'There'll be surprises': Trump camp teases unexpected twists in debate

Key figures in former President Donald Trump's camp are outlining their strategy to try to win Tuesday night's debate against Vice President Kamala Harris, reported CNN — and some of it involves hoping for a very specific kind of opening.

Above all, the campaign hopes to tie her to the policies of the Biden administration, with Trump saying that she "owns" its most controversial moments. In a call with reporters, Jason Miller, a longtime Trump strategist, 'pointed to the handling of the US-Mexico border and illegal immigration, Harris casting tie-breaking votes in the Senate to pass stimulus bills and the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan as issues that the campaign believes Harris 'owns.'"

In particular, however, Miller also said that he believes “there’ll be some surprises during the debate tomorrow” that allow Trump to pivot his line of attack.

His comment comes amid intense scrutiny of the debate. The first candidate meeting of the cycle, between Trump and President Joe Biden in Atlanta, ended so disastrously for Biden that it caused much of the Democratic Party to lose confidence in his fitness for office and he ultimately ended his campaign in favor of Harris.

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But Trump's team is also aware they could be on the other end of that tonight. Biden's main stumble was his apparent lack of energy, which reinforced voter fears about his age. Trump, 78, is himself facing similar questions about age and cognitive fitness, now that he is facing a younger opponent, and could come off looking worse in this matchup.

The former president also is under pressure to appeal to women voters, a key weakness in polling, and how he handles confrontation with a woman opponent could be a critical turning point, CNN reported.