| | | | |  | | By Lauren Egan, Eli Stokols and Ben Johansen | | Presented by |  | | | Welcome to POLITICO’s West Wing Playbook, your guide to the people and power centers in the Biden administration and Harris campaign. Send tips | Subscribe here | Email Eli | Email Lauren In four hours, Vice President KAMALA HARRIS and former President DONALD TRUMP will take the stage in Philadelphia for their first — and potentially only — presidential debate. For many of our readers, another presidential debate could be triggering. It brings back painful memories of the three-week stretch when, instead of enjoying the summer campaign lull, we all developed eye twitches from refreshing X and Slack, obsessively awaiting news of President JOE BIDEN’s decision to end his campaign. We cannot be the only ones who subsisted on a diet of Trader Joe’s frozen Orange Chicken during that time (our digestive system is still recovering). Rehoboth Beach may forever be ruined for us — our nervous systems just can’t calm down once we spot The Atlantis Inn or a Grotto Pizza. Harris campaign staffers, too, are shuddering at the memory of June 27. Tonight’s debate likely will not result in the same kind of dramatic twist in the 2024 election (please, we may not survive), but it will still be closely watched by tens of millions of Americans, many of whom are just getting to know Harris. Here are a few things we’re thinking about heading into the debate and what some top Democratic officials are saying to watch for. HOW TRUMP REACTS TO HARRIS Trump has complained repeatedly about how unfair it was that Harris replaced Biden, whom he was eager to run against. And while his campaign has started to figure out how to go after the vice president, some of his advisers remain uneasy about how she is a more complicated opponent for him to attack. In Harris’ camp, some aides have also wondered how the former president will react to being challenged by a Black woman, given his history of churlish and insulting responses to questions and criticism from others. They pointed to his particularly angry responses to Black women who covered his White House, namely NBC News’ YAMICHE ALCINDOR, TheGrio’s APRIL RYAN and ABC News’ RACHEL SCOTT. Scott in particular drew an angry rejoinder from Trump when she opened a Q&A with him at July’s National Association of Black Journalists Conference by rattling off a list of racially insensitive statements he’s made in the past. Tonight, Trump will be under fire from Harris, whose Blackness he questioned during his NABJ appearance, and taking questions from ABC’s LINSEY DAVIS, a Black woman who will moderate the debate alongside DAVID MUIR. WILL THIS BE THE LAST DEBATE? Several campaign and network sources tell us that conversations are ongoing about another Trump-Harris debate, or even two more. With CBS News hosting the Oct. 1 vice presidential debate between JD VANCE and TIM WALZ, NBC News is chomping at the bit to get a piece of the action, and journalists at the network are on standby in case there’s interest from both campaigns in scheduling another one in the coming weeks. So, in addition to whatever spin we hear tonight, another good barometer of how the campaigns think they did will be if either — or both — go public in the days ahead with a call to meet again. WHAT ARE DEM OFFICIALS SAYING? We asked a few Democratic officials for their thoughts on the debate tonight, including what a Harris win would look like. Former Biden White House chief of staff and debate guru RON KLAIN told us Harris wins “if she stands her ground and scores a few solid points on her agenda as president.” A Trump win? According to Klain, that only happens if he “somehow gets a personality and character transplant in the next 24 hours.” NEIL OXMAN, a Pennsylvania-based strategist, told our LISA KASHINSKY that a Harris win is not just about her being able to deliver her message and fit in all of her rehearsed zingers: “The win is her doing well and hoping that Trump just goes off the deep end.” Democratic strategist and Run For Something founder AMANDA LITMAN said she’d be watching Trump for “how mixed his word salad is around the issues — particularly abortion, child care, but really anything specific. The guy is deteriorating rapidly, and while he could hide behind Biden’s decline last time, he for sure can’t this time around. He’s been on the debate stage many times over and is an expert on the visuals of TV, but he’s not the same guy he was even a few years ago.” And Rep. ANN McLANE KUSTER (D-N.H.) told Lisa that she was worried about Trump’s “history of disrespect.” “I think she needs to be ready. We all remember when he walked around behind Hillary Clinton when she was speaking. It’s just beyond the normal bounds of how people treat each other on a debate stage. And for him, it’s all about show. I think she can handle it. She won’t have a problem. She’s a prosecutor,” said Kuster. MESSAGE US — Are you HALEY LEVINSKY, associate director for candidate recruitment? We want to hear from you. And we’ll keep you anonymous! Email us at westwingtips@politico.com. Did someone forward this email to you? Subscribe here!
| | | | A message from Kenvue: Summer may be ending, but sunscreen is an important part of self care year-round. If there’s daylight, there’s UV exposure, which can lead to sun damage and even skin cancer. In fact, 9,500 people in the U.S. are diagnosed with skin cancer every day, making it the most common cancer in America. One simple way to protect yourself is by applying sunscreen every day. Learn more about how you can protect yourself at Kenvue.com/sun | | | | | What mishap marred the only other televised presidential debate held in Philadelphia? (Answer at bottom.)
