Donald Trump’s debate coach was torn to shreds online following the Republican presidential candidate’s disastrous performance, with critics online wondering who set the MAGA leader up for failure.
The woman behind the curtain was one of Kamala Harris’s 2020 Democratic primary opponents: former Hawaii Representative Tulsi Gabbard, who informally coached Trump for roughly a month before his first matchup against the vice president. But shortly after the debate concluded, commenters online ripped Gabbard apart for failing to adequately prepare Trump for his showdown against a former prosecutor.
“Shout out to Tulsi Gabbard for her brilliant debate prep—and to RFK Jr, for lending Trump his brain worm,” wrote one X user. “Well done you two!!!”
Shout out to Tulsi Gabbard for her brilliant debate prep — and to RFK Jr, for lending Trump his brain worm.
— JΛKΣ (@USMCLiberal) September 11, 2024
Well done you two!!! #TrumpIsCOOKED pic.twitter.com/nmpT6Fnkbg
Another online critic sneered that Gabbard’s “career as a debate coach didn’t even last a whole Scaramucci,” referring to former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci, who famously lasted just 10 days in Trump’s White House.
Democrats also joined in on the fun, with one Harris staffer writing that “on behalf of Democrats everywhere, I’d like to thank Tulsi Gabbard for her hard work tonight.”
“Feel confident saying Trump got worked in that debate,” wrote former Obama staffer Tommy Vietor. “Prepping by holding ‘policy sessions’ with idiots like @mattgaetz and @TulsiGabbard was a fatal mistake. He looked angry, swallowed the bait every time, and his rants about eating animals and crowd size tanked in dials.”
Despite the fact that she likely has a one-way ticket off the Trump campaign, Gabbard was still working to salvage Trump’s performance in the aftermath of the debate, complaining on X that the debate was “three vs one,” with ABC News’s debate moderators “clearly shilling” for Harris. (In reality, ABC actually allowed Trump to speak for eight minutes longer than his Democratic opponent over the duration of the debate.)
