Personally, I think it's doubtful that Kamala Harris will even show up for the debate planned for September 10, but if she does, polling expert Frank Luntz predicts she will lose that debate based on her performance during her CNN interview last week.
Luntz made his prediction the day after the interview during a segment on CNBC's "Squawk Box."
He ultimately concluded that, based on her interview performance, Harris would likely lose a debate against former President Donald Trump.
Luntz was clearly taken aback by the performance he witnessed.
"I was surprised, quite frankly, " he said. "I was not impressed as an observer and someone who was expecting more from her with this much time to get prepared."
He went on to outline eight critical points, starting with her lack of having a good response to the question about what she intends to do on day one.
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"She should have had something for day one for the first hour, the first day, the first week, the first month, and the first year," Luntz said. "It's the most important thing voters are looking for to see whether you're serious. She really didn't itemize much more than her talking points."
Luntz also pointed out she failed to present concrete ideas to tackle the rising costs of food, fuel, housing, and health care, and criticized her for focusing too much on defending her values amid accusations of flip-flopping, when she should have prioritized addressing the concerns of everyday Americans. He noted that her responses lacked specificity and seemed more like a convention speech rather than a clear plan for what the American people “deserve” from their president.
When it came to attacking Trump, Luntz also felt she missed the mark. Instead of just taking shots at him, she should have compared his record directly to her vision, emphasizing that “he promised, he failed.”
In conclusion, Luntz rated her performance as a “C,” stating bluntly, “She’s gonna have to do better in the debate.”
Going forward in the election, Luntz emphasized that Trump's focus should be on policy, not personal attacks. "The issue for him is to focus on policy," Luntz stated, pointing out that Trump needs to ask the right questions: "Whom do you trust more on affordability? Whom do you trust more on the border? Whom do you trust more to make America safe and secure and address issues of crime?" These are the areas where Trump shines, Luntz pointed out.
Related: It Looks Like Kamala Is About To Chicken Out of Debating Trump
On the other hand, he believes Harris’s strength lies in her personality, something Luntz says she handled relatively well during her CNN interview. But as Luntz pointed out, when these two candidates stand side by side in a debate, Harris is likely to fall short. "Based on last night's performance, Harris is gonna come up wanting," Luntz predicted.
He noted that voters are comparing the two candidates directly, not judging them in isolation. Unfortunately for Harris, Luntz observed that she failed to address voters' concerns effectively. "By focusing on her values rather than our priorities, that's a pretty big communication mistake," Luntz concluded, suggesting that this misstep could have significant consequences in the upcoming debates.
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