| | THAT'S A LOT OF SPINNERS: Biden's campaign only sent six top surrogates into the spin room following his June 27 meltdown in Atlanta. Only one of them, California Gov. GAVIN NEWSOM, will be on hand after tonight's debate, but the Harris campaign is sending more than a dozen individuals into the scrum of journalists to spin. Here's the full list: North Carolina Gov. ROY COOPER, New Mexico Gov. MICHELLE LUJAN GRISHAM, Pennsylvania Gov. JOSH SHAPIRO, Brigadier Gen. STEVE ANDERSON (Ret.), California Sen. LAPHONZA BUTLER, Illinois Sen. TAMMY DUCKWORTH, Connecticut Sen. CHRIS MURPHY, Colorado Rep. JASON CROW, Texas Rep. VERONICA ESCOBAR, California Rep. ROBERT GARCIA, California Rep. TED LIEU, former Louisiana Rep. CEDRIC RICHMOND, Reproductive Freedom for All President & CEO MINI TIMMARAJU and Gold Star father KHIZR KHAN. OH, THEY'VE GOT MONEY MONEY: Ahead of tonight’s debate, the Harris campaign will be doing a drone show over the famous ROCKY steps at the Philadelphia Art Museum. “Tonight’s show will echo some of the popular messaging this campaign and grassroots supporters have latched on to since the start of Vice President Harris’ candidacy,” spokesperson KEVIN MUNOZ wrote in a release. THE MOOCH!! The Harris campaign is also bringing two former Trump administration officials as guests to the debate in Philadelphia: Former White House communications director ANTHONY SCARAMUCCI, who served only 10 days before he was fired, and former Trump national security official OLIVIA TROYE. The two are expected to warn of the dangers of a second Trump presidency, our MEGAN MESSERLY reports. TROLL HARDER: Yeah, they’re really trying to get into Trump’s head. Aside from the Spin Room shenanigans and drone show, the Harris team launched a new TV ad featuring former President BARACK OBAMA mocking Trump’s obsession with crowd size that is running only in the Palm Beach market.
| | | | A message from Kenvue:   | | | | | A LEGEND LOST: JAMES EARL JONES, whose powerful, illustrious voice brought life to some of film’s and television’s most iconic characters, died on Monday at 93. In a statement, President Biden praised the two-time Emmy award-winning actor for his career, as well as the hurdles he had to clear to get there. “I admired him for something else as well, something we both had in common — overcoming a childhood stutter to find our voice for something bigger than ourselves,” Biden wrote. “His legendary voice boomed wherever it was heard, an instrument and imprint that reverberated in the hearts of audiences worldwide.” The NYT also offered a nice appreciation of some of the actor's "12 great films," but we honestly have no idea how they left out his iconic performance as KING JAFFE JOFFER in the 1988 masterpiece "Coming to America." WHAT THE WHITE HOUSE WANTS YOU TO READ: This piece by NYT’s NOAH WEILAND, who reports that nearly 50 million Americans have been covered by health insurance plans through the Affordable Care Act’s marketplaces since they opened a decade ago. Federal officials say the data, released by the Treasury Department on Tuesday, shows that roughly one in seven U.S. residents benefit from the 2010 law. “We are not stopping now,” President Biden said in a statement. “The Vice President and I will keep fighting to make health care more affordable for all Americans, and we will always stand up to attempts by Republicans in Congress to roll back access to health care.” Communications director BEN LaBOLT, deputy communications director HERBIE ZISKEND and senior deputy press secretary ANDREW BATES shared the piece on X. WHAT WILMINGTON DOESN’T WANT YOU TO READ: This op-ed from NYT’s deputy opinion editor PATRICK HEALY — former head of politics at the Times — who writes that Kamala Harris may be in trouble. Harris’ CNN interview, Healy argues, was a missed opportunity for the vice president, who gave “canned or vague answers about why she had changed big positions from her 2020 campaign” and didn’t persuasively explain how she would lower the cost of living. “But most of all, I think, she didn’t leave strong positive impressions on undecided voters and lukewarm independents and Democrats,” Healy wrote.
