UNITED STATES NEWS

Days of preparation and one final warning. How Kamala Harris got ready for her big debate moment

Sep 15, 2024, 5:29 AM

Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump shakes hands with Democratic presiden...

Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump shakes hands with Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris during an ABC News presidential debate at the National Constitution Center, Tuesday, Sept.10, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS

(AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

WASHINGTON (AP) — It was almost time for the presidential debate, but Kamala Harris’ staff thought there was one more thing she needed to know. So less than an hour before the vice president left her Philadelphia hotel, two communications aides got her on the phone for one of the strangest briefings of her political career.

They told her that Donald Trump had been posting on social media about a false and racist rumor that Haitian migrants in Springfield, Ohio, were eating people’s pets. The former president might mention it during the debate, they said.

The warning, described by two people with knowledge of the conversation, proved spot on.

While answering a question about immigration policy, Trump said migrants in Springfield were “eating the dogs” and “they’re eating the cats.” Harris laughed, shook her head and stared at her Republican opponent in amazement. “Talk about extreme,” she said, and then moved on.

It was easily the most bizarre moment from last week’s debate, spawning an explosion of online memes and parody videos. Now, Harris is trying to use her performance as an ongoing source of momentum, hoping to rekindle the kind of energy that she generated when she replaced President Joe Biden at the top of the Democratic ticket.

It is unclear whether the debate will affect the outcome of the Nov. 5 election. In a flash poll of viewers conducted by CNN afterward, opinions of Trump were unchanged and Harris received only a slight bump in the share of people who view her favorably. But her team is making the most of it, turning key points into television advertisements and flooding the internet with clips. No equivalent effort is apparent from Trump’s side, despite his repeated insistence that he came out on top.

There almost certainly will not be another debate; Trump has said he will not do one. That means the debate at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia may be the only chance that voters will have to see the candidates side by side.

This story is based on interviews with five people close to Harris, who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe private conversations and reveal new details about how she prepared for and handled the debate. It was her first time meeting Trump in person.

Harris spent five days getting ready at a hotel in downtown Pittsburgh after a breakneck few weeks of campaigning.

Her team recreated the set where she would debate Trump on the night of Sept. 10. It was a far more professional setup than Harris had used eight years earlier as she was running for Senate in California, when campaign staff taped together cardboard boxes to serve as makeshift lecterns.

Two communications aides — one man, one woman — stood in for David Muir and Linsey Davis, the ABC News debate moderators.

Philippe Reines, a longtime aide to Hillary Clinton, reprised his role as Trump, which he played when the former secretary of state ran for president. Reines wore a dark suit, a long red tie and orange bronzer to embody Trump.

One challenge would be the microphones.

When Biden was running, his team agreed that the debate microphones should be muted when it was not a candidate’s turn to speak. But Harris’ staff wanted the microphones hot at all times, which would allow her to jump in and create more opportunities for Trump to make outbursts.

But their campaign could not reach an agreement to change the rules, and the original plan remained in place.

Harris decided to make the most of the split screen format, where each candidate would be on camera at all times. Biden had flubbed the visual test when he debated Trump in June, often looking aimless with his mouth slightly agape. Harris provided silent commentary through her expressiveness — laughing, raising her eyebrows, bringing her hand to her chin with a quizzical look.

At one point during preparations, staff members suggested practicing mannerisms that Harris could use. The vice president waved them off, saying she would be fine without that kind of rehearsal.

Harris rarely left the hotel during preparations. On Sept. 7, she took a field trip to Penzeys Spices, where she picked up some seasoning mixes. One woman in the store wept as Harris hugged her. On Sept. 8, Harris and her husband, Doug Emhoff, went to a military airbase and took a walk for about a half hour. Because of security considerations, the tarmac was the only place where they could stretch their legs.

Asked if she was ready for the debate, Harris gave reporters a thumb’s up and said “ready.”

She ended up leaving Pittsburgh on Sept. 9 rather than the day of the debate, canceling an extra mock debate and getting to Philadelphia earlier than expected.

As the clock ticked down to the start of the debate, dozens of staff members in the campaign’s Delaware headquarters assembled in assigned seats in front of four television screens. Some were nervous, still rattled from watching Biden implode in his own debate with Trump.

