Trump Taps Tulsi Gabbard To Help Him Prep For Harris Debate, Campaign Says Former Dem ‘Dominated Kamala’ Onstage In 2020 Primary

Screenshot/MSNBC

Former President Donald Trump recently met with former Democratic congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard as he prepares to debate Vice President Kamala Harris next month in Philadelphia, The New York Times reported.

Trump’s campaign confirmed in a statement Friday that the former Democrat lawmaker-turned-MAGA darling had spoken with Trump privately after she shared some notable moments with Harris onstage during a 2019 debate during the 2020 Democratic primary.

The Times reported :

Former President Donald J. Trump has begun preparing for his debate with Vice President Kamala Harris and has brought in the former Democratic congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard to help sharpen his attacks in a recent practice session at his private club and home, Mar-a-Lago, according to two people with knowledge of Mr. Trump’s schedule. Ms. Gabbard, who left the Democratic Party after her 2020 presidential run and has rebranded herself as a celebrity among Trump’s base of support, has long been friendly with Mr. Trump and was briefly considered to be his running mate.

But her involvement in Mr. Trump’s debate preparation, which has not previously been reported, was partly because of her own performance in a 2019 Democratic presidential primary debate, when Ms. Gabbard eviscerated Ms. Harris in a memorable onstage encounter.

Trump spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt confirmed Gabbard and Trump had been in communication and said the former Democratic presidential candidate “dominated” Harris previously.

“He does not need traditional debate prep but will continue to meet with respected policy advisers and effective communicators like Tulsi Gabbard, who successfully dominated Kamala Harris on the debate stage in 2020,” Leavitt said.

In one viral moment from a July 2019 primary debate, Gabbard said she was appalled at Harris’s record as California’s attorney general.

“There are too many examples to cite, but she put over 1,500 people in jail for marijuana violations and then laughed about it when she was asked if she ever smoked marijuana,” Gabbard said. “She blocked evidence, she blocked evidence that would have freed an innocent man from death row until the courts forced her to do so.”

Harris ultimately suspended her campaign for president in November 2019 while Gabbard exited the race in March 2020 and endorsed then-candidate Joe Biden . She left the Democratic Party in October 2022.

Trump and Harris will square off on Sept. 10 at 9 p.m. ET on ABC.