Vice President Harris and former President Trump met Tuesday in an unusual first in-person interaction. The two presidential candidates battled in the key debate to prove themselves worthy of heading the next presidential administration and to swing voters. Although both fell short at times, Harris’ strong rhetoric, ability to trap Trump and overall maturity allowed her to out-perform the former president.
Harris spoke clearly and stuck to her talking points. She didn’t appear overwhelmed by any of the hot topic questions, including abortion, the war in Gaza and immigration policy. She seamlessly took the stage as a presidential candidate herself without the pressure of sharing beliefs with President Joe Biden.
When Trump entered the political landscape, unprecedented debate tactics followed him. Trump’s immature and uneducated attacks could only throw weak-debater Biden off track.
Trump’s offering of a MAGA hat to Harris, “concepts of a plan” and a wildly untrue statement about migrants eating pets in Springfield, Ohio, worked against him and at the same time, worked for Harris. Trump’s weak rhetoric and mindless statements only appear worse when debating a talented public speaker — which hasn’t been the case for a while.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom told the Guardian, “She kept looking in the camera, talking about you, talking about me, talking about the American people, talking about the issues they care about, and he was talking about dogs, and he was talking about crowd sizes and his grievances and his little pity party and his victim mindset.”
As a former prosecutor and career politician, Harris knows how to put Trump on the defensive. On multiple occasions, she trapped him in a corner that would throw him off. She called out possible insecurities, and she said he was fired by 81 million people when he lost the 2020 election; Harris also theatrically talked about the boredom in his rally crowds.
Harris’ retorts led him to ramble about topics affecting his ego and not voters – which Harris stayed away from.
According to Time magazine, “In the nine years since Trump first burst onto the scene, no opponent — Democrat or Republican — has dealt with the 800-lb. gorilla of American politics as coolly or gotten under his skin to such a degree.”
Although Harris’ words worked in her favor, Americans have largely been disappointed with the Biden administration’s lack of action. If Harris implements her talking points, the political space has a chance to move away from the theatrics.
The way Harris carried herself in this debate and following it has shown a level of maturity that reminds Americans of pre-Trump politics. Although both interjected childish attacks at each other, Harris made it a point to approach Trump with a proper handshake before debating. Her team also called for a second debate, displaying an eagerness and willingness to inform American voters about her policies and stances. Wednesday, Trump and Harris shook hands at the September 11 commemoration event in New York.
Harris’ strong performance against Trump has the potential to win key swing states with unsure voters. The Washington Post asked 25 teetering voters which candidate won the debate; 23 of the voters The Washington Post asked believed Harris performed better, leaving only two favoring Trump’s performance.
Harris’ debating abilities against former President Trump advantages her chance of securing the presidential seat in November.
Layne Rey is a junior studying journalism at Ohio University. Please note that the views and opinions of the columnist do not reflect those of The Post. What are your thoughts? Let Layne know by tweeting her @laynerey12.
