Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump faced off in their first—and potentially only—debate on Tuesday night in a highly charged and eagerly anticipated exchange.
EKO HOT BLOG reports that over the course of 1 hour and 45 minutes, Harris showcased her extensive preparation and strategic prowess, targeting Trump with a series of pointed critiques that kept him on the defensive throughout the debate.
Harris did not hold back, using nearly every response to needle the former president.
She accused Trump of being a global laughingstock and a “disgrace” in the eyes of military leaders.
In a particularly cutting remark, she reminded Trump of his defeat by 81 million voters in the 2020 election, suggesting that he was still struggling to accept this loss.
“Clearly, he’s having a very difficult time processing that,” Harris remarked with a hint of satisfaction.
Trump, on the other hand, often appeared out of control, resorting to loud and repeated assertions of falsehoods. He rehashed discredited claims of widespread election fraud and indulged in bizarre conspiracy theories, such as the unfounded idea that immigrants were consuming pets.
His portrayal of the U.S. was a grim reprise of his 2017 inauguration speech’s “American carnage” rhetoric, painting a bleak picture of the nation.
As the debate concluded, Harris’s performance received an additional boost from an unexpected endorsement.
Pop culture icon Taylor Swift took to Instagram to support the Democratic ticket, referencing controversial remarks made by Trump’s running mate, Ohio Senator JD Vance.
Swift’s endorsement, humorously signed “Taylor Swift, Childless Cat Lady,” resonated with many and provided Harris with a significant post-debate advantage.
In the aftermath, Trump made headlines with his claims of a “rigged” debate. Speaking to Fox News the following day, Trump alleged—without providing evidence—that the debate had been unfairly skewed against him.
“It was a rigged deal, as I assumed it would be, because when you looked at the fact that they were correcting everything and not correcting with her,” he said.
This accusation added a new layer of controversy to the debate’s aftermath.
Trump also took aim at Swift, criticizing her endorsement of Harris. “I was not a Taylor Swift fan… she’s a very liberal person. She seems to always endorse a Democrat, and she’ll probably pay a price for it in the marketplace,” he remarked.
Harris’s debate strategy was evident in her ability to bait Trump into reacting to her provocations.
She deftly highlighted his legal troubles and his failure to pass a bipartisan immigration bill, eliciting sharp responses from him.
Trump seemed particularly rattled by Harris’s comment about his rallies, which she suggested were unremarkable.
This observation seemed to strike a nerve, as Trump almost choked on his retort.
Instead of addressing the moderators’ questions on policy—areas where Trump typically prides himself—he fixated on the entertainment value of his rallies and launched into extended, unfounded rants about legal targeting by the Biden administration and mythical stories of migrants eating pets.
Despite attempts to steer the conversation back to his preferred topics, such as immigration, Trump remained fixated on his grievances and the 2020 election. The debate ended much as it began, with Trump returning to familiar, controversial themes, accentuating his difficulty in moving past his own narrative.
In the aftermath, Harris’s commanding performance and Trump’s erratic responses made for a dramatic and revealing exchange.
According to a post-debate CNN and SSRS poll, 63% of viewers believed Harris won the debate, while 37% favoured Trump.
The poll has a margin of error of +/- 5.3%. Prior to the debate, CNN’s poll showed an even split between the candidates, with respondents divided 50%-50% on who they anticipated would win.
In a June poll, Trump had a significant lead with 67% of viewers believing he won, compared to 33% who thought Biden had the edge.
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