Nearing his first debate against Kamala Harris in Philadelphia on September 10 — moderated by ABC News anchors David Muir and Linsey Davis — Donald Trump has enlisted the help of former Democratic congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard to help him prepare. And although his team has indicated that he’s a pro at debates, and doesn’t need the help, roping in Gabbard could be viewed as a call to the contrary, as she is said to have “dominated” Harris in a 2019 debate when the two were after a presidential bid, while he has yet to prove himself capable of doing so.
Having parted ways with the Democratic Party after her presidential run in 2020 to, in a twist, become embraced by the other team, Tulsi is described by The Daily Beast as Harris’ nemesis and her current association with the Republican campaign was confirmed by Trump spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt in an email to The New York Times on Friday, in which she wrote that Trump has “proven to be one of the best debaters in political history as evidenced by his knockout blow to Joe Biden. He does not need traditional debate prep but will continue to meet with respected policy advisers and effective communicators like Tulsi Gabbard, who successfully dominated Kamala Harris on the debate stage in 2020.”
On Thursday, Gabbard bashed Harris during an appearance on “America’s Newsroom,” calling her an “empty suit,” saying, “We have to pay attention to her actions, because on every single major issue, you will see that same kind of hypocrisy that I pointed out in 2019 where she’ll say one thing, but her record tells a very, very different story.”