It
was almost time for the presidential debate, but Kamala Harris’ staff thought
there was one more thing she needed to know. So less than an hour before the
vice president left her Philadelphia hotel, two communications aides got her on
the phone for one of the strangest briefings of her political career.
They
told her that Donald Trump had been posting on social media about a false and
racist rumor that Haitian migrants in Springfield, Ohio, were eating people’s
pets. The former president might mention it during the debate, they said.
The
warning, described by two people with knowledge of the conversation, proved
spot on.
While
answering a question about immigration policy, Trump said migrants in
Springfield were “eating the dogs” and “they’re eating the cats.” Harris
laughed, shook her head and stared at her Republican opponent in amazement.
“Talk about extreme,” she said, and then moved on.
It
was easily the most bizarre moment from last week’s debate, spawning an
explosion of online memes and parody videos. Now, Harris is trying to use her
performance as an ongoing source of momentum, hoping to rekindle the kind of
energy that she generated when she replaced President Joe Biden at the top of
the Democratic ticket.
It
is unclear whether the debate will affect the outcome of the Nov. 5 election.
In a flash poll of viewers conducted by CNN afterward, opinions of Trump were
unchanged and Harris received only a slight bump in the share of people who
view her favorably. But her team is making the most of it, turning key points
into television advertisements and flooding the internet with clips. No
equivalent effort is apparent from Trump’s side, despite his repeated insistence
that he came out on top.
There
almost certainly will not be another debate; Trump has said he will not do one.
That means the debate at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia may
be the only chance that voters will have to see the candidates side by side.
This
story is based on interviews with five people close to Harris, who spoke on
condition of anonymity to describe private conversations and reveal new details
about how she prepared for and handled the debate. It was her first time
meeting Trump in person.
Harris
spent five days getting ready at a hotel in downtown Pittsburgh after a
breakneck few weeks of campaigning.
Her
team recreated the set where she would debate Trump on the night of Sept. 10.
It was a far more professional setup than Harris had used eight years earlier
as she was running for Senate in California, when campaign staff taped together
cardboard boxes to serve as makeshift lecterns.
Two
communications aides — one man, one woman — stood in for David Muir and Linsey
Davis, the ABC News debate moderators.
Philippe
Reines, a longtime aide to Hillary Clinton, reprised his role as Trump, which
he played when the former secretary of state ran for president. Reines wore a
dark suit, a long red tie and orange bronzer to embody Trump.
One
challenge would be the microphones.
When
Biden was running, his team agreed that the debate microphones should be muted
when it was not a candidate’s turn to speak. But Harris’ staff wanted the
microphones hot at all times, which would allow her to jump in and create more
opportunities for Trump to make outbursts.
But
their campaign could not reach an agreement to change the rules, and the
original plan remained in place.
Harris
decided to make the most of the split screen format, where each candidate would
be on camera at all times. Biden had flubbed the visual test when he debated
Trump in June, often looking aimless with his mouth slightly agape. Harris
provided silent commentary through her expressiveness — laughing, raising her
eyebrows, bringing her hand to her chin with a quizzical look.
At
one point during preparations, staff members suggested practicing mannerisms
that Harris could use. The vice president waved them off, saying she would be
fine without that kind of rehearsal.
Harris
rarely left the hotel during preparations. On Sept. 7, she took a field trip to
Penzeys Spices, where she picked up some seasoning mixes. One woman in the
store wept as Harris hugged her. On Sept. 8, Harris and her husband, Doug
Emhoff, went to a military airbase and took a walk for about a half hour.
Because of security considerations, the tarmac was the only place where they
could stretch their legs.
Asked
if she was ready for the debate, Harris gave reporters a thumb’s up and said
“ready.”
She
ended up leaving Pittsburgh on Sept. 9 rather than the day of the debate,
canceling an extra mock debate and getting to Philadelphia earlier than
expected.
As
the clock ticked down to the start of the debate, dozens of staff members in
the campaign’s Delaware headquarters assembled in assigned seats in front of
four television screens. Some were nervous, still rattled from watching Biden
implode in his own debate with Trump.
But
Harris’ opening move, striding toward Trump to shake his hand as they took the
stage, helped ease those jitters.
Throughout
the debate, Harris mocked and needled Trump, throwing him off balance with jabs
about the size of crowds at his campaign rallies. She pounced on questions
about abortion and promised the country a new generation of leadership, while
Trump became increasingly agitated and missed opportunities to press his case
against her.
During
the final commercial break, Trump departed the stage with a sigh. Harris stayed
at her lectern, writing on her notepad, reviewing her words and taking a sip of
water.
In
her closing statement, she told viewers that “I think you’ve heard tonight two
very different visions for our country — one that is focused on the future and
the other that is focused on the past.”
Trump
ended his remarks by calling Harris “the worst vice president in the history of
our country.”
There
was no live audience in the room to react to the candidates, and it was not
always clear whether certain lines or expressions were hitting their marks.
So
when Harris left the stage, she had a question for her staff: How did I do?