As Donald Trump prepares for his first debate with Vice President Kamala Harris, he has enlisted the help of former Hawaii Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard.
Gabbard, 43, took part in strategy sessions with the 78-year-old former president at his Mar-a-Lago mansion ahead of a September debate with the 59-year-old Democratic candidate. According to the New York Times:.
Gabbard, who was once on Trump’s long list of potential running mates, had debated Harris since they were candidates in the 2019 Democratic presidential primary, during which she sharply attacked the then-California senator’s record as California’s top prosecutor.
The Trump campaign confirmed that the former Democratic congresswoman was helping the former president, who is known for his dislike of traditional debate preparation, get in shape for his showdown with Harris.
“[Trump has] “He has proven himself to be one of the greatest debaters in political history, as evidenced by his resounding victory over Joe Biden,” campaign spokeswoman Caroline Leavitt told The New York Times.
“While Harris will not need traditional debate preparation, she will still meet with respected policy advisors and effective communicators, such as Tulsi Gabbard, who outshone Kamala Harris in the 2020 debates,” she added.
During a July 2019 primary debate, Gabbard harshly criticized Harris’ performance as California’s attorney general.
“Anyway, there are countless examples, she sent over 1,500 people to prison for marijuana violations and then laughed when asked if she had ever smoked marijuana,” Gabbard said in the now-controversial remarks.
“She suppressed evidence. She suppressed evidence that would have freed an innocent man from death row until a court forced her to do so.”
In a later debate, Harris accused Gabbard of disqualifying herself from seeking the presidential nomination because of her foreign policy views and criticism of the Democratic Party establishment.
“Unfortunately, our Democratic Party is not a party of the people, by the people or for the people,” Gabbard countered, arguing that the party “continues to be influenced by the foreign policy establishment that Hillary Clinton and others represent.”
The quip was well received by the Trump campaign. Retweeted the clip Exchange.
Harris withdrew from the presidential primary race shortly after the November 2019 debate, and Gabbard suspended her campaign in March 2020.
Trump and Harris are scheduled to face off for the first time on September 10 in Philadelphia on ABC.
