USSC Non-Resident Fellow Lester Munson talked to the Politics with Michelle Grattan podcast at The Conversation about the defining aspects of Kamala Harris' candidacy as the presumptive Democratic nominee.
"She’s substantially younger than Donald Trump. She’s a fresher face. She has a different way of conducting herself in public. That is a radical departure from both Joe Biden and Donald Trump," said Munson.
"She's got some magnetism, she can light up a room, there’s no doubt about it. And I think people are going to give her a chance to earn their vote. Whether she’s able to do that is a separate question."
Asked how Prime Minister Anthony Albanese should approach Trump, should he win a second term, Munson said:
"My advice to the prime minister would be, work on the relationship part, work on your personal face-to-face time with President Trump. Find the things that he cares about and find a way to deliver some sort of win for him, if that’s useful to you.
"If he comes back into office, he’s not going to rely on international law or written agreements or treaties or trade deals. He is going to make decisions based on looking someone in the eye, their body language, the way they shake hands, how attractive they are on TV, how tall they are – very superficial things, but you know that going in, so use that to your advantage and be in the right place at the right time to try to get the the result you want out of the relationship."
