Days of preparation and a final warning: How Kamala Harris prepared for her big moment in the debate

WASHINGTON — It was almost time for the presidential debate, but Kamala Harris’s aides thought there was one more thing she needed to know. And so, less than an hour before the vice president left her Philadelphia hotel, they called two communications aides for one of the strangest briefings of her political career.

They told her that Donald Trump had posted a false and racist rumor on social media that Haitian migrants in Springfield, Ohio, were eating people’s pets. The former president might mention it during the debate, they said.

The warning, given by two people familiar with the conversation, turned out to be spot on.

Answering a question about immigration policy, Trump said the migrants in Springfield were “eating the dogs” and “eating the cats.” Harris laughed, shook her head and stared at her Republican opponent in amazement. “That’s really extreme,” she said, then continued.

It was by far the most bizarre moment of last week’s debate, sparking an explosion of online memes and parody videos. Now Harris is trying to use her appearance as a continued source of momentum, hoping to revive the energy 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 November 5 election. In a snap poll of viewers conducted by CNN afterward, opinion of Trump remained unchanged, and Harris saw only a small increase in the share of those who view her favorably. But her team is making the most of it, turning key points into TV spots and flooding the internet with clips. There is no sign of a comparable effort on Trump’s part, despite his repeated insistence that he emerged victorious.

There will almost certainly not be another debate; Trump has said he will not participate in one. That means the debate at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia may be the only chance for voters to see the two candidates side by side.

This story is based on interviews with five people close to Harris who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe private conversations and reveal new details about how she prepared for and handled the debate, her first face-to-face meeting with Trump.

After several breakneck weeks of campaigning, Harris spent five days preparing in a hotel in downtown Pittsburgh.

Her team recreated the set where she would debate Trump on the evening of Sept. 10. It was a far more professional setup than the one Harris had used eight years earlier when she ran for Senate in California and campaign staff taped together cardboard boxes to use as makeshift lecterns.

Two communications assistants – a man and a woman – represented David Muir and Linsey Davis, the moderators of the ABC News debate.

Philippe Reines, a longtime aide to Hillary Clinton, reprised the role of Trump he played when the former secretary of state ran for president. Reines wore a dark suit, long red tie and orange bronzer to embody Trump.

The microphones would be a challenge.

When Biden was still running, his team agreed that microphones should be muted at debates when it was not a candidate’s turn to speak. But Harris’s staff wanted to keep the microphones on at all times so she could jump in and give Trump more opportunities for disagreement.

However, her campaign could not agree on a change in the rules and the original plan remained.

Harris decided to make the most of the split-screen format, where each candidate would be in the frame the entire time. Biden had botched the visual test when he debated Trump in June, often appearing aimless with his mouth slightly open. Harris delivered silent commentary through her expressiveness – laughing, raising her eyebrows, putting her hand to her chin with a questioning look.

At one point during the preparations, aides suggested practicing rules of conduct that Harris could use. The vice president dismissed the idea, saying she could manage without such rehearsals.

Harris barely left the hotel during the preparations. On September 7, she made a trip to Penzey’s Spices, where she bought some spice mixes. A woman in the store cried when Harris hugged her. On September 8, Harris and her husband, Doug Emhoff, went to a military airport and took a walk that lasted about half an hour. For security reasons, the tarmac was the only place they could stretch their legs.

When asked if she was ready for the debate, Harris gave reporters a thumbs up and said “ready.”

Ultimately, she left Pittsburgh on September 9 rather than on the day of the debate, canceled an additional mock debate, and arrived in Philadelphia earlier than expected.

As the clock counted down to the start of the debate, dozens of staffers gathered in assigned seats in front of four television screens at the campaign’s headquarters in Delaware, some nervous and still rattled by witnessing Biden’s meltdown in his own debate with Trump.

But Harris’ first move, when she walked toward Trump and shook his hand as he entered the stage, helped ease the nerves.

Throughout the debate, Harris taunted and taunted Trump, rattling him with jabs about crowd sizes at his campaign rallies. She pounced on questions about abortion and promised the country a new generation of leadership, while Trump grew increasingly agitated and missed opportunities to make his case against her.

During the final commercial break, Trump sighed as he left the stage. Harris remained at her podium, writing on her notepad, going over her words and taking a sip of water.

In her closing remarks, she told viewers: “I think you’ve heard tonight two very different visions for our country – one that’s focused on the future and another that’s focused on the past.”

Trump concluded 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 reached their target.

As Harris left the stage, she had a question for her staff: “How did I do?”