ROY SHINAR COHEN
Nearly 70 million people saw the first time Kamala Harris and Donald Trump met. Thanks to thorough preparation and clear(er) answers, most people agreed Harris won the debate, according to polls. Harris’s performance has helped her raise $47m within 24 hours after the event. Since the debate is the last major planned event until election day, this gives her crucial momentum in the final weeks leading to November 5th.
Harris led in the polls coming into the debate. According to poll trackers by The New York Times, The Economist and Nate Silver, Harris stood at approximately 49% and Trump at 47%. However, an important September 8th New York Times/Siena College poll (conducted between September 3rd-6th) showed Trump leading Harris by one percentage point. The difference is within the margins of error and could indicate trends in voters’ attitudes predating the debate. But the highly anticipated and widely watched debate have likely impacted voters’ perception.
From the moment the candidates walked on stage, the differences between them were stark. Trump walked straight to the left-side podium, while Harris marched to shake his hand. “Kamala Harris”, she introduced herself, since the two never met in person before the debate. The Vide-President exuded confidence throughout the debate, speaking clearly and making expressive facial expressions. In contrast, Trump avoided looking at Harris and occasionally glanced at the clock while she spoke.
Throughout the evening, Harris managed to enrage the former-President on several occasions. As a body language expert said on Fox News, "At one point, he dropped his shoulders, dropped his head, and he sunk. And then you see the upper lip [move upward] very quickly. It was a micro-expression of leakage, of hatred and disgust and scorn.”
This was not mere luck on Harris’s part. The Vice-President prepared for the event for five nights, practicing with a Trump impersonator on a replica stage, according to The New York Times. Trump’s preparation was much more casual and included back-and-forth questions with aids about policy. This contrast clearly worked in Harris’s favour. Her tactic’s success was evident when, for example, she invited viewers to attend a Trump rally. Comments like this were designed to bait the former-President into self-indulgent rants, deflecting Trump’s attacks and distracting viewers from Harris’s weaknesses.
Overall, Trump spoke more than Harris did (43 minutes and 37 minutes respectively), although the format was designed to allow both candidates an equal amount of time. This reflects Harris’s under-utilising her allotted speaking time and extra time given by moderators after heated exchanges. When it comes to the debate’s content, viewers did not receive clear answers and policy plans. Both candidates attempted to steer questions and avoid overly specific proposals.
Moreover, both told lies and half-truths throughout the evening—such as Harris’s claim that Trump will impose a “sales-tax”, referring to his tariffs plan, and Trump’s claim that Harris would not meet Israeli prime minister Netanyahu. Still, Trump’s lies were more frequent and blatant. This led the moderators to fact-check some of his claims, such as his since-then viral claim that migrants are eating pets. But instead of acknowledging the falsity of his claims, Trump and his party took the fact-checking to mean the debate was “three against one”.
Both sides, intentionally or not, made remarks that will go down in American presidential debates’ history. Harris’s most memorable quotes included an invitation to attend a Trump rally, proudly claiming she is a gun-owner, and fighting hard to remain polite to Trump saying “This… former-President”. For Trump, memorable lines include claims that “[Harris] wants to do transgender operations on illegal aliens that are in prison”, that migrants are “eating the pets of the people that live there [Springfield, Ohio]”, and that he has “concepts of a plan” for healthcare reform. All of these became instant memes and have reached a far wider audience than the debate itself.
Minutes after leaving the stage Trump did another unusual thing: he went to the “spin-room” to change the narrative around his performance. Usually, politicians, commentators, and other surrogates would spin narratives on the candidate’s behalf. But, likely due to his bad performance, Trump took it upon himself. In the spin-room, he claimed that he had his best debate ever and that he won by a large margin. When confronted by reporters who told him Harris had a better night, he dismissed them quickly.
Beyond Harris and Trump, a crucial moment arrived shortly after the debate had ended. Cultural super-star Taylor Swift told her 284 million fans on Instagram that she will vote for Kamala Harris. “I will be casting my vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in the 2024 Presidential Election… she fights for the rights and causes I believe need a warrior to champion them… Taylor Swift, Childless Cat Lady”. Although the effect of Swift’s endorsement remains to be seen, it spotlighted Trump’s defeat even more and angered Republicans.
The Harris-Trump debate, which probably won’t take place again, was a clear win for Harris and a good segue into the final weeks of the election campaign. Although the debate did not change the polls significantly, it did remind voters of what Trump is like and alleviate doubts about Harris’s capability. Moreover, it has given her an easy weak in the media in which she appears strong while Trump is scrutinised. Even as Harris’s debate performance has improved her press coverage and helped raise substantial funds for her campaign, the race is still extremely tight and unpredictable.
