During a heated presidential debate on Tuesday, Democratic candidate Kamala Harris put her Republican opponent, Donald Trump, on the defensive by attacking him repeatedly on his suitability for office, his support for restrictions on abortion, and his numerous legal issues.
Harris, 59, a career prosecutor, dominated the debate from the outset, frequently getting under her opponent’s skin and making Trump, 78, look clearly irate as he responded with a litany of lies.
She provoked the former president once, claiming that people frequently leave his campaign rallies early “out of exhaustion and boredom.”
With dissatisfaction at Harris’s smaller audiences, Trump remarked, “My rallies, we have the biggest rallies, the most incredible rallies in the history of politics.”
Next, he pivoted to a false claim about immigrants eating pets in Springfield, Ohio, that has circulated on social media and was amplified by Trump’s vice presidential candidate, Senator JD Vance.
He exclaimed, “They’re eating the dogs!” to Harris’ shocked laughter. “Those who entered are consuming the cats! The residents’ dogs are being eaten by them.”
“Talk about being extreme,” Harris retorted.
The one and only planned debate provided both candidates with a unique chance to present their positions to tens of millions of viewers on television with eight weeks until the election and days until early voting begins in some areas.
Although there was little discussion of precise policy specifics, the candidates sparred on immigration, foreign policy, and healthcare.
Rather, Harris’s assertive strategy worked to shift the conversation toward Trump, making her supporters happy and several Republicans acknowledge Trump’s difficulties.
Trump restated his erroneous assertion that his 2020 election defeat was due to fraud, called Harris a “Marxist” and asserted falsely that migrants have caused a violent crime spree.
Trump’s presidential debate against Vice President Biden-Harris was dominated by personal attacks on Harris, including racist and sexist insults. Taylor Swift, who followed the debate, announced her support for Harris and her running mate Tim Walz in the Nov. 5 election. PredictIt’s 2024 presidential general election market showed Trump’s likelihood of victory declining during the debate, while Harris’ odds improved to 55%.
Harris’ campaign challenged Trump to a second round in October, and Trump later said that he had to think about it, but if he won the debate, he would consider not doing another debate. Trump has spent weeks launching personal attacks on Harris, including racist and sexist insults, but became agitated under Harris’ offensive.
Harris criticized Trump over his criminal conviction for covering up hush money payments to a porn star, his other indictments, and a civil judgment finding him liable for sexual assault. Trump denied wrongdoing and accused Harris and the Democrats of orchestrating all of the cases without evidence. The debate began with a surprise handshake between the two opponents, who had never met before. Harris delivered a lengthy attack on abortion limits, speaking passionately about women denied emergency care and victims of incest unable to terminate their pregnancies due to statewide bans.
Trump claimed that he would support a national ban on abortion, which Trump denied but declined to say explicitly that he would veto such a law. He also falsely claimed that Harris and Democrats support infanticide, which is illegal in every state.
The candidates opened the debate by focusing on the economy, an issue that opinion polls show favors Trump. Harris attacked Trump’s intention to impose high tariffs on foreign goods and offered tax benefits to families and small businesses. Trump criticized Harris for persistent inflation during the Biden administration’s term, calling it a disaster for people, the middle class, and every class.
Presidential debates do not necessarily change voters’ minds, but they can be deeply consequential. Biden’s poor performance against Trump in June led him to abandon his campaign on July 21. In a contest that could come down to thousands of votes in a handful of states, even a small shift in public opinion could alter the outcome.
(Reuters)