| | DEM ON DEM CRIME: The Democratic primary season is ending with a bang. An especially contentious congressional race in New Hampshire pits a D.C. attorney with close White House ties, MAGGIE GOODLANDER, against a local state power broker COLIN VAN OSTERN, our ALLY MUTNICK, SARAH FERRIS and Lisa report. Some Van Ostern supporters have privately complained that Goodlander is benefiting from the support of her husband, White House national security adviser JAKE SULLIVAN. Sullivan has discussed his wife’s candidacy in conversations with fellow Democrats, according to two people familiar with the interactions. PERSONNEL MOVES: Biden appointed prominent California Republican and public policy expert LANHEE CHEN to oversee the operation of America’s public passenger rail system, our TYLER KATZENBERGER reports. Chen, whom Biden selected for the Amtrak board of directors, previously served as chief policy director for MITT ROMNEY’s 2012 presidential campaign. He also advised Florida Sen. MARCO RUBIO’s 2016 presidential run and was a senior policy adviser to the National Republican Senatorial Committee. Chen won 45 percent of the vote in his bid for state controller in 2022 — significantly better than any other statewide Republican on the ballot that year, but obviously well short of the majority needed to clinch the race. — VERONICA MORALES is now strategic business communication planning project manager at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, our DANIEL LIPPMAN has learned. She most recently was director of governmental, international and public affairs at the Transportation Department’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration.
| | NOT A GOOD DAY TO BE TEHRAN: Secretary of State ANTONY BLINKEN on Tuesday announced that Iran is supplying Russia with short-range ballistic missiles to use in its war against Ukraine, POLITICO Europe’s ESTHER WEBBER reports. “Russia has now received shipments of these ballistic missiles and will likely use them within weeks in Ukraine against Ukrainians,” Blinken said at a joint press conference with U.K. Foreign Secretary DAVID LAMMY. Later in the day, the Treasury and State departments announced a fresh set of sanctions on 10 individuals and nine entities based in Iran and Russia, Reuters reports. Blinken and Lammy will visit Kyiv later this week in what they described as a “critical moment” for Ukraine. MORE FROM BLINKEN: During the same presser, Blinken gave one of his most blunt condemnations of Israel’s military operation, saying it must make “fundamental changes” in the way it operates in the occupied West Bank, WaPo’s MICHAEL BIRNBAUM and LOVEDAY MORRIS report. An initial inquiry by military police into the shooting of 26-year-old activist AYSENUR EYGI found that she was hit by fire “which was not aimed at her, but aimed at the key instigator of the riot,” per the Israel Defense Forces. It said that the shooting took place during a “violent riot” where Palestinians had thrown rocks at Israeli security forces. Blinken said that the shooting was “not acceptable.” THIS IS EVERYONE’S PROBLEM: The U.S. accused China of giving Russia “very substantial” assistance to beef up its war machine. In return, Moscow is handing over closely guarded military tech on submarines and missiles, deputy Secretary of State KURT CAMPBELL said Tuesday. As POLITICO Europe’s STUART LAU reports, Campbell’s remarks shows that Washington is now unequivocally saying China is aiding Russia’s military. The new technologies that Beijing is receiving from Moscow, Campbell argued in a conversation with a group of reporters, will pose a danger not just to the U.S., but also to India, Australia, Japan and South Korea.
| | | | Trump confronts his ‘weak spot’ at the debate (POLITICO’s Meridith McGraw, Myah Ward, Christopher Cadelago and Elena Schneider) ‘I’m Speaking’: What Harris’s Top Debate Moments Could Tell Us About Tonight (NYT’s Lisa Lerer and Reid J. Epstein) It’s a historic debate tonight. No one really wants to talk about it. (POLITICO’s Brakkton Booker) To Win, Kamala Must Move to the Center (Yascha Mounk via Substack)
| | | About an hour and 20 minutes into the first debate between then-President GERALD FORD and former Georgia Gov. JIMMY CARTER in 1976, the audio cut out. For 27 minutes, Ford and Carter “leaned on their lecterns, sipped water, shifted their weight from foot to foot and stared into the darkness of the Walnut Street Theater,” the New York Times wrote the next day. “They both knew the eight cameras were still feeding the four networks a picture. They made no gesture of irritation. There was not even a wrinkle of a frown.” It was after 11:15 p.m. Eastern Time before the audio came back on. “Ladies and gentlemen, it probably is not necessary for me to say that we had a technical failure during the debate,” the moderator, EDWIN WILLIAMS of NBC News, said when the debate resumed. “It was not a failure in the debate — it was a failure in the broadcasting of the debate.” A CALL OUT! Do you think you have a harder trivia question? Send us your best one about the presidents, with a citation or sourcing, and we may feature it! Edited by Steve Shepard and Rishika Dugyala.
| | | | A message from Kenvue: As summer comes to an end and long days at the beach are behind you, you may be inclined to pack away your sunscreen. But as long as there’s daylight, there’s still UV exposure which can cause sun damage and even skin cancer. One easy way to protect yourself is by applying sunscreen every day. If you’re going to be outside all day, it’s important to re-apply regularly, wear a hat or other protective clothing and seek shade, especially during the peak hours of 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. While skin cancer is the most common cancer in America, it’s also one of the most preventable, with up to 90% of melanoma cases caused by UV exposure. Learn more about how you can protect yourself at Kenvue.com/sun | | | | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Follow us | | | | |
