Kamala Harris will try to consolidate her slight lead over Donald Trump in their first debate on Tuesday

U.S ELECTIONS: At their first debate on Tuesday, Vice President Kamala Harris will try to maintain her slim lead over former President Donald Trump, while Trump will try to regroup his campaign after falling behind in the polls after Harris’s announcement as the Democratic contender.

Riding a surge of excitement in the weeks after President Joe Biden withdrew his candidacy for a second term, Harris joins the debate. However, the contest is effectively at a standstill, with the two contenders separated by narrow margins in every crucial battleground state.

On Tuesday, Trump, who in July accepted a historic third straight Republican nomination for president, will take part in his seventh presidential debate.

In 2016, Trump and Clinton engaged in three debates. Biden and Trump squared off twice in 2020 and again in June, with Biden’s dismal showing in the campaign forcing him to withdraw.

During a Democratic primary debate in 2019, Harris caused a stir by criticizing Biden’s record on school busing, during her first significant national debate. She conversed with Mike Pence at the 2020 vice presidential debate as well.

But Harris’s greatest debate test to yet is going to come on Tuesday.

With so much on the line, Newsweek contacted Republican and Democratic strategists for their insights on winning tactics for both candidates as well as what would happen if Harris and Trump prevailed in the debate.

Before Tuesday’s session at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, Newsweek also asked the Harris and Trump teams to comment on their debate tactics.

Here are the main points to be aware of and the methods in which the first-time applicants may succeed or fail.

“Make Trump look little.”

Trump has a long history of demeaning political rivals on social media and using pranks and nicknames. By making fun of Trump’s propensity to digress at rallies and characterizing his opinions on important subjects as “weird” and disconnected from mainstream America, the Harris campaign has completely reversed the narrative.

According to Democratic strategist Basil Smikle, if Harris is able to defeat Trump on Tuesday—who is infamous for seeming to attempt to intimidate Clinton during their second 2016 debate by hiding behind her on stage—she would “minimize the impact of anything he’s done” as president.

“What she has to do is diminish his allusion of power,” Smikle remarked. “Make Trump seem small.”

Additionally, the Harris team has changed its stance on dangers to democracy, which was a key concern for Biden before to his withdrawal from the contest. Harris has given the topic less attention since he was nominated and has instead concentrated more on the economics and abortion. Trump’s attempts to reverse his loss in the 2020 election are expected to be discussed during the debate, but Smikle said that Harris won’t benefit if she presents the topic in a manner that exaggerates Trump’s significance.

“When we talk about threats to democracy, it makes him seem bigger than he really is,” Smikle added.

Prioritize values above specific policies

Harris has come under fire for leading a campaign devoid of any policy recommendations. Democrats said that Harris ought to disregard the critique on Tuesday and refrain from delving too deeply into specifics during the Trump discussion.

“To be able to demonstrate that you comprehend the challenges, you must possess sufficient policy expertise. However, Democratic strategist Rick Ridder said, “You never want to get into the weeds” during a debate. “The number one job in a debate is always to deliver a [broader] message.”

According to Democratic strategist and Way to Win president Tory Gavito, Harris should concentrate on the broad contours of her platform and compare it to Trump’s performance in power and his 2024 campaign promises. However, Gavito said that Harris would also need to provide moderates and independents who are unwilling to support Trump with an incentive to vote for her in November.

“Vice President Harris’ number one job is to keep the anti-MAGA coalition together,” Gavito stated.

Make an age comparison

Biden’s campaign was severely damaged by the televised split-screen picture of him and Trump at their June 27 debate. The 78-year-old Trump struck most spectators as more animated than the 81-year-old president, who at times seemed weak and found it difficult to complete his sentences.

Tuesday, however, will be very different. If Harris is elected, she would be the first Black woman and South Asian woman to hold the position of vice president. Furthermore, Harris is almost two decades younger than Trump at the age of 59.

Harris will probably benefit from the age gap, but Democrats warned that if she plays it up too much, she may lose the edge. Gavito said that it is a more successful tactic to let the optics speak for themselves since Harris can convey more in less space by presenting herself as “a symbol of what the future of American democracy can look like.”

How to win for Trump

Prioritize policy above personal assaults.

In debates, Trump has done best when he concentrates on topics that affect voters. As he did in his first debate against Biden in 2020, he has had some of his poorest performances in debates when he has attacked his opponent. Though he struggled to find a way to campaign against Harris, Trump has been more personal in his assaults on her in recent weeks. He was more restrained in his June debate with Biden.

According to Republican strategist Gregg Peppin, “he should not get too personal.”

Republican strategist Brian Seitchik, who has worked on previous Trump campaigns, said that the former president’s performance on Tuesday night would depend on whatever version of himself appears at the debate.

Seitchik said, “The more we’re talking about policy and Trump’s accomplishments, the better it is” for him and suggested that among other things, Trump should concentrate on the economy, inflation, immigration, and crime.

“It’s time for Donald Trump to embrace his inner Ronald Reagan and ask the question that [Democrats] are most afraid of asking.” Do you feel that your situation has improved since four years ago?

Refuse to accept the offer

It’s one thing to stick to talking points on the border and the economy. But Republican strategists warned that Trump would also need to control his temper so as not to alienate supporters, particularly women who could be seeing how Trump handles Harris.

She’s going to make an effort to irritate him. A Republican strategist named Matt Mackowiak said, “He can’t take the bait.” His words were followed by, “I don’t know if he has the discipline to do this.”

Trump may want to learn from Biden’s 2019 strategy. In their first primary discussion, Harris used the busing issue to win points against Biden, but Biden managed to contain the damage and remained composed on stage. According to Seitchik, Trump may also come off as cool under pressure if he doesn’t return the favor and ignore any jabs or prepared attack lines Harris may direct to him.

“If the chatter after the debate is Trump’s personality or how Harris was able to get under his skin, that will be a win for her,” Seitchik said. “If the focus is a compare-and-contrast of the four years of Biden-Harris and the four years of Trump policy, that’s a loss for her.”

Steer out of the abortion debate

Following the Supreme Court’s decision to reverse Roe v. Wade, Democrats effectively campaigned on the topic of abortion in the 2022 midterm elections, and Harris’ 2024 campaign will be heavily focused on it. In the meanwhile, since Harris emerged as the Democratic candidate, Trump has had difficulty establishing himself on the matter. Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, his campaign companion, has also come under fire for his divisive remarks on IVF, abortion, and individuals without children in the past.

“In the past few weeks, he’s kind of been all over the place [about abortion].” Mackowiak said of Trump, “He’s obviously going to be on defense on that” during the debate. “He’s got to figure out what he can say on abortion.”

Trump will be unable to sidestep the problem. However, Seitchik said, he can find methods to refocus the conversation on other subjects.

When it comes to abortion, “Trump needs to get back to safe territory,” Seitchik said. “He is doing worse in the argument the longer he talks about abortion. He should clarify his stance on abortion, but he should also end the discussion.