Former Commerce secretary warns Trump against being too ‘strong’ in debating Harris

Former Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, who served under the Trump administration, warned former President Trump against being too “big and strong” in his upcoming debate against Vice President Harris.

“The only danger is Trump being big and strong and a man,” Ross said to radio host John Catsimatidis on “The Cats Roundtable” on WABC 770 AM.

“He has to be careful not to be seen as piling on a woman. People don’t like to see a woman pushed too hard,” he continued.

Ross's comments are in regards to the Sept. 10 ABC News debate between Harris and Trump, the first live, on-camera test between the two candidates since the last presidential debate sunk President Biden’s bid for reelection.

There has been much debate about the upcoming event. The campaigns went back and forth this week arguing about whether or not microphones would be muted when the other candidate is speaking and questions were raised if Trump would participate at all.

The Harris campaign is pushing for microphones to be left on throughout the debate, which it says could allow viewers to see Trump interrupting the vice president.

The debate is going to be a high-stakes moment for both campaigns. It’s one of the first times Harris will be able to present her policy platforms to voters and a chance to challenge Trump as she makes gains in polls nationwide.

Ross suggested the debate shouldn’t be about theatrics but rather about “real topics” like inflation, foreign affairs, the country’s southern border, which are all “things that people are really very worried about.”

The Trump campaign has sought to target Harris over her apparent shift in policy since running in the Democratic presidential primary for the 2020 election. She said in an interview this week that her “values have not changed.”

“I think he needs to smoke her out as to what he positions are on those topics and subject them to real debate,” Ross said. “I think if he sticks to those issues, I think he’ll do just fine.”