November 26, after the presidential election.
York also mentioned that Harris might adopt a “tough prosecutor” persona during the debate, explaining why her campaign initially sought to change the debate’s microphone rules. The Harris team eventually agreed to the rule of muted microphones, ensuring candidates only have live mics during their speaking turns.
Kaylee McGhee White of the Washington Examiner similarly predicted that Harris would likely label Trump a “convicted felon” during the debate but cautioned that this approach might be less effective due to the microphone restrictions. She argued that Harris will have to address policy questions herself, facing the same scrutiny as Trump.
The debate will be hosted by ABC News, moderated by David Muir and Linsey Davis, and will include only two commercial breaks during its 90-minute run, starting at 9 p.m. ET.
Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders weighed in on the stakes for Harris, noting that the vice president has mostly avoided in-depth press interactions about her policies. Before the debate, Harris had only conducted one interview since becoming the nominee, alongside her running mate Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota.
