Donald Trump's debate plan is simple, but its execution is uncertain

Contributing sentiments towards policy:

67% : "It'll be an interesting evening," Trump told Fox.Prep work
44% : "'Lowering expectations, working the refs'Like any boxer, Trump must also be prepared to defend himself.
39% : As with previous presidential debates against Democratic foes Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden, Trump and his aides said he has prepared in his traditional non-traditional way: Discussions with aides and advisers, interviews, and speeches.
36% : ""You can go in with all the strategy you want, but you have to sort of feel it out as the debate's taking place," Trump said last week during a Fox News town hall in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
35% : "We should be prepared for the fact that he is not burdened by telling the truth," Harris said Monday in an interview with radio host Rickey Smiley, adding that Trump has an "old and tired playbook.
34% : Trump has also prepared by seeking to lower expectations - and trying to intimidate moderators - by questioning the fairness of the debate sponsors, ABC News.
34% : Discussing his debate plans, Trump told the Fox News town hall that "it depends a lot on ABC.
28% : "While exuding his usual confidence, Trump is also preparing for a possible bad night by engaging in the time-honored practice of lowering expectations.
18% : Yet since Harris joined the race, Trump has mocked the pronunciation of her first name, her race, and even her laugh.
18% : Pollster Frank Luntz said Trump also risks alienating voters by going off on negative tangents, as he did over the weekend.
17% : Trump is hoping for the kind of debate he had June 27 against Biden, the incumbent president whose poor performance pretty much pushed him out of the presidential race.
16% : In this case, Trump has attacked the debate sponsors by claiming that ABC News has been unfair to him; his criticism also looks like an effort to intimidate the questioners.
12% : Since then, Trump has oscillated between policy attacks and personal attacks on Harris, even while acknowledging that his advisers are urging him to stick to the issues.
12% : "Trump made the same sorts of complaints about CNN right before his encounter with Biden.
11% : That said, Trump and aides said he plans to go after Harris over issues like the economy, inflation, and immigration - and will likely make a few personal attacks, despite admonitions from allies that he stick to the issues.

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