Looking at the debate tonight, a few things are clear. Trump is going in as an all-star with everything going for him. He has the record, the will, the talent, and the charisma. Kamala has... an infectious laugh? Then again, staphylococcus is infectious too.
Kamala Harris has no real accomplishments to her name, except being the best at failing upward. She has failed at everything else she's been tasked with, and has abused her power repeatedly. She doesn't really have anything to stand on, and with Trump standing so tall, Trump can easily win this.
As my colleague Mike Miller wrote earlier Tuesday, Trump can win his debate against Harris in two minutes with his closing statement, where he begins by asking people watching very simple questions, as suggested by journalist Isaac Schorr:
Do you remember when going to the grocery store and stopping at the gas station didn’t fill you with dread?
Do you remember when the news out of the Middle East was about our enemies being brought to heel and peace deals being forged?
Do you remember when our southern border wasn’t an international embarrassment?
But Trump has one major weakness, and it's his mouth. I know it, you know it, even his son Don Jr. knows it. During Trump's debate with Joe Biden, Jr. commented that the "microphone off" style of debate was actually working well for his father, as it kept him focused and concise.
This is true, but it also allowed for something else to occur. It allowed for Biden to hang himself. While Trump sat back in silence, Biden rattled, rambled, and fumbled his way through almost every response. Democrats were left aghast and scrambling for a new candidate.
They landed on Kamala, who I think we can all see is just as bad. While she's not in a cognitive decline like Biden is, her skills as an off-the-cuff speaker are awful. Pair that with a record of nothing, and you have a woman who should be kept away from working cameras and microphones as much as possible.
That's exactly what her campaign did, too, but now the time is up.
Trump should take the same principles from his debate with Biden and apply them to Harris. He should remember the wise words of Napoleon Bonaparte: "Never interrupt your enemy when he's making a mistake."
Harris is going to stumble and flounder. When she's presented with a real issue she has to answer for, she's not going to have an answer. She'll dance around it and trip over her own feet. She'll search for words and never find them. She's well known for this.
All Trump has to do is sit back and watch, and as he does, everyone else will watch with him. The cringe-inducing moments will become internet fodder, and Harris's stock will plummet among Independents and shaky Democrats.
As I wrote about the last debate, the moment Biden lost was when Trump made a simple comment about Biden's rambling.
BIDEN: *rambles incoherently about his failure to secure the border*
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) June 28, 2024
TRUMP: "I really don't know what he said at the end of that sentence. I don't think he knows what he said either." pic.twitter.com/lxBpOVeTqJ
If Trump can keep his mouth under control, he'll control the whole debate. He has all the tools he needs. He's defending the hill that Harris has to charge up. Strategically speaking, he's well situated, he just has to make sure he utilizes his position well. Knowing when and where to fire will likely be his greatest challenge.
