According to The New York Times, Donald Trump has tapped former Democratic congresswoman and presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard to help prepare for his debate against Kamala Harris. The outlet reported Gabbard joined at least one practice session with Trump at Mar-a-Lago. Just in: President Trump has brought in Tulsi Gabbard for debate preparation against Kamala Harris. @TulsiGabbard has joined at least one practice session with Trump at Mar-a-Lago. Via: The New York Times pic.twitter.com/9GSQEWcblM — The Calvin Coolidge Project (@TheCalvinCooli1) August 16, 2024 From The New York Times: Former President Donald J. Trump has begun preparing for his debate with Vice President Kamala Harris and has brought in the former Democratic congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard to help sharpen his attacks in a recent practice session at his private club and home, Mar-a-Lago, according to two people with knowledge of Mr. Trump’s schedule. Ms. Gabbard, who left the Democratic Party after her 2020 presidential run and has rebranded herself as a celebrity among Trump’s base of support, has long been friendly with Mr. Trump and was briefly considered to be his running mate. But her involvement in Mr. Trump’s debate preparation, which has not previously been reported, was partly because of her own performance in a 2019 Democratic presidential primary debate, when Ms. Gabbard eviscerated Ms. Harris in a memorable onstage encounter. In an email, Karoline Leavitt, a spokeswoman for Mr. Trump, confirmed Ms. Gabbard’s involvement. Ms. Leavitt said the former president 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 Tulsi Gabbard, who successfully dominated Kamala Harris on the debate stage in 2020.” “Gabbard absolutely EVISCERATED Kamala Harris on multiple occasions during debates in 2020, calling her out for being a corrupt prosecutor and even LAUGHING about jailing innocent people,” journalist Nick Sortor commented. WATCH: JUST IN: President Trump has reportedly brought in @TulsiGabbard for debate prep This is a GREAT move Gabbard absolutely EVISCERATED Kamala Harris on multiple occasions during debates in 2020, calling her out for being a corrupt prosecutor and even LAUGHING about jailing… pic.twitter.com/nTx9d5idtv — Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) August 16, 2024 Per CNN: Harris held her first formal debate training session earlier this week at Howard University, the historically Black college in Washington, DC, she attended nearly four decades ago, and she is working closely with a seasoned Trump stand-in. Trump, meanwhile, has enlisted one of the vice president’s ex-rivals to help with the preparations: Tulsi Gabbard, the former representative from Hawaii who ran for president as a Democrat in 2020 in a crowded field that also included Harris. After much back and forth, Trump and Harris agreed last week to the September 10 debate previously arranged by the campaigns of Trump and Biden. ABC, the host network, announced Friday it will be held at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia. The political landscape in the United States and the fortunes of the country’s two major parties have drastically shifted in the weeks since the first presidential debate between Trump and Biden on June 27. The president’s lackluster performance that night shattered the confidence of his party and its donors, who in turn put immense pressure on Biden to drop out of the race. He eventually did on July 21 and endorsed Harris, giving the Democratic Party a new standard bearer and a sorely needed shot in the arm.