Harris Crushed Trump in the Presidential Debate

Kamala Harris cut Donald Trump down to size during their presidential debate on Tuesday, September 10, reducing him to the role of Ranter-in-Chief. The former prosecutor seized the initiative at the outset, putting Trump on the defensive. Harris never lost control, while Trump suffered from numerous self-inflicted wounds during the debate.

Harris constantly attacked Trump, baiting him so adroitly that the former President repeatedly lost his cool. Harris remained calm and assured throughout the debate, while Trump often seethed with anger. Trump seemed almost deranged at times, as he spewed out one outrageous lie after another.

Seizing control with a handshake 

When the two candidates came onto the stage, Harris walked over to Trump and extended her hand to introduce herself. The candidates, who had never met before, shook hands and exchanged a quick, terse greeting. This was not just a gracious gesture by Harris. The Vice President was signaling to Trump, “You don’t intimidate me” as well as “I’m the adult in the room”.

At 5’ 4”, Harris is almost a foot shorter than Trump, who is 6’ 3”. Before the debate, Trump had insisted that there be no box for Harris to stand on behind her lectern, so that the audience would see that she is much shorter. By approaching Trump directly, Harris was demonstrating that she did not care about her height …or by implication, personal attacks.

As it turned out, Harris was the candidate who showed real stature during the debate. The Vice President discussed some of her policy proposals, such as her plans for reducing inflation. You may agree or disagree with her ideas, but the Vice President provided some details and numbers on her proposals. Harris usually criticized Trump for actions he had taken, although she did take some swipes at this character.

Meanwhile Trump launched a series of vicious ad hominem attacks against Biden and Harris, calling them “stupid and incompetent” and labelling Harris a “Marxist”. It was profoundly disturbing to hear a former President say of Biden and Harris, “They are destroying the country. You’d have to say that they hate our country”.

It’s one thing to criticize political opponents; it is dangerous to demonize them.

A Make-or-Break Event for Harris 

Although Harris missed some opportunities, she performed well overall and landed several body blows against Trump. The VP came across as composed, well-informed and empathetic. Harris’ tone was generally upbeat and positive, while Trump painted a grim, dystopic picture of a country that is “dying”.

Trump scored some points on the calamitous withdrawal from Afghanistan. However, Harris punched back, noting that Trump had negotiated the original agreement. Harris also skillfully parried Trump’s attacks on inflation and immigration.

Harris used language strategically to needle Trump, referring to this “tired, old playbook” (emphasis added) and calling Trump “weak” several times. These tactics were effective and kept Trump off balance.

Meanwhile Trump usually referred to Harris as “she” rather than “Harris” or “the Vice President”. This was an obvious attempt to demean her, which probably did not play well with many women watching the debate.

Harris’ success in the debate is very important for her campaign. The debate was a crucial, make-or-break chance for Harris to introduce herself to voters. Almost 30% of voters said that they needed to know more about her, according to polls taken before the debate. Only 9% of voters said that about Trump.

CNN Snap Poll: Harris Won  

We can’t predict how the debate will affect the election, but Harris’ strong performance may help her with some undecided voters. And “some” might be significant in such a tight race.

According to a snap poll by CNN, 67% of registered voters who watched the debate thought that Harris outperformed, compared to 37% for Trump. Voters with favorable views of Harris increased about 6 points to 45%, according to the poll, versus 39% for Trump. Nonetheless, the size of the survey was small, about 600 voters, and most of those polled indicated that they were not likely to change their views about the election.

Skewering Trump on Tariffs and Abortion

Harris launched blistering attacks on Trump’s proposals and policies from the very first minutes of the debate. Unlike Joe Biden, Harris has come up with some catchy sound bites. Harris talked about Trump’s “20% sales tax on Americans” in referring to his plan to impose 20% tariffs on imports from all countries. Similarly, Harris raised the alarm about “Trump abortion bans in 20 states”.

Trump’s responses were often weak and meandering. The former president tried to duck the tariff issue by ranting about “millions” of criminal immigrants coming into the US and triggering a crime wave—his default theme, regardless of the question posed, during the night. It did not help Trump’s case when an ABC moderator pointed out that crime was falling, not rising.

