When it comes to hostile exchanges between prosecutor and criminal, Kamala Harris and Donald Trump are old players.
But Tuesday’s high-stakes debate will be new territory for the Democratic vice president and his Republican rival, as they meet for the first time in front of a prime-time television audience of millions.
“The most important thing about this debate is that for the first time in history we will see a prosecutor and a convicted criminal face off against each other,” Andrew Koneschusky, a PR expert and former press secretary to US Senate leader Chuck Schumer, told AFP.
“It’s an incredible contrast. I wouldn’t expect a lot of complex policy discussion. I would expect we’ll see more style than substance.”
Students of debate technique recognize the 78-year-old Trump as an enthusiastic supporter of the “Gish Gallop,” named after Duane Gish.
Gish, who claimed the Biblical account of the creation of the world in six days was literally true, quickly overwhelmed his opponents with a barrage of lies, distortions, and distractions.
Trump — who is not known for having a nuanced understanding of policy — owes his success to this type of filibustering, as he packs conspiracy theories, anecdotes and innuendos into a cryptic, rebuttable word salad.
“It’s very hard to debate with someone who changes the subject quickly and doesn’t answer questions fully or truthfully,” said Flavio Hickel, a politics professor at Washington College, a University of Maryland liberal arts school.
While the “Gish Gallop” may be good at pushing back opponents, it can be a risky strategy for anyone trying to resemble the president, analysts say.
‘Certainty and power’
“As a debater, Trump brings energy, radiates certainty and strength and never admits fault, which for many translate into presidential qualities,” said Donald Neuman, a political analyst and professor at Binghamton University in New York state.
“No doubt, these will include transparent lies, extreme exaggerations, inappropriate personal attacks and silly digressions that will have the opposite effect, especially on some undecided voters.”
Harris rose to the top of the Democratic ticket after 81-year-old President Joe Biden was forced to drop out of the race amid questions about his advancing age following a disappointing debate performance against Trump.
Analysts expect the 59-year-old Californian — “Kamala the Cop” to her fans — to leverage her experience as a district attorney and press Trump over his role in the deadly 2021 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, as well as his numerous criminal cases.
“Harris is a sharp-witted prosecutor,” said Keith Gaddy, a politics professor at Texas Christian University.
“She showed her talents debating Biden and others in 2020, and will likely use a combination of the tactics used by prosecutors to control witnesses, as well as gain ‘jury sympathy.'”
Since Harris took office, Democrats’ messaging has evolved from presenting Trump as a powerful and existential threat to democracy to portraying him as “weird” and petty.
Koneschusky expects to see more of that in the debate, but cautioned that Harris will have to find a balance between attacking her opponent and using her valuable airtime to make her case for the Oval Office.
former prosecutor
“On the one hand, this is an opportunity for Harris to define herself, and she needs to take full advantage of this opportunity,” he said.
“On the other hand, it’s also important that Harris prosecutes Trump in this debate, and as a former prosecutor she is perfectly capable of doing that. This is something Biden failed to do in the previous debate.”
Ironically, one of Harris’s most notable debates came against Biden in the 2019-20 Democratic presidential nomination contest, when she assailed her then-rival for his opposition to using federal funds to end discrimination in schools through busing.
“There was a little girl in California who was part of the second class to integrate their public schools, and she was bused to school every day. And that little girl was me,” Harris said, in a statement that instantly went viral.
But her short-lived 2020 bid for the White House also showed vulnerabilities, when she allowed herself to be harassed by former Hawaii congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, who criticized Harris over her record as a prosecutor.
Gabbard has since switched sides, and Trump is using her in his debate preparation.
Meanwhile, Trump’s use of muted microphones during the debates could take away from another of Harris’ strengths — her ability to silence opponents when they try to interrupt.
Harris put this to full effect when Mike Pence tried to interrupt her during the 2020 vice presidential debate and she coolly replied, “Mr. Vice President, I’m speaking.”
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
