Haisten Willis of the Washington Examiner looks back at Vice President Kamala Harris’ last debate.
Vice President Kamala Harris is taking heat for her media blackout on the campaign trail, but her last run for office gives some clues as to what voters can expect when she does take the stage without a script.
Harris debated then-Vice President Mike Pence for 90 minutes in Utah on Oct. 7, 2020, with USA Today’s Susan Page acting as moderator. If that performance is any indicator, GOP nominee former President Donald Trump should prepare for Harris to go on offense on Sept. 10.
Harris hit Pence six times with her signature “I’m speaking” line, a phrase she used most recently to shut down anti-Israel protesters and one that’s sure to feature against Trump if moderators cannot cut the candidates’ microphones.
“I’ve traveled the world; I’ve met with our soldiers in war zones,” Harris said in the early going. “I think Joe [Biden] has asked me to serve with him because he knows that we share a purpose, which is about lifting up the American people.”
Harris has agreed to debate Trump on Sept. 10 on ABC, with Trump pushing for two more debates that would take place on Sept. 4 on Fox and Sept. 25 on NBC.
If the Fox date doesn’t materialize, the ABC debate will be the first for Harris in almost four years. For Trump, it will be the first debate since his June 27 matchup with President Joe Biden that ended up knocking the Democratic candidate out of the race, leading to the rise of Harris. …
… Harris, like Biden, sought to hang the pandemic around Trump’s neck from the start, saying he “covered it up,” called it a hoax, and should lose the election based on that issue alone. …
… Harris threw out an “I’m speaking” when Pence pointed out that repealing the Trump tax cuts would raise taxes on the middle class, an issue that is relevant once again in this year’s election cycle.
