Donald Trump warms up for debate by threatening to jail election officials

Former President Donald J. Trump limbered up for his debate with Kamala Harris by showing the extremism that risks playing into the vice president’s claim that he’s an “unserious man” who is an “extremely serious” threat if he’s returned to the White House.

Trump warned he will jail election officials he considers cheats; is complaining Pennsylvania’s voting is a fraud; vowed to pardon January 6 rioters; railed against women who accused him of sexual misconduct; and spent hours in recent days on sometimes incoherent rants that raised questions about his state of mind.

But new polling ahead of Tuesday’s showdown in Philadelphia shows the race tied up nationally, suggesting Harris’ momentum after replacing President Joe Biden on the ticket hasn’t resulted in a commanding edge.

The tightness of the contest shows both Trump’s enduring appeal to tens of millions of Americans as he seeks a political comeback and the huge task facing Harris as she tries to save an election Democrats seemed doomed to lose before Biden bowed out.

The way each candidate is preparing highlights the different paths Americans can choose in November and the sharp contrast in the style of the presidency that will ensue if Harris or Trump are at the Oval Office desk.

Harris is holed up in Pittsburgh with staff to hone her skills for the test of facing Trump in a debate. Her choice of Pennsylvania for prep stresses the critical importance of a state she almost certainly needs to win to take the presidency. A source told CNN that her advisers are working out how she’ll deal with a rule that a candidate’s mic will be muted while their rival speaks. The vice president had pushed to overturn the restriction in the hope she could use her skills as a former prosecutor to dress down Trump in real time. But she told reporters, “I’m ready,” as she went for a stroll in the Steel City on Sunday with her husband, second gentleman Doug Emhoff.

Trump’s Republican supporters have been pleading with him for days to drill down on issues such as the economy, immigration and national security and to avoid petulant behavior that could play into Harris’ argument that it’s time for the country to move on from the bitterness and chaos he represents for many voters. The GOP theory is that Harris, as a key member of an unpopular administration, is ill suited to act as an agent of political change.
Peoplesmind