Former Secretary of State and twice-failed presidential candidate Hillary Clinton offered Vice President Kamala Harris unsolicited advice for her upcoming debate with Donald Trump, sparking criticism from across the political spectrum.
As the first and potentially last presidential debate of the 2024 election cycle approaches, Hillary Clinton’s input has reignited discussions about the challenges facing the Democratic ticket.
In an interview with The New York Times published over the weekend, she suggested that Harris should take an offensive approach against Trump.
“She just should not be baited. She should bait him,” Hillary Clinton advised. “He can be rattled. He doesn’t know how to respond to substantive, direct attacks.” Hillary pointed to a moment when she called Trump a “Russian puppet” in 2016 as an example.
The advice comes just hours before Harris will face Trump on Tuesday night at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia.
The debate, hosted by ABC News, has already been the subject of controversy regarding its format. Harris’s campaign initially expressed concerns about the debate rules, which include muting candidates’ microphones when it’s not their turn to speak.
They claimed this rule, which was initially insisted upon by Biden, would “fundamentally disadvantage” Harris and “shield Donald Trump from direct exchanges.”
Critics were quick to point out the irony of Hillary Clinton offering debate advice, given her own poor performance against Trump in 2016.
As the only Democratic candidate to lose a presidential election to Trump, her credibility on this matter has been called into question. Some observers have noted that Hillary’s debate performances in 2016 were also poor, and not effective in swaying voters or countering Trump’s aggressive style.
Furthermore, Hillary Clinton’s critics pointed out that she also provided guidance to Joe Biden before his June debate with Trump, after which Biden’s performance was so historically bad that he was forced out of the race by the Democratic establishment.
This history suggests that Hillary’s advice might be more beneficial to Trump than to Harris.
Just 48 hours before the event, Harris’s team finally posted a set of policies on her campaign website, following weeks of criticism for not having a clear platform.
However, left-leaning The New Republic reported that several parts of the new policy section were stolen directly from Joe Biden’s campaign website, even including material that called for Biden’s re-election.
Polls show that the few left undecided voters want to hear more about where Harris stands on issues — and many want a “major change” from the Biden administration popular among Democratic Party loyalists, which puts the vice president under significant pressure to perform well in Tuesday’s debate.
Critics argue that Harris needs to do more than simply echo Biden’s policies or rely on Hillary Clinton’s failed debate tactics.
“Unwilling to break publicly with Biden—to criticize his handling of say, inflation, immigration, or Israel—she has simply positioned herself as a younger version of him,” The New Republic reported.
As the debate approaches, political analysts are closely watching how Harris will navigate these challenges: Will she follow Hillary Clinton’s advice and attempt to “bait” Trump? Will she focus on selling her far-left vision for the country’s future? Or will she simple mumble and flail like Joe Biden?
The effectiveness of her strategy could have significant implications for the Democratic ticket’s chances in November.
As voters prepare to tune in to Tuesday’s debate, much of the momentum belongs to the Trump campaign, which has soared in recent polls after surviving an initial downturn when Harris took over for Biden.
As the nation watches, the pressure is on Harris.