'He's going to lie:' Harris shares how she's prepping for Trump in debate

Vice President Kamala Harris said she is preparing for former President Donald Trump to lie and make a plethora of personal attacks during the first debate between the two candidates on Tuesday evening. Harris detailed her preparation in a radio interview that aired on Monday morning on “The Rickey Smiley Morning Show.”

On the broadcast, Harris talked about her expectations for tomorrow night's debate in a presidential race that is on a knife’s edge.

“There’s no floor for him in terms of how low he will go,” Harris said. “And we should be prepared for that. We should be prepared for the fact that he is not burdened by telling the truth.”

The debate hosted by ABC News will be moderated by “World News Tonight” anchor and managing editor David Muir, he will be accompanied by ABC News Live “Prime” anchor Linsey Davis, ABC said.

‘He’s going to lie’

In the radio interview, Harris also talked about Trump’s past record in other debates with President Joe Biden, including what she thinks she will see from the former President.

“Ultimately, you know, what I intend to point out is … he tends to fight for himself, not for the American people. And I think that’s going to come out during the debate,” she said. “But I expect that he is — I think he’s going to lie. And he has a playbook that he has used in the past.”

The last presidential debate featured a different candidate on the Democratic side: Joe Biden, even though Trump made many false claims during the debate, from abortion to his approval rating in U.S. states, his performance was not as remembered as Biden’s poor showing, which ultimately led to his dropping from the race.

When is the Harris-Trump presidential debate?

The debate is scheduled for Tuesday night in Philadelphia at the National Constitutional Center, it will begin on ABC at 9 p.m. ET.

How can I watch the presidential debate?

Since the debate is hosted by ABC, it will air on the network and will be available to stream on ABC News Live, Disney+ and Hulu.

Other big networks like Fox News, CBS News and CNN will also simulcast the debate.

What are the rules for the presidential debate?

Harris and Trump have both accepted the following debate rules, via ABC News:

  • The debate will be 90 minutes with two commercial breaks.

  • The two seated moderators will be the only people asking questions.

  • A coin flip was held virtually on Tuesday, Sept. 3, to determine podium placement and order of closing statements; Trump won the coin toss and chose to select the order of statements. The former president will offer the last closing statement and Vice President Harris selected the right podium position on screen (stage left).

  • Candidates will be introduced by the moderators.

  • The candidates enter upon introduction from opposite sides of the stage; the incumbent party will be introduced first.

  • No opening statements; closing statements will be two minutes per candidate.

  • Candidates will stand behind podiums for the duration of the debate.

  • Props or prewritten notes are not allowed onstage.

  • No topics or questions will be shared in advance with campaigns or candidates.

  • Candidates will be given a pen, a pad of paper and a bottle of water.

  • Candidates will have two-minute answers to questions, two-minute rebuttals, and one extra minute for follow-ups, clarifications, or responses.

  • Candidates' microphones will be live only for the candidate whose turn it is to speak and muted when the time belongs to another candidate.

  • Candidates will not be permitted to ask questions of each other.

  • Campaign staff may not interact with candidates during commercial breaks.

  • Moderators will seek to enforce timing agreements and ensure a civilized discussion.

  • There will be no audience in the room.

Contributing: Gabe Hauari, USA Today

Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach him at fernando.cervantes@gannett.com and follow him on X @fern_cerv_.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: How's Kamala Harris prepping for Donald Trump debate? 'He will lie'