Democratic candidate Kamala Harris put her Republican rival Donald Trump on the defensive in a combative presidential debate on Tuesday with a stream of attacks on his fitness for office, his support of abortion restrictions, and his myriad legal woes.
A former prosecutor, 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 Harris’ own crowds, said, “My rallies, we have the biggest rallies, the most incredible rallies in the history of politics.”
He then pivoted to a false claim about immigrants eating pets in Springfield, Ohio, that has circulated on social media and was amplified by Trump’s vice presidential
“They’re eating the dogs!” he said, as Harris laughed in disbelief. “The people that came in, they’re eating the cats! They’re eating the pets of the people that live there.”
“Talk about extreme,” Harris replied.
With eight weeks to go before the election, and days until early voting starts in some states, the debate – the only one scheduled – offered a rare opportunity for both candidates to make their case for a television audience of tens of millions of voters.
The candidates clashed over immigration, foreign policy and healthcare, but the debate was light on specific policy details.
Instead, Harris’ forceful approach succeeded in putting the focus on Trump, leaving her allies jubilant and some Republicans acknowledging Trump’s struggles.
Trump repeated his false claim that his 2020 election defeat was due to fraud, called Harris a “Marxist” and asserted falsely that migrants have caused a violent crime spree.
“Trump missed an opportunity to stay focused prosecuting the case against Biden-Harris on the economy and border, and instead took her bait and chased down rabbit holes on election denialism and immigrants eating our pets,” said Marc Short, who served as chief of staff for Trump’s former Vice President Mike Pence.
In a boost to the Harris campaign, pop megastar Taylor Swift told her 283 million followers on Instagram immediately following the debate that she would back Vice President Harris and her running mate Tim Walz in the Nov. 5 election.
She signed it “childless cat lady,” a reference to controversial remarks made by Vance.
Online prediction market PredictIt’s 2024 presidential general election market showed Trump’s likelihood of victory declining during the debate, to 47% from 52%. Harris’ odds improved to 55% from 53%.
In a sign of confidence in the debate’s outcome, Harris’ campaign challenged Trump to a second round in October.
Trump afterwards took the rare step of going into the nearby “spin room,” a job usually left to supporters, where he told reporters, “This was my best debate.”
Asked about the Harris campaign seeking a second debate, Trump told Fox News: “She wants it because she lost.”
“I have to think about it, but if you won the debate, I sort of think maybe I shouldn’t do it. Why should I do another debate?” he said.
REUTERS