But Harris’ opening move, striding toward Trump to shake his hand as they took the stage, helped ease those jitters.

Throughout the debate, Harris mocked and needled Trump, throwing him off balance with jabs about the size of crowds at his campaign rallies. She pounced on questions about abortion and promised the country a new generation of leadership, while Trump became increasingly agitated and missed opportunities to press his case against her.

During the final commercial break, Trump departed the stage with a sigh. Harris stayed at her lectern, writing on her notepad, reviewing her words and taking a sip of water.

In her closing statement, she told viewers that “I think you’ve heard tonight two very different visions for our country — one that is focused on the future and the other that is focused on the past.”

Trump ended his remarks by calling Harris “the worst vice president in the history of our country.”

There was no live audience in the room to react to the candidates, and it was not always clear whether certain lines or expressions were hitting their marks.

So when Harris left the stage, she had a question for her staff: How did I do?

United States News

Associated Press

Appeals court revives lawsuit in fight between 2 tribes over Alabama casino

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — A federal appeals court on Friday revived a lawsuit filed by one Native American tribe over another’s construction of a casino on what they said is historic and sacred land. The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals vacated a judge’s decision that dismissed the lawsuit filed by the Oklahoma-based Muscogee (Creek) […]

3 hours ago

Associated Press

2 arrested in deadly attack on homeless man sleeping in NYC parking lot

NEW YORK (AP) — Two men were arrested on manslaughter charges Friday in the beating death of a homeless man who was accosted while sleeping in a supermarket parking lot in Brooklyn, police said. The suspects were awaiting arraignment, and it wasn’t clear whether they had attorneys who could comment on the allegations. Police said […]

3 hours ago

Associated Press

Appeals court maintains block on Alabama absentee ballot restrictions

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — A portion of a new Alabama law limiting help with absentee ballot applications will remain blocked, a federal appeals court ruled on Friday, siding with voting rights groups who argued that it discriminated against voters who are blind, disabled or cannot read. A three-judge panel on the 11th Circuit Court unanimously […]

4 hours ago

FILE - The icon for the video sharing TikTok app is seen on a smartphone, Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2023, i...

Associated Press

TikTok was aware of risks kids and teens face on its platform, legal document alleges

TikTok was aware that its design features are detrimental to its young users and that publicly touted tools aimed at limiting kids’ time on the site were largely ineffective, according to internal documents and communications exposed in lawsuit filed by the state of Kentucky. The details are among redacted portions of Kentucky’s lawsuit that contains […]

4 hours ago

FILE -This undated booking photo provided by the Henderson Police Department shows Christopher McDo...

Associated Press

Texas man held in Las Vegas in deadly 2020 Nevada-Arizona shooting rampage pleads guilty

LAS VEGAS (AP) — One of three suspects jailed in Las Vegas following a deadly two-state shooting rampage on Thanksgiving 2020, including the killing of a man at a convenience store in southern Nevada and a shootout with authorities in northwestern Arizona, has pleaded guilty. Christopher McDonnell, 32, entered his pleas Thursday to 23 felonies, […]

4 hours ago

Associated Press

US Justice Department says Virginia is illegally striking voters off the rolls in new lawsuit

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — The U.S. Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against Virginia election officials Friday that accuses the state of striking names from voter rolls in violation of federal election law. The lawsuit filed Friday in U.S. District Court in Alexandria says that an executive order issued in August by Republican Gov. Glenn […]

4 hours ago

Sponsored Articles

...

Sanderson Ford

3 new rides for 3 new road trips in Arizona

It's time for the Sanderson Ford Memorial Day sale with the Mighty Fine 69 Anniversary, as Sanderson Ford turned 69 years old in May.

...

Day & Night Air Conditioning, Heating and Plumbing

Beat the heat, ensure your AC unit is summer-ready

With temperatures starting to rise across the Valley, now is a great time to be sure your AC unit is ready to withstand the sweltering summer heat.

...

Condor Airlines

Condor Airlines can get you smoothly from Phoenix to Frankfurt on new A330-900neo airplane

Adventure Awaits! And there's no better way to experience the vacation of your dreams than traveling with Condor Airlines.

Days of preparation and one final warning. How Kamala Harris got ready for her big debate moment