By Our Correspondent
In the first, and perhaps only, presidential debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald J. Trump, the two candidates verbally sparred in often deeply personal terms, with policy arguments largely being overshadowed by fiery exchanges over character and crowd size.
Political pundits, analysts and commentators noted that Mr. Trump had often found himself on the defensive on issues such as abortion while allowing himself to be baited by Ms. Harris and veering off message.
The vice president humiliated the attendance at Mr. Trump’s rallies and suggested that American military leaders view him as a “disgrace,” while Mr. Trump often responded angrily, declaring that she had no policies of her own, the New York Times reports.
Meanwhile, Ms Harris had to defend her role as Vice President in Joe Biden’s administration, including the “chaotic” withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan and the way the country has handled the wars in Israel and Ukraine.
A former prosecutor, Ms Harris, 59, controlled the debate from the start, getting under her rival’s skin repeatedly and prompting a visibly angry Trump, 78, to deliver a series of falsehood-filled retorts.
At one point, she goaded the former president by saying that people often leave his campaign rallies early “out of exhaustion and boredom.”
Trump, who has been frustrated by the size of Ms Harris’s own crowds, said, “My rallies, we have the biggest rallies, the most incredible rallies in the history of politics.”
The event, which began at 2am BST in Philadelphia, was the first time Americans got a detailed look at a campaign that’s dramatically changed since the last debate in June after which President Biden bowed out of the 2024 US election race following a disastrous performance.
Throughout the debate, Harris’s legal expertise was evident as she kept Trump on the defensive, setting the stage for what promises to be a contentious race as both candidates race up for the 2024 election.
Also, during the debate, Mr Trump veered into a bizarre and debunked claim, alleging that immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, were consuming pets—a rumor propagated on social media and echoed by his running mate, Senator JD Vance.
“They’re eating the dogs! They’re eating the cats! They’re eating the pets of the people that live there,” Trump declared, while Harris responded with a disbelieving laugh and a succinct, “Talk about extreme.”
With only eight weeks until the election and early voting beginning in some states, this debate likely to be the only one was a crucial chance for both candidates to reach a broad audience.
Harris’s assertive performance left her supporters cheering, while some Republicans conceded that Trump struggled to maintain his focus.
Trump reiterated false claims about the 2020 election being stolen, labeled Harris a “Marxist,” and inaccurately blamed migrants for rising violent crime.
Marc Short, former chief of staff to Vice President Mike Pence, criticized Trump’s debate strategy, stating, “Trump missed an opportunity to focus on key issues like the economy and border security, instead allowing himself to be sidetracked by election denial and outlandish claims about immigrants.”
Adding to the momentum for Harris, pop star Taylor Swift took to Instagram to endorse her and her running mate Tim Walz, referencing a derogatory comment by Vance with her signature flair, to her 283 million followers.
