Harris is bringing two former Trump administration officials as her debate guests

Vice President Kamala Harris is bringing two unusual guests to tonight’s debate in Philadelphia: two former officials in her opponent’s administration.

It’s part of the campaign’s ongoing effort to use former President Donald Trump’s former allies to get under his skin in the lead-up to Tuesday night’s debate — and as they seek to woo both prominent Republican officials and rank-and-file voters who oppose Trump in what will almost certainly be a close election.

Former Trump White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci, who served only 10 days before he was fired, and former Trump national security official Olivia Troye will attend the debate in Philadelphia as the vice president’s guests and surrogates, according to a Harris campaign official. The two are expected to warn of the dangers of a second Trump presidency and why they believe he shouldn’t return to office at a press availability at the debate site.

“Listen, don’t take it from us: Take it from the ones who know Donald Trump the best and who are telling the American people exactly how unfit Trump is to serve as president,” said Harris communications director Michael Tyler in a statement. “Now as Americans prepare to tune in for tonight’s debate, these former Trump staffers are warning that a second Donald Trump presidency would be far more dangerous and extreme than the first.”

Trump’s campaign spokesperson, Steven Cheung, responded in a statement saying, "nobody is going to listen to someone who was a low-level staffer who didn't even work for President Trump and someone who barely lasted more time than an expired ham sandwich as White House communications director."

The announcement of the two guests follows the Monday release of a new ad featuring clips of former Trump administration officials, including former Vice President Mike Pence, Defense Secretary Mark Esper, national security adviser John Bolton and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chair Gen. Mark Milley — talking about their concerns about a second Trump term or their decisions not to endorse him. The ad is airing in Palm Beach, the home of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate, and nationally on Fox News.

And last week, former Republican Rep. Liz Cheney and her father, former vice president Dick Cheney, announced their support for Harris because of the dangers they believe Trump poses to the future of American democracy. Once the No. 3 leader of the House Republican Conference, Liz Cheney has long warned of the threat she says the former president poses to American democracy and is emerging as a key GOP antagonist to Trump in the final months of the election.

The campaign in August also launched a “Republicans for Harris” organizing program and hired a national Republican engagement director, as well as is targeting anti-Trump Republicans, as well as other conservatives and independents, through paid media and a grassroots digital campaign.

The Democratic National Convention also prominently featured several GOP officials, including former Illinois Rep. Adam Kinzinger, former Trump White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham and former Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan.

Still, only a small number of Republicans are actually flocking to Harris. An ABC News/Ipsos poll found that 93 percent of likely Republican voters still prefer Trump over Harris, similar to where Trump stood in 2020.