Trump, Harris campaigns outline strategies ahead of Tuesday's debate

Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump will meet on Tuesday for what could be their only debate ahead of November's presidential election.

The 9 p.m. ET debate will be produced by ABC News and will be simulcast on Scripps News.

In recent days, both campaigns released memoranda giving insight into their respective debate strategies.

Trump campaign strategy

It is clear the Trump campaign believes the bounce that Harris got in the weeks after President Joe Biden departed the race is gone. The campaign noted Trump's narrow popular vote lead in a recent New York Times poll.

The poll showed likely voters expect Trump to do a better job with handling the economy and immigration, two of the top issues heading into this year's election.

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The Trump campaign notes that with the exception of last month's interview with CNN, Tuesday will mark the first time Harris will field tough questions since becoming the Democratic nominee. The Trump campaign says that Harris needs to explain both the "damage she's done" to the U.S. economy and why she hasn't implemented her plans since becoming vice president in January 2021.

Senior adviser Jason Miller, Rep. Matt Gaetz along with former Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard have been among those helping Trump with debate prep.

"In this debate, President Trump will tie Kamala Harris to her record, her record on the border, a record with global instability, and her record being the deciding vote for high prices," said Gaetz. "And if President Trump ties Kamala Harris to her record, which, we have every confidence he'll do, that'll be a success because the American people will see what a dangerous radical liberal she is."

The Trump campaign noted that the former president has taken a more laid-back approach to debate preparations than Harris. Trump has continued holding rallies throughout the U.S. while Harris has largely remained in Pittsburgh to prepare for Tuesday's events.

"President Trump is going to be himself. I think that the important thing to keep in mind here is right now you have Kamala Harris, who's in a big boot camp being thrilled by new advisors who were for President Obama that she doesn't know. She has binders full of details trying to figure out what's been happening at the Department of Labor for the past three and a half years, trying to explain where those 800,000 jobs went," Miller said, noting updated Department of Labor data that showed last month the U.S. added 800,000 fewer jobs in 2023 than previously thought.

Harris campaign strategy

The Harris campaign arrived in Pittsburgh on Thursday and spent the weekend getting ready for Tuesday's debate.

The Harris campaign intends to appeal to moderate voters who haven't fully made up their minds. Although a small percentage of the electorate, swing voters in battleground states could ultimately play a deciding role in this year's election.

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Harris' campaign said the vice president intends to promote a popular agenda and tie Trump to Project 2025, a 922-page plan from the Heritage Foundation, a right-wing think tank, designed for the “next conservative president.” Trump has repeatedly denied ties to the plan and those behind it, though its authors include former Trump administration officials, and the document overlaps with several of his policy proposals.

Surrogates for Harris say the vice president believes Trump will be a "formidable opponent" on the debate stage.

With many voters believing Trump would do a better job handling the economy, which is cited as the No. 1 issue heading into the debate, Harris will have to do a strong job persuading voters.

“We get an opportunity tomorrow for Vice President Harris to be on that debate stage to make the case for an economy that’s for everyone,” Harris' running mate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said.

Additionally, the Harris campaign sees reproductive rights as a winning issue. A majority of likely voters in this week's New York Times Poll believe Harris would do a better job handling abortion rights.