CNN anchor warns Harris debate with Trump will be tough: 'He's very persistent'

CNN anchor Abby Phillip warned Vice President Kamala Harris that she cannot afford to ignore former President Trump on stage despite his refusal to respond to her critics during a CNN interview Thursday.

“Let’s make no mistake, Donald Trump is big and he’s very loud, and he’s very persistent,” Phillip said during a discussion Thursday night about Harris’ ability to ignore Trump’s criticism while on stage with him for a debate.

Harris declined to respond to comments Trump made to the National Association of Black Journalists about the vice president's presentation of her racial identity during an interview with CNN's Dana Bash.

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CNN anchor Abby Phillip warned Vice President Kamala Harris that she cannot afford to ignore former President Trump on stage. (Screenshot/CNN)

“I didn’t know she was black until a few years ago when she became black and now she wants to be known as black,” Trump said of Harris at the July event. “So, I don’t know, is she Indian or is she black?”

“It’s the same old strategy,” Harris said when asked by Bash about Trump’s comments. “Next question, please.”

Phillip was not convinced that Harris' response to this and other Trump remarks would be adequate in the Trump-Harris debate on September 10.

“It's not going to be so easy to just say, 'OK, let's move on,' he'll be there on stage,” Phillip said.

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CNN political commentators on Phillip's panel were divided on how Harris might handle Trump on the debate stage. (Screenshot/CNN)

CNN political commentators on Phillip's panel were divided on how Harris would counter Trump on the debate stage.

Former Biden-Harris 2020 national coalitions director Ashley Allison said Harris should ignore Trump's comments during the debate.

“The vice president is not very tall,” Allison said of Harris. “She’s a petite woman. Let him look like a bully. Let him throw red meat and you rise above it. That’s why I think it was so important that she answered the question about race, because in fact that behavior is beneath the office of president.”

CNN analyst David Axelrod said Harris made the right decision in her CNN interview.

“Donald Trump's behavior really raises the question: Do you want this for the next four years or do you want someone who is focused on your issues?” And I think that shift is working,” Axelrod said.

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The Harris and Trump campaigns did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.