Next week's debate is a chance for Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris to define herself and reshape the political terrain for the rest of the campaign.
It’s embarrassing that Donald Trump is competitive in this election, but that’s the truth. Millions of Americans still have a notion of him that is counter to reality: The image of a successful businessman and president and a tough guy on the world stage.
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The evidence proves otherwise, but that is the way he is seen by a large portion of voters. To them, all other candidates must prove themselves except him. And since this could be the only debate between Trump and Harris, it’s essential for her to pin Trump down as the charlatan that he is.
At the same time, she must also build her case in the eyes of persuadable voters.
This is another chance for Harris to reintroduce herself to voters.
First: This is another chance for Harris to reintroduce herself to voters who didn’t tune into the Democratic National Convention. Presidential debates are marquee moments that put fresh eyeballs on the candidates vying to serve as commander in chief. Harris must explain who she is and weave her personal story into the context of her candidacy.
Harris’ vow to build an “opportunity economy” underscores her upbringing in a middle-class family. The daughter of immigrants, Harris understands the power of the American Dream firsthand. She also knows the power of hard work. While earning her college degree, Harris worked at McDonald’s in the 1980s. It’s a small part of her background that mirrors the life experience of tens of millions of voters. One in eight Americans have worked under the Golden Arches at one point in their lives, according to a survey done by the company.
Second: Harris should be careful about framing herself as a former prosecutor on the stage with a criminal. My bet is that many voters won’t take a full-throated prosecution of Trump very well. Americans want a president, not a prosecutor.
When she’s on the stage with a pathological liar, her instinct will be to correct him and throw facts back. That might work to a degree and at specific times, but the trap is to remember she’s not running for California attorney general; she’s running for president of the United States. During debate prep, I hope her team is stress-testing her instincts. Voters must come to see her as presidential at ALL MOMENTS — a task that may be difficult at times to maintain when responding to Trump.
Third: She must build a permission structure for Republicans, independents, and, yes, even some Democrats to vote for her. Her vision to chart a “new way forward” is easier said than done. Wide swaths of the country aren’t on board yet. Instead of just telling us her plans for the future, she must show us a vision for the way forward.
They don’t have to agree with every aspect of her agenda, but they do need to trust she is fit to serve as president.
A big part is the question: “Do I trust her?” Many voters no longer trust what they see or hear. They don’t have to agree with every aspect of her agenda, but they do need to trust she is fit to serve as president. This was a part of my journey when I endorsed President Joe Biden in 2020. “Do I trust him” to do right by the Constitution and our democracy even though I do not agree with many of his policy prescriptions? I did. And he has.
By contrast, Trump has a different set of goals on Tuesday night. He has gotten a lot of people to trust him despite his nonsensical rantings, promises to be a dictator on "day one" and his failure to deliver on much of his first-term agenda beyond Supreme Court appointments and tax cuts for wealthy individuals. There has not been much from his first term or even now that speaks to small business owners or the shrinking middle class. This debate is an opportunity for him to show he has some command of the race and has an awareness of how policy affects the lives of Americans.
An example of this is his stance on reproductive rights. Americans don’t trust Trump on abortion. He knows he can’t be an absolutist on abortion and win. In the past few weeks, he has flip-flopped on the issue three times. He must figure out how to approach the issue without alienating moderate voters. But he knows he also has to walk a fine line, so he doesn’t further alienate and anger his Republican base. I suspect he will speak out of both sides of his mouth and leave Harris to figure out how to avoid getting entangled in his web of disinformation.
Overall, the weight of the debate rests on the vice president. Trump is just entertainment to most people, and it’s not fair that they don’t hold him to the same standard. Her charge is different and more difficult. But if she meets it, and I believe she can, she’ll establish a path forward in the minds of voters that could very well lead to the White House.
For more thought-provoking insights from Michael Steele, Alicia Menendez and Symone Sanders-Townsend, watch “The Weekend” every Saturday and Sunday at 8 a.m. ET on MSNBC.