Mock sessions and policy briefings: Donald Trump and Kamala Harris launch debate prep

WASHINGTON - As both Kamala Harris and Donald Trump prepare for next week's Democratic national convention, they are also beginning to get ready for the next big campaign event: Their Sept. 10 debate.

Trump has re-begun his unique style of debate preparation involving consultations with advisers and friends, including a prominent former debate opponent of Harris, ex-U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard.

"President Trump has proven to be one of the best debaters in political history as evidenced by his knockout blow to Joe Biden" on June 27, said Karoline Leavitt, the Trump campaign's national press secretary.

Gabbard, a former Democrat who ran for president in the 2020 election cycle, attacked Harris at length during a primary debate in July of 2019.

Leavitt said Trump "does not need traditional debate prep but will continue to meet with respected policy advisors and effective communicators like Tulsi Gabbard, who successfully dominated Kamala Harris on the debate stage."

Trump and Harris are scheduled to face off in a Sept. 10 debate in Philadelphia, an event sponsored by ABC News.

Harris has begun more traditional debate preperations, including mock debates at Howard University in Washington, D.C., her alma mater.

Longtime Democratic operative Philippe Reines is portraying Trump in the mock debates, a job he did for presidential nominee Hillary Clinton during the 2016 election.

The New York Times reported on Friday that "Harris is working on her debate preparations with a small group of advisers, several of whom have known her since before she became vice president."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: How Trump and Harris are prepping for their first debate