A Solid Tie: Kamala Harris v. Donald Trump Presidential Debate

On Tuesday, September 10th, Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump debated on ABC for nearly 2 hours on a variety of topics ranging from immigration to whether the dogs and cats in Springfield, Ohio should be concerned for their safety. Obviously, the last time we had a debate, it changed the race radically as Biden had such a poor performance that Kamala took over the ticket. Some people even wonder if he is still fit to be President. Elon Musk remarked that he had basically forgotten that Biden is still running the country. Trump practically considered VP Harris to already be running the country despite the fact that isn’t the case. Biden is even doing campaign stops and his usual Presidential duties.

Looking at this race, a few things stand out to me, one is the fact that I think Trump would make a great 19th century American president. His politics and demeanor would have been great in the 1840s or even the 1880s but that doesn’t work as well in 2024. We are also looking at two candidates trying to win in very difficult circumstances. Only 2 Vice Presidents have won another term while in office (George HW Bush and John Quincy Adams) and only one president has served non-consecutive terms (Grover Cleveland). Either way, this election will be historically important.

I livestreamed the debate with commentary and here some important points from the debate.

Both Candidates Did What They Needed To Do

Before the debate in my pre-debate commentary I outlined what each candidate needed to do. Harris needed to show she could really play at this level and could take on Trump and presidential politics. Until the debate her campaign had mostly been vibes and a huge cultural moment. She controlled the media narrative for the first month of her campaign. This was an important moment for her to address the nation, as the nominee and with the presence of her opponent. She needed to show that she is not Hillary Clinton and this is not 2016. She was highly successful, showed real debate chops, was more nimble than Biden in June and she created the type of social media moments that have powered her campaign. She did dodge questions (guns and crime) but made a solid showing. Unlike her ill-fated 2020 run, she was able to really take her message to the people and draw contrast against Trump.

Trump needed to make his case to the country. He needed to show his vision for the country. It was a stark contrast. He needed to seem Presidential and to not make too many gaffes. He also needed to show that his presidency would be different from the first time around. In that way, he was successful in that he articulated his vision (dark though it may be) to the nation and was able to make some solid policy points. His lack of healthcare plan (coming next week) was definitely a tough point for him. We’ve been waiting for his healthcare plan since 2015. It is nowhere in sight.

The Internet has Captured the Race

The area that I thought was the most interesting about the race was how much the social media and internet narratives really made their way on stage. Harris’ attacks on Trump read like a Twitter thread. They echoed some of the things I have said. Trump also ran the table with a litny of right-wing media talking points that sounded like a Twitter thread as edited by producers from Fox News. From the conspiracy (or not) of Haitians eating cats and dogs in Ohio to Biden “Crime” Family stuff (that has never stuck), and oh-so-much more, both candidates were rife with talking points that primarily started online. This is quite a change from the past when things had to filter out of the internet and through the mainstream news sources before being taken seriously. The media environment has changed and this debate was a big shift.

A Compelling Case for Both

Do I think the debate changed the minds of anyone already decided? Absolutely not but for those that were undecided or for those who just don’t pay attention to politics until the late stages of the race (right about now), this debate was a decisive case for both candidates. The narrative is that Harris won the debate handily but it is important to remember that Trump did articulate his vision and view. He views the country as falling apart and crumbling (much like his vision in 2016) and that centers mostly around immigration and the economy. Trump landed solid hits on that. Harris made some solid points about Trump’s plans, lack of plans and made some solid hits on abortion. For the median voter who doesn’t read the news all days everyday, this debate provides them a view of what life would be like under either of these candidates.