- Harris dominates, keeps Trump on defense
- Debate highlights economy, abortion, rallies
- Harris calls for a second debate
On Tuesday night, Donald Trump and Kamala Harris faced off in their first presidential debate in Philadelphia.
They may have shaken hands, but they were not a good match.
In a furious 90 minutes, Harris repeatedly shook the former president with personal accusations that pushed him off script and elevated the stakes in this highly anticipated duel.
Her pointed jabs at the size of his rally crowds, his behavior during the Capitol incident, and former administration officials who have since become public critics of his campaign have often put Trump on the defensive.
Throughout the discussion, Harris pushed her Republican opponent to explain lengthyly his previous behaviour and comments. He readily cooperated, occasionally raising his voice and shaking his head.
Harris remarked during an early immigration question that Americans should attend Trump rallies since they are informative. “People start leaving the rallies early out of exhaustion and boredom,” she pointed out.
That barb evidently riled the former president, who then spent the majority of his response—on a topic that should have been one of his strong suits—defending his rally sizes while dismissing hers.
Trump then launched into an extended riff about a false claim that Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, were abducting and eating their neighbors’ pets.
Tuesday night favored the vice president if debates are based on which candidate best capitalizes on their strengths and defends or disfavored their weaknesses.
A quick CNN poll of viewers found that Harris outperformed, and betting markets agreed.
This is a fleeting snapshot, but Harris’ strategy of putting Trump on the defensive was evident early in the evening when the themes discussed were the economy and abortion.
Public opinion polls show that many Americans are dissatisfied with how the Biden administration, of which Harris is a key member, has handled inflation and the economy.
However, Harris shifted the conversation to Trump’s proposed tariffs, which she dubbed a “Trump sales tax.” Then he brought up Project 2025, the contentious independent conservative blueprint for a future Republican presidency.
As he has done in the past, Trump distanced himself from the initiative and defended his tariff plan, pointing out that the Biden administration had retained many of the levies throughout his first presidency. They were reasonable concerns, but it prevented him from lecturing the vice president about inflation and consumer prices.
On abortion, Trump defended his handling of the subject, claiming that Americans across the political spectrum wanted the Supreme Court to repeal Roe v Wade abortion laws, which polling does not support. He struggled to articulate his argument, and his response was sometimes incoherent.
Harris, however, used the opportunity to make a passionate, personal appeal to families who have had severe pregnancy difficulties and have been unable to obtain abortion treatment in states that have prohibited the procedure – places with “Trump abortion bans,” as she dubbed them.
“It’s insulting to the women of America,” she said.
It was a carefully controlled message in an area where Clinton had a double-digit lead against Trump.
Harris repeatedly pushed Trump on the defensive throughout the evening, with jabs and attacks that he could have ignored but seemed obliged to react.
Harris was asked about her liberal policies, such as those on oil shale drilling, which she took during her failed 2019 presidential campaign but has since dropped. Her careful prodding continued, and she concluded her response by stating that she did not accept assistance from her wealthy father.
Once again, the former president fell for the bait. Instead of criticizing the vice president for her shifting opinions, a glaring weakness, he began his rebuttal by discussing the “tiny fraction” of money he took from his father.
On the Afghanistan drawdown, another weak area for Harris, the vice president switched the focus to Trump’s conversations with Taliban officials and an invitation to Camp David. This repeated pattern proved highly effective.
Republicans have already complained about the ABC moderators, David Muir and Linsey Davis, allegedly favoring Harris. Both of them pushed back and fact-checked Trump’s claims on multiple occasions.
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Ultimately, the evening’s story was Trump’s reactions and readiness to swallow and devour whatever bait Harris laid out for him.
And it showed on the faces of the two contenders. When her opponent spoke, Harris wore a calculated expression of bemusement or incredulity.
Trump, for the most part, scowled.
Until now, the Harris campaign had been cagey about whether she would consent to another debate. Almost immediately as this one concluded, they called for a second presidential debate before November.
That alone should illustrate how well Democrats believe Harris performed on Tuesday night.
North America correspondent Anthony Zurcher analyses the presidential election in his weekly US Election Unspun newsletter. UK readers can sign up here. Those outside the United Kingdom can join up here.
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