Former President Donald Trump’s approach to preparing for Tuesday’s debate has left his team in a state of despair, according to a CNN report on Monday. As his Democratic opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris engages in intense preparation in Pittsburgh, Trump appears to be taking a far less conventional route, much to the concern of his supporters.
CNN’s Stephen Collinson wrote that Trump’s preparation consists mostly of “stream of consciousness” rants to his backers, rather than focused work on key issues. “Trump’s debate prep is the most unorthodox of any modern presidential candidate,” Collinson observed, pointing to the disarray within Trump’s camp.
Republican supporters have been urging Trump for days to concentrate on critical issues like the economy, immigration, and national security—topics that could resonate with voters. They’ve also advised him to avoid erratic behavior, which could play into Harris’ narrative that Trump represents the chaos and division the country is trying to move past. “Trump’s conduct heading into the debate explains the concern he will botch” what his team believes could be a winning argument—that Harris is unprepared to lead, Collinson explained.
Instead of honing this strategy, Trump has been engaging in behavior that risks undermining his own case. “Donald Trump limbered up for his debate with Kamala Harris by showing the extremism that risks playing into the vice president’s claim that he’s an ‘unserious man’ who is an ‘extremely serious’ threat if he’s returned to the White House,” Collinson wrote.
In recent public outbursts, Trump issued a warning that he would jail election officials if he suspected fraud, without providing any evidence. He also complained that cheating was already taking place in Pennsylvania and reiterated his intention to pardon those involved in the January 6 riots. “Trump is not staging mock debates — he’s just venting in public,” Collinson noted, highlighting the former president’s unorthodox approach.
The upcoming debate, described by Collinson as “the most critical scheduled event before Election Day,” is the first since Trump’s June clash on CNN that eventually contributed to ending Joe Biden’s campaign. However, despite the high stakes, Trump doesn’t appear to be taking it as seriously as Harris, leaving his team anxious about the outcome.