Former Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard has warned Donald Trump not to underestimate Kamala Harris. The former Hawaii Congresswoman, who left the Democratic Party, previously debated the Vice President during the 2020 Democratic primaries and said she is not a pushover and has extensive political and debate experience. Speaking to Dana Bash, Gabbard said she would advise Trump on how best to deal with Harris on the debate stage.
Former Trump administration Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross has issued a similar warning to the former President. He said Trump should be careful not to be seen as “piling on a woman” because people don’t like to see women pushed around.
Gabbard threw her weight behind Trump at a Detroit rally where she said the Democrats supported international wars and had brought the world “closer to the brink of nuclear war than we ever have been before.” She also accused the Biden administration of “weaponizing” government departments against their political opponents. The former Democrat announced her support of Trump just a day after Robert F. Kennedy stated that he would remove his name from ballots in states where he could potentially harm the Republican candidate.
Despite these boosts to the Trump campaign, polls show that the Vice President continues to extend her lead. Surveys conducted in the final days of August show Harris enjoying an advantage of around 5% on almost every poll. An Outward Intelligence survey saw the Vice President ahead nationwide by 50% to Trump’s 44%, while Suffolk University results show Harris at 48% and Trump at 43%. Ipsos/Reuters polls from 21 to 28 August place the Democrat at 45% and Republican Trump at 38% – with third-party candidates included, Harris has 40% compared to Trump’s 36%.
Recent polling in swing states places both candidates neck-and-neck, with Trump enjoying a slight lead of 0.4% in Arizona and a 0.3% lead in Nevada and North Carolina. In Michigan, Harris is ahead by 2.3% and by 1.9% in Wisconsin. In Pennsylvania, Vice President leads by 0.8%.
Additionally, an ABC News/Ipsos poll found that 43% of voters believe Kamala Harris will win the September debate between the two candidates, with just 37% stating that Trump will perform better.
