Of all the varied stops along the campaign trail, no
destination may carry as much consequence as the debate stage,
where Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Trump will
meet face to face for the first time.
Because as the saying goes, if you've got something to
say, fan to my face.
Much has changed since Harris sparred with Mike Pence four
years ago.
Whatever the vice president is claiming the administration has done,
clearly it hasn't worked.
Beyond a wayward fly, that debate featured a Harris tactic
that she has used to quiet protests.
You know what, if you want Donald Trump to win,
then say that.
Otherwise, I'm speaking and to keep control of the moment.
So I no, but Susan, I, this is important.
I and I wanna add, if Mr.
Vice President, I'm speaking.
I have.
I'm speaking.
If you don't mind letting me finish, we can then
have a conversation, OK, Please.
OK.
In that peak COVID.
Harris seized on the Trump administration's handling of the pandemic.
The American people have witnessed what is the greatest failure
of any presidential administration in the history of our country.
But some of Harris's notable debate highlights happened alongside fellow
Democrats in what was a crowded field of 2020 primary
contenders.
America does not want to witness a food fight.
They want to know how we're going to put food
on their table.
In a searing exchange, Harris aimed at Joe Biden over
his record on desegregation and bussing in the 1970s.
I do not believe you are a racist.
And I agree with you when you commit yourself to
the importance of finding common ground.
But I also believe, and it is personal and I
was actually very, it was hurtful to hear you talk
about the reputations of two United States senators who built
their reputations and career on the segregation of race in
this country.
You know, there was a little girl in California who
was part of the second class to integrate her public
schools and she was bussed to school every day.
And that little girl was me.
The Harris debate history also shows her on the defensive,
her record as a California prosecutor attacked by Tulsi Gabbard,
who was then a Democrat but has since turned independent
and endorse Trump.
She put over 1500 people in jail for marijuana violations
and then laughed about it when she was asked if
she ever smoked marijuana.
Harris's policy positions and changes also came under scrutiny from
a debate moderator.
You used to oppose the legalization of marijuana, now you
don't.
You used to oppose outside investigations of police shootings, now
you don't.
You've said that you changed on these and other things
because you were, quote, swimming against the current.
And thankfully, the currents have changed.
But when you had the power, why didn't you try
to affect change then?
So there have been, there have been.
I'm glad you asked me this question.
And there have been many distortions of my record.
Fast forward to 2024, and the Harris campaign has urged
a change in debate rules to allow for a candidate's
microphone to be active the entire time.
The Trump campaign backs muting microphones when candidates are not
designated to speak.
Harris posted on social media in part if his own
team doesn't have confidence in him.
The American people definitely can't.
Let's debate in a transparent way with the microphones on
the whole time.
The stakes for next Tuesday have been high since the
upheaval that made Harris the Democrats candidate.
But I'm ready and I think the voters deserve to
see the split screen that exists in this race on
a debate stage, and so I'm ready.
Let's go.
Kelly O'Donnell joins us tonight from the White House.
And Kelly, we saw there in your report about the
Mikes and what the Harris Walls campaign wanted.
I know now you have some new reporting about the
final decision.
It's resolved at this point.
The Harris campaign is saying that although they wanted to
have the ability for Mikes to be on the entire
time, they will grant the Trump wish that it be
as it was during the Joe Biden experience and the
rules they wanted under President Biden.
And that is the Mikes will be off.
But they've added some conditions and they've communicated that to
the campaign and to the host network.
And from what we understand, this will be the change.
If there is a lot of back and forth between
the candidates, the Mikes could come back up.
There will be the other reporters in the room who
can observe and listen and fill in the blanks for
the viewing audience if another candidate is speaking when the
mic is not on those sort of steps.
But what the Harris campaign said they wanted to be
sure of was that Trump would show up for the
debate next Tuesday.
And so they agreed to the existing rules package.
Yeah, that reporters now in the room is something new.
We're going to have to wait and see since there
is no audience.
Kelly, you've covered a lot of debates.
You've also covered both Vice President Harris and former President
Trump.
Are you expecting to see, what do you think's going
to happen on Tuesday?
Well, if her convention was a way to introduce her
broadly to the public and to lay out her vision,
this will be an opportunity to size up the two
candidates side by side.
They have never actually met in person.
Former President Donald Trump and Vice President Harris, he did
not go to the inaugural in 2020.
So they have never met in person.
This will be a chance to see how they interact
from the Harris side.
They say as a former prosecutor, she will be able
to spar with the former president.
And he has talked about the ways that he will
use a command of the the stage and his far
more considerable experience in presidential debates.
Because this is the third time he's running for the
office, Tom.