Former Biden White House press secretary Jen Psaki believes Vice President Kamala Harris should initiate a handshake with former President Trump during Tuesday's presidential debate, emphasizing the importance of civility and appealing to a broad audience.
Former Biden White House press secretary Jen Psaki stirred discussion on Friday by expressing her belief that Vice President Kamala Harris should extend a handshake to former President Trump at the upcoming presidential debate on Tuesday. This would mark a revival of a longstanding tradition that has waned in recent years.
During a Q&A at the Texas Tribune Festival, Psaki was questioned about the likelihood of a handshake preceding the ABC Presidential Debate. She responded, "I think, yes," acknowledging that it would be a positive gesture for Harris to make.
Jen Psaki Urges Kamala Harris to Extend Handshake to Trump in Upcoming Debate
Psaki elaborated, "Or, if you're her, you make an effort. Here's the thing that's very difficult… it feels much better to scream at someone and be like, ‘What the F are you talking about?’" However, she emphasized that such hostility is not what viewers want to see, and she encouraged Harris to take the high road.
"The balance for her is how do you push back when he is spewing lie-filled rants, which will happen? If he attacks you in a racist or sexist or creepy way? Which certainly can happen," Psaki said, noting that the Harris-Walz campaign has effectively countered Trump's attacks from a distance.
Jen Psaki Urges Kamala Harris to Extend Handshake to Trump in Upcoming Debate
"But it's different than doing them in person," Psaki said. "This is probably one of the biggest audiences you're going to have before the November election. Everybody out there is not a progressive Democrat watching this debate," she continued. "And you need to appeal to a broad audience of people who may be on the fence, who may have never voted for a Democrat before, who maybe have never voted before."
In June, Biden campaign co-chair Cedric Richmond stated he would not shake Trump's hand ahead of the CNN debate. Richmond suggested that Biden "consistently rises above pettiness" and might not follow his advice. However, a handshake did not occur.
Jen Psaki Urges Kamala Harris to Extend Handshake to Trump in Upcoming Debate
The pre-debate handshake was a longstanding tradition that has faded in recent years. In 2016, Trump and Hillary Clinton declined to shake hands at the start of their second and third presidential debates. In 2020, Biden and Trump did not shake hands due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Harris and Trump will have an opportunity to revive the tradition on Tuesday night in Philadelphia. Fox News Digital's Jeffrey Clark and Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.
