Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker warned that Vice President Kamala Harris must be careful in her upcoming debate with former President Trump.
In an interview on Monday, Pritzker told CNN's Sara Sidner, "I don't think anybody should underestimate Donald Trump." He pointed out that Trump has won debates before. Pritzker even mentioned the debate Trump had with President Biden a few months ago, saying many believe Trump won.
The debate between Trump and Harris is set for Sept. 10, hosted by ABC News.
Pritzker also recalled how Trump won the debate against Hillary Clinton in his first run. "He's not to be underestimated," Pritzker emphasized.
While praising Harris as a "tremendous person with great capability," Pritzker cautioned that it might not be enough against Trump.
"We shouldn't assume Kamala Harris has a greater ability to win a debate than Donald Trump," Pritzker said. He noted they would face off as significant rivals with very different viewpoints.
The governor added, "Getting those points of view across and not getting flummoxed by Donald Trump will be crucial for Kamala Harris."
Meanwhile, Harris' team has been pushing to tweak the debate rules about microphones. The debate is scheduled for Sept. 10, but there’s controversy over the mic rules, with Harris’ team backtracking on agreements to mute mics during the opponent’s speaking time.
Harris' campaign has yet to sign off on the agreed rules. These rules were supposed to follow the guidelines from the CNN debate between Trump and Biden in June.
Harris spokesperson Brian Fallon posted on X, "The memo sent by ABC is a draft set of rules that both campaigns need to sign off on. We haven't done so because both candidates want hot mics. Not sure why Trump’s staff is overruling him on this."