Ahead of the debate with Kamala Harris, Donald Trump is sticking to the extremism he’s always displayed by issuing threats, sticking to conspiracy theories and giving a glimpse of what his return to the White House could look like, should he win.

Trump has threatened to imprison election agents who participate in the electoral process if he himself judges that they have committed “fraud”, while insisting on not recognizing the result of the election in Pennsylvania.

Steadfast in his extreme rhetoric, the former president has, among other things, pledged to pardon the rioters of January 6, is speaking out against women who have accused him of sexual harassment, and in recent days has appeared delirious, raising questions about his mental health. his condition, reports CNN.

But new polling ahead of Tuesday’s showdown in Philadelphia shows the race is “close,” nearly tied, nationally, suggesting Harris’ momentum after replacing President Joe Biden has not led to a secure lead.

The back-to-back battle makes Tuesday’s debate — the first since June’s televised showdown on CNN that led to Biden’s withdrawal — the most critical event in the election’s final stretch.

Why Harris Needs ‘Superhuman Concentration’ Against Trump

The way each candidate is preparing underscores the different criteria by which Americans will choose in November and the stark contrast in presidential style depending on the winner.

Harris is in Pittsburgh preparing for the debate. The choice of Pennsylvania to prepare highlights the critical importance of a state that is almost certainly needed to win the presidency.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg estimates that one of the challenges Kamala Harris is expected to face is the exuberance of Donald Trump. “It will take almost superhuman concentration and discipline to take on Donald Trump in a debate,” Buttige told CNN. “It’s not a theoretical reflection, not because Donald Trump is a master at explaining political ideas and how it’s going to make people’s lives better. It’s because he’s a master at taking any form and imposing himself on television.”

A New York Times/Siena College poll released Sunday found 28 percent of likely voters want to know more about Harris, compared to just 9 percent who say the same about her opponent. This presents potential room for the vice president’s rates to rise. But she is also facing pressure to explain the policy reversals she is proposing on issues such as immigration and fracking, while being asked to be more precise than she was in interviews in the early years of her vice presidency. And her reluctance to give long media interviews — except for one last this month on CNN — means that Harris, who has sometimes struggled to articulate coherent arguments in high-pressure situations, enters the debate without much experience.

Trump’s extremism

Trump’s Republican supporters have been urging him for days to focus on issues such as the economy, immigration and national security and avoid disruptive behavior that could bolster Harris’ argument that it’s time for the country to move on from bitterness and the 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 policy change.

But Trump’s behavior in the run-up to the debate raises concerns that he will spoil the political narrative laid out by Sen. Tom Cotton. The Arkansas Republican said Sunday: “People remember that when Donald Trump was in office, prices were low, wages were high, we had peace and stability around the world.” He added: “Kamala Harris, as vice president, brought us record inflation. We have an open southern border and we have war all over the world.”

Trump, however, has been unwilling to hold back in recent days.

Continuing the extreme attacks, the former president on Saturday used his Truth Social network to issue threats, warning: “WHEN I WIN, those people who committed fraud will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the Law, which will include long prison terms to do not repeat this Corruption of Justice”. He attacked “Lawyers, political operatives, donors, illegal voters and corrupt election officials” who he said would be prosecuted to a degree the country had never seen before.

There is no evidence that the 2020 election was rigged. Trump’s multiple legal challenges have been rejected by judges, and even his own attorney general, William Barr, has said there was no widespread fraud.

Trump’s warnings also indicate that if he regains power, he will almost certainly use it to dismiss special counsel Jack Smith’s case in Washington, D.C., and try to prevent his trial in Georgia.

Trump’s debate preparation is the most unorthodox of any modern presidential candidate.

In other public appearances in recent days, the former president has displayed the wilder sides of his character to please his supporters, but his behavior has raised questions about whether he has the discipline and clarity of thought traditionally associated with the presidency. .

On Friday, in an unusual television appearance in New York, he made clear assessments of the allegations of misconduct against him by women – part of a wider series of allegations that he is an innocent victim of justice. His claims appear unlikely to improve his standing among female voters, where he trails Harris by 11 points, according to the New York/Times Siena poll.

At a rally in Wisconsin on Saturday, he praised Russian President Vladimir Putin as a “chess player.”

He also pledged to pardon people convicted and jailed “by the Harris regime” for trying to subvert the January 6 election.

At one point, Trump mistakenly referred to SpaceX and Tesla pioneer Elon Musk as “Leon.” When Biden made such slips, Trump and his allies often argued that the president’s mental acuity was in question.

But the 78-year-old Trump’s unlimited public appearances and apparent belief in fantasy and unproven facts also raise questions about his fitness to serve as president.

Trump’s increasingly close relationship with Musk also points to a possible second term for the former president. His promise to put Musk in charge of an effort to reduce government regulations would mean the world’s richest man would have a chance to reshape federal rules and safeguards at a time when his businesses have huge vested interests that can be swayed. by the government. That would create conflict-of-interest controversies that would eclipse those the Republican nominee faced in his first term.

Despite new evidence of Trump’s volatile nature and Harris’ success so far in improving her ratings in the race, the latest poll shows no clear leader among them. Harris has an average of 49 percent, while Trump has 47 percent in the latest CNN poll, which includes surveys conducted between Aug. 23 and Sept. 6.