Democrat presidential nominee and Vice President Kamala Harris said she is expecting that her Republican rival, former President Donald Trump, is "going to lie" when they square off at their debate in Philadelphia on Tuesday.
"There's no floor for him in terms of how low he will go," Harris said on Monday's edition of "The Rickey Smiley Morning Show." "And we should be prepared for that. We should be prepared for the fact that he is not burdened by telling the truth."
The vice president also said she is expecting Trump to pull out the "playbook" of personal attacks he used against former President Barack Obama and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
Before the debate rules were set, the Harris campaign might have been hoping that the former president would unleash a barrage of such attacks. Now, however, with each candidate's microphone being muted while the other speaks, Harris will not be able to easily challenge what she calls Trump's "untruths."
Harris' comments on Monday are among her first about how she expects her face-off against Trump to go. Over the weekend in Pittsburgh, she said she will bring a message of unity to the debate stage.
"It's time to turn the page on the divisiveness," Harris said at the campaign stop. "It's time to bring our country together, chart a new way forward."
President Joe Biden's team had agreed to the rule for muted microphones earlier this year. Since he dropped out of the race in late July, however, and endorsed Harris for the Democrat nomination, the vice president's team has been fighting for open-style debate.
With host network ABC standing firm on the muted mic rule, Harris' camp has been forced to adapt to a new strategy that does not expect interruptions from the GOP nominee.
Trump 2024 national press secretary Karoline Leavitt responded to Harris' comments in a statement to Politico, saying the vice president will be "the only person lying on that debate stage." She also called Harris a "far-left dangerous liberal."
The radio appearance follows Harris' first sit-down interview of her candidacy, when she told CNN last week that some of her positions on issues might have changed, but her values were still the same.
Harris has largely avoided speaking to reporters since Biden ended his reelection bid and endorsed her earlier this summer. Meanwhile, Trump has continued to speak with the press at public appearances and campaign rallies, as well as during sit-down interviews.
Jason Miller, a senior adviser for the former president, said in a statement to Politico that Harris' circle told her to "hide from the press for two months."
Nicole Wells ✉
Nicole Wells, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
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