Republican strategist Karl Rove said Tuesday ahead of the presidential debate that former President Trump was wrong to “lower the bar” for Vice President Harris.
“I think it was a mistake for Trump to belittle her, to call her a fool and to lower the bar for her, because expectations are so important in these things,” Rove told Fox News host Bret Baier.
The high-stakes debate is taking place in Philadelphia. It is the only one scheduled between Trump and Harris, who only entered the presidential race in July after President Biden dropped out of the race. Biden entered the race under immense pressure from Democrats after his disastrous debate defeat against Trump.
Since Harris joined the campaign, Trump has changed his tune and criticized her, even calling her “Comrade Kamala Harris.”
Rove said he believes the candidate who appears more presidential on the debate stage “will have an advantage down the line.”
Polls are predicting a close race, and Rove said he expects it to get closer as Election Day approaches.
While he predicted the debate would have little impact on the polls and that the majority of voters had already made up their minds, he added that “in a close race like this, small moves can mean a lot.”
Rove acknowledged that this election revolves around just a handful of states that will determine the outcome this year, whereas past election cycles have focused on many more states.
“It's going to be a never-ending tour, from Nevada to Arizona to Georgia to North Carolina to Pennsylvania to Wisconsin to Michigan,” Loeb said.
