‘She’s coming after him’: Famed Democratic strategist James Carville gives Trump a warning before the debate
Carville declared that Trump ‘better tighten his chinstrap’ ahead of exchanging barbs with Harris in Philadelphia on Tuesday
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Veteran Democratic strategist James Carville warned Donald Trump that Kamala Harris is “coming for him” precisely 24 hours before the pair face-off on the debate stage.
“I think she is very well prepared. I think she’s coming with a game,” he told NewsNation’s Dan Abrams Live on Monday night. “I hate to say this, but I expect her to do very well.”
“I don’t know what’s going on in Trump world, but he better tighten his chin strap, because she’s coming after him,” he said.
Carville’s predictions have proven correct before.
“Mark my words: Joe Biden is going to be out of the 2024 presidential race,” wrote Carville in his opening line of a New York Times op-ed, two weeks before the president stepped off the Democratic ticket in July.
Now, in anticipation of the Trump-Harris face-off in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on Tuesday evening, the political strategist and pundit is insistent the vice president will give her Republican rival a rough ride on the debate stage.
As part of his pre-debate media blitz, the 79-year-old sported his trademark specs along with a khaki Marine Corps cap.
The political strategist has spent decades running presidential campaigns with prominent Democrats — from the successes of Bill Clinton 1992’s win to his wife Hillary Clinton’s narrow defeat to Barack Obama in 2008.
Leveraging his expertise, Carville noted that Trump is a “totally known entity,” while hinting that Harris’s mystique may work to her advantage in what promises to be a defining moment in the race for the White House.
“But with Harris, it’s not the same thing. People know who she is, but a lot of people don’t know what she is. There seems to be a pretty high number of people who say they could change their mind,” he told Intelligencer on Monday.
Harris and Trump are set to take to stage at approximately 9 p.m. ET, with a broadcast beamed live to ABC viewers across the nation.
The presidential nominee’s have reportedly taken very different approaches to their debate preparation.
Harris has spent days camped out in a Pittsburgh hotel for an intensive “debate camp.” A mock-up studio was built and a method-acting Trump impersonator employed — former Hillary Clinton aide Philipe Reines — in order to practice sparring with the real Republican presidential nominee.
Trump’s press secretary Karoline Leavitt spoke of Trump not needing “traditional debate prep,” she told Newsmax last week.
The former president has spent much of the run up to the event in his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, golf club hosting “policy sessions” with aides and allies instead of more typical practice runs.
After weeks of back and forth between campaign teams, the rules of engagement have been agreed: no muted microphones, no pre-written notes, no live audience, no sitting and no speaking with campaign staff during commercial breaks.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments