In their first—and possibly only—face-to-face debate, Vice President Kamala Harris quickly rattled Donald Trump, pushing him into a defensive mode filled with angry outbursts, conspiracy theories, and repeated falsehoods. Harris’s pointed remarks set the tone early, leading Trump to revert to his familiar rally rhetoric, where he attacked his former top officials, labeled them as incompetent, and falsely boasted about his campaign rally attendance. told by Huff Post.
During the debate, Trump unleashed a stream of claims, including unverified accusations against Haitian immigrants and a debunked conspiracy that they were consuming pets in Ohio. He even suggested that President Joe Biden harbored animosity toward Harris, now the Democratic nominee, saying, “He hates her. He can’t stand her.”
Initially composed, Trump’s demeanor quickly shifted as he interrupted moderators, refused to face Harris directly, and launched personal attacks, calling her a “Marxist” and making unfounded claims about her father’s influence. His tirade continued with misinformation about U.S. tariffs, false statements about crime rates, and baseless accusations about Harris’s policy intentions on fracking and gun rights.
The debate took a particularly heated turn