Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie (R) on Sunday advised Vice President Harris to avoid “sparring” with former President Trump and to ignore any personal attacks during this week's debate.
“If I was preparing Kamala Harris, I would tell her to just write two words there: 'charm' and 'disarming.' That's it,” Christie said on ABC News' “This Week.” “She needs to look into the camera and charm the American people. She needs to show that she's not going to be the noise of a leaf blower 24 hours a day like Harris is.”
“She has to show them there's another way to lead. There's a way to be kind and be smart and be tough. That's the appeal,” he added. “Disarm him… and not drag him into that.”
Christie, who ran unsuccessfully for the Republican presidential nomination last year, pointed to Harris' response when asked by CNN host Dana Bash during an interview last month about Trump suggesting Christie had “gone black.”
“The usual boring tactic. Next question please,” Harris replied.
“That's it?” Bash asked.
“That's it,” Harris replied.
Christie said it was “the smartest answer” Harris gave in the interview.
“That's his [Trump’s] “If Hillary refuses to have this exchange with him, which she's not good at and failed miserably at because she did have an exchange, then don't engage with him about it,” Christie said. “It elevates him. You want to degrade him by belittling him.”
Trump's allies and many Republicans have advised him to avoid personal insults about Harris and instead focus on their policy differences. On the campaign trail, Trump's comments included insulting her intelligence, mocking her laugh and questioning her racial identity.
Christie, who was involved in preparing for Trump's debates in 2016 and 2020 before his rivalry with Trump, argued that Trump “doesn't really think he needs to prepare.”
“When we were preparing for the debate, we would go to him and he would just say, 'No, I'm not going to do it,' and that was that. In the end, the debate never happened,” he said. “He trusts his instincts to guide him.”
“He's going to be classic Donald Trump, he's going to improvise. So I think what Kamala Harris does in this debate is going to be much more important than what Donald Trump does, because he's going to be a Trump type of speaker,” he added. “He's going to improvise. You've seen this show before. She's going to be the one getting the most attention.”
A presidential debate between Harris and Trump is scheduled for Tuesday in Philadelphia. ABC News will host the 90-minute debate starting at 9 pm EDT.
The event came as The Hill/Decision Desk National Polling Index showed Harris leading Trump by nearly 4 percentage points, and as she seeks to close the gap on the former president in key battleground states.
