Trump should hope for Harris to talk policy during the DNC. It's how he can beat her.

Since becoming the presumptive Democratic nominee for president, Vice President Kamala Harris has enjoyed a steady rise in the polls, mostly due to the fact that she is not President Joe Biden or former President Donald Trump. She is an alternative voters have said they wanted.

That could very well change this week, though. I believe that change has begun.

As I said in a column earlier this month, Trump and other Republicans should be looking to hit Harris hard on policy. While she hasn’t given Americans much in the way of proposals so far, the Democratic National Convention began Monday, and it will be one of the first displays of what a Harris administration would seek to accomplish.

The challenge now in front of Harris and Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz is to sell their progressive policy message to Americans.

Republicans should soon have plenty to work with going forward.

Kamala Harris must clarify her policies during the DNC

Much of Harris’ policy discussions have been dedicated to walking back extreme policies she held from when she was running for president in 2020 on issues ranging from energy policy to law enforcement.

Now Harris actually has to give Americans something to vote for, a much greater challenge than simply running in opposition to Trump.

Blame Trump and MAGA. Republicans, are you still confused by Harris' momentum?

Party conventions are meant to be the great unifying point for the party in which they put aside their differences in order to support a unified approach that will best win the upcoming election. The DNC will be no different.

In the lead-up to her time in Chicago, Harris began discussing various economic proposals, many of which are ridiculous demand-side economics that will actively harm America’s financial future. Two notable examples include price controls on food, which will inevitably lead to shortages, and credits for first-time homeowners to make down payments, which will only drive up the cost of housing in America.

Even The Washington Post has called out Harris, referring to the plan as being full of “populist gimmicks” in an editorial, using language I would have thought the editorial board would characterize a Trump proposal.

Trump should look to chip away at Harris on policy

Republicans should be looking for opportunities to sow division among the Democrats if Harris commits to policies one way or the other this week.

A way to do that is to highlight the protests that are anticipated at the DNC from anti-Israel demonstrators. The Democrats are uniquely divided on the issue of Israel’s right to defend itself, and Republicans could capitalize on the votes of Jewish Americans as a result.

While Harris has hinted at proposals for certain issues, namely curtailing gun rights and fighting back on efforts to ban abortion, Harris has lacked a coherent domestic policy agenda until Monday's release of the official Democratic Party platform.

Democrats are a dishonest mess. DNC trots out Obama, Clinton to gaslight voters about Harris.

One of the largest points of contention is immigration, which is a significant weakness for Harris, given the massive influx of border crossings over the past four years.While down from last year's peak, it still remains far above the levels seen under the Trump administration, with few exceptions.

While the vice president has stated that she calls for immigration reform, featuring “an earned pathway to citizenship,” her 2024 presidential campaign has yet to put forward a comprehensive plan to address the border crisis.

The newly released party platform primarily focuses on overturning Trump-era immigration policy, as well as expanding pathways to citizenship and employment for immigrants, but does little to address the border crisis at hand.

On the other hand, Trump should seize the moment while Harris lacks a real plan to address the border crisis, an issue that Americans trust him more than Harris. Tying Harris to the failures of the past four years when it comes to illegal immigration is a winning point for Trump, and he should not be scared to highlight that she still has no plan to address it.

Democratic strategists are advising Harris against direct policy discussions

Harris has succeeded this far into her young presidential campaign because of her ability to draw a broad-tent coalition from Democratic voters, progressives and moderates alike.

However, the DNC will be the first time the Democrats are expected to truly put together a coherent policy platform for voters to scrutinize.

Any amount of commitment from Harris on divisive issues helps Republicans. The more that Americans view Harris as a unique candidate with her own pros and cons, the less they view her as an alternative to the unpopular Trump candidacy.

This is precisely why Democratic strategists are not eager to hear much on Harris’ policy proposals.

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As the Trump campaign adjusted to a new opponent in Harris, they ceded nearly all the ground they took against Biden. The DNC should be a point for them to regroup and attack coherently on policy issues.

Now that there are opportunities to pinpoint where Harris actually is planting stakes on policy measures, the Trump campaign would be wise to directly present alternatives to Harris on policy, rather than simply continue attacking the record of the past four years.

While policy doesn't actually matter for all voters, presenting a coherent alternative to Harris' measures only makes Trump look more presidential and competent, qualities he desperately needs to change America's minds about him.

Dace Potas is an opinion columnist for USA TODAY and a graduate of DePaul University with a degree in political science.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Kamala Harris enters the DNC with leverage. Her policies can end that.