Donald Trump’s backers hope today’s debate will reset the campaign narrative and end the “honeymoon” that Kamala Harris has experienced since she ascended to the top of the Democratic ticket.
The two nominees for president are set to take the stage in Philadelphia at 9 p.m. for their first debate. It comes weeks after Trump survived an assassination attempt. It also comes after Trump’s debate with President Joe Biden caused so many alarms that the president decided against seeking reelection, allowing Harris to become the nominee.
Since then, Harris has seen a surge in the polls, while the Trump campaign has stalled amid a series of missteps and controversial statements.
Now, those close to Trump hope the debate will help shore up his support and move the nation from the Harris “honeymoon,” according to NBC News.
“Failure would give people permission to leave,” an unnamed former adviser said.
Biden’s campaign had similar thoughts in his debate. They hoped the matchup against Trump would reassure voters about his mental acumen and lead to a bounce in polls. It had the opposite impact.
It’s now team Trump hoping the debate will jumpstart the Republican campaign.
“Everyone on Team Trump firmly believes that we’re better-positioned to win,” said a source close to Trump told NBC. “Harris won’t be able to convince working-class Americans that she is telling the truth about her policy reversals, and they’re not going to roll the dice on her.”
Many of Trump’s allies hopes rest on his ability to stay focused on issues and to avoid personal attacks against Harris. It was Trump’s second debate against Hillary in 2016 where he highlighted his policies that helped propel him to victory in that election.
Some of his backers are hoping “happy Trump” shows up and stays on message, compared to ”‘angry Trump,” who is known to launch into attacks.
Harris remains in the lead in national polls against Trump, but has seen her momentum stall in recent days. A most recent polling national average had her support at 47.1 percent. That figure is still ahead of Trump’s 44.3 percent, but down from the 47.3 percent she had just a day earlier.
The Vice President quickly built a 4-point lead over Trump throughout August. However, her polling in recent days has remained stagnant while the Republican nominee has seen his increase slightly in recent polling.