Trump is about to face his woman problem at the debate

Former President Donald Trump is already underwater by double digits with female voters in the polls.

Now Trump will stand on stage next to a woman he has publicly and privately derided in language widely viewed as sexist. His allies hope he doesn’t make things worse when he squares off against Vice President Kamala Harris at the debate.

In past debates against Hillary Clinton, Trump tried to undermine, belittle or humiliate both her and female debate moderators. This time, his advisers have pushed him to focus on Harris’ record and try not to let her get under his skin. And while he has recently claimed his administration “will be great for women and their reproductive rights,” he has stumbled over questions about abortion and child care, and spent the Friday before the presidential debate railing against women who have accused him of sexual misconduct.

Trump’s performance with female voters is “the weak spot in his campaign right now,” said former Trump campaign adviser David Urban. “I think he can attack her policies without attacking her. And that’s the kind of needle he has to thread. You can attack the vice president of the United States for her failed policies without attacking the woman.”