Trump picks Tulsi Gabbard to sharpen debating skills against Kamala

Facing a woman for a second time in a presidential debate, former president Donald Trump is taking the help of former Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard to finetune his strategy against US Vice-President and Democratic rival Kamala Harris.

According to The New York Times, Gabbard took part in a practice session with Trump at his Mar-a-Lago estate ahead of the Trump-Harris debate on ABC News on September 10.

Why Trump went for Tulsi

Gabbard, who left the Democratic Party after her 2020 presidential bid, has become a noted Trump supporter.

Gabbard was picked by Trump for his debate preparation partly because of the way she got the better of Harris in a 2019 Democratic presidential primary debate.

Karoline Leavitt, a spokeswoman for Trump, confirmed Gabbard's involvement, the NYT reported.

Trump’s preparations

Leavitt said Trump has “proven to be one of the best debaters in political history as evidenced by his knockout blow to Joe Biden. He does not need traditional debate prep but will continue to meet with respected policy advisers and effective communicators like Gabbard, who successfully dominated Kamala Harris on the debate stage in 2020”.

Biden's halting and disjointed performance in his June debate with Trump ultimately led him to him dropping out of the race.

Tulsi versus Kamala

The NYT said the former president has spent more time this year practising for debates than he did in either 2016 or 2020.

Before his CNN debate with President Biden in June, Trump dedicated significant time to discussing potential topics and questions with his advisers, both during lengthy sessions and informal discussions on plane trips.

According to Tulsi, Harris, when she was a district attorney in San Francisco, put over 1,500 people in jail for marijuana violations and then laughed about it when she was asked if she ever smoked marijuana.