This year has already shown debates can have an incredible impact.
Now, we'll have another chance to see their importance. On Tuesday, Vice President Kamala Harris will have her first — and possibly only — opportunity to stand on a stage and debate Donald Trump.
Because Trump opted to avoid the peaceful transition of power with his actions on Jan. 6, 2021, Harris and Trump have never met. That adds some drama to the initial moments of the debate, raising the question of whether they shake hands. (My view is that she should try.)
Right now, Harris and her team are holed up in Pittsburgh preparing for the debate. Here are three things that I wager they are thinking about:
How she should react to a Trump attack. Trump loves going on offense, and it's more than likely that he'll launch attacks that are lacking in facts, racist or sexist, and possibly all three at once. She and her team have deployed a smart strategy of making Trump seem small and ignoring his most juvenile attacks. The challenge for her is that this debate is also about introducing herself to viewers who are still on the fence. There's a delicate balance between hitting back and communicating a message about herself and her own approach.
How she can expand her coalition. Harris has made tremendous headway bringing voters back to the Democratic column, especially key voting blocs such as young people and Black and Latino voters. But she still needs to gain more among these groups to reach the levels where Hillary Clinton and President Joe Biden were at this time in their races. To do that, she'll need to tie her debate answers into her forward-looking vision for the country, presenting herself as the change candidate and Trump as the tired, old dog with no new ideas.
How she can draw a contrast with Trump. Every election is a choice. There are few moments that make that choice more clear than when the two candidates are standing side by side on the debate stage. Harris and Walz have worked to frame the choice as Trump is fighting for himself while they are fighting for working people. That contrast needs to be presented loud and clear in this debate.
Read more exclusive insights from Jen Psaki here. And tune into "Inside with Jen Psaki" Mondays at 8 p.m. ET, and Sundays at 12 p.m. ET on MSNBC.