One of Harris’ strongest moments was her impassioned defense of abortion rights. The VP charged that Trump would ban abortion nationwide and monitor women’s pregnancies (as outlined in Project 2025). Harris concluded, “That is immoral, and one does not have to abandon their faith or deeply held beliefs to agree the government and Donald Trump certainly should not be telling a woman what to do with her body”.

Trump’s answers on the abortion issue were rambling and often verged on incoherent. When asked if he would sign a national ban on abortion, Trump responded with a long riff on…student loans. Then the former President claimed that Democrats favored “execution” of babies after birth. An ABC moderator contradicted Trump, pointing out that no state permitted such an act.

Donald Trump Debating Kamala Harris / Getty Images

Trump: No Regrets About January 6

The ABC moderators asked Trump if he regretted anything about his actions on January 6. Trump continued to claim that he won the election and said that he had no responsibility for the attack on the Capitol.

Turning Trump’s famous phrase on him, Harris said, “Trump was fired by 81 million Americans” and added “he clearly has trouble processing that”. Harris slyly raised doubts about Trump’s mental agility and age, provoking him yet again.

To defend himself against the charge that he was anti-democratic, Trump then chose an odd character reference: Viktor Orban, the Hungarian Prime Minister. Trump quoted Orban as saying, “You have to have Trump back because the Russians and the Chinese are scared of him”.

An avowed “illiberal democrat”, Orban has all but destroyed Hungary’s democracy. Orban is very close to Russian President Vladimir Putin, and he has fiercely opposed providing aid to Ukraine. Trump inadvertently showed once again how much he admires dictators and disdains democratic values.

Harris also attacked Trump forcefully on his failure to stand up for Ukraine. In a notable line, Harris said that if Trump had been President when Russia invaded Ukraine, “Putin would be sitting in Kyiv with his eye on Poland and the rest of Europe.”

A Missed Opportunity on Ukraine 

Harris did miss an opportunity on Ukraine, however. Trump falsely said that Harris had met with Putin to negotiate a deal about Ukraine before the invasion, citing the VP’s visit to Kyiv three days before the invasion. When Trump asked, “Have you ever met Putin?”, Harris did not deny that she had. That seemed evasive.

Instead, Harris should have responded that she met with President Volodymyr of Ukraine to warn him that Russia would invade his country very soon and that Ukraine should prepare to defend itself.

Similarly, when Trump falsely accused Biden and Harris of “weaponizing the prosecutions” to go after him, Harris should have retorted that the President and she have not been involved in any decisions regarding the federal lawsuits against Trump.

Trump Whiffed on Immigration 

Immigration should have been one of Trump’s strong points during the debate, but he blew that opportunity with a ludicrous, blatantly racist claim.

Trump probably stumbled into this blunder because Harris had once again gotten under his skin. The VP invited members of the audience to attend a Trump rally, so they could hear the claims that he has been making, such as “windmills cause cancer”. Harris added that the rallies were “small” and that you could see “people leaving”.

Trump lost it, acting like a petulant schoolboy and saying his rallies were the “biggest ever” and that Harris bussed in the audiences for her rallies.

Dog Days in Springfield 

The former President of the United States then claimed that Haitian immigrants were stealing cats and dogs in Springfield, Ohio and eating them. Looking unhinged, Trump asserted that if Harris were elected President, “we will become like Venezuela on steroids”.

An ABC moderator fact-checked Trump for the third time. David Muir noted that ABC had contacted the city manager, who had said that there was “no evidence” of people eating pets in Springfield.

The comment about Haitians dining on dogs is, of course, racist; most Haitians are Black. Furthermore, Trump’s remarks were completely divorced from reality. The New York Times has reported that 20,000 Haitians have moved to Springfield over several years—legally. They are not undocumented immigrants.

The new arrivals have been a shot in the arm for a city that was previously in sharp decline, according to the Times. Haitians now represent 25% of Springfield’s population, which has triggered racial tensions. But the Haitians work hard, and they have not caused a crime wave.

Maybe after November Trump can run for dogcatcher in Springfield. He might be qualified for that position.

The Wall Street Democrat