CNN

Donald Trump limbered up for his debate with Kamala Harris by showing the extremism that risks playing into the vice president’s claim that he’s an “unserious man” who is an “extremely serious” threat if he’s returned to the White House.

Trump warned he will jail election officials he considers cheats; is complaining Pennsylvania’s voting is a fraud; vowed to pardon January 6 rioters; railed against women who accused him of sexual misconduct; and spent hours in recent days on sometimes incoherent rants that raised questions about his state of mind.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg reflected on Harris’ challenge as she tries to engage Americans who want to know more about her while dealing with a sometimes-unhinged force of nature like Trump. “It will take almost superhuman focus and discipline to deal with Donald Trump in a debate,” Buttigieg said on CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday. “It’s no ordinary proposition, not because Donald Trump is a master of explaining policy ideas and how they’re going to make people better off. It’s because he’s a master of taking any form or format that is on television and turning it into a show that is all about him.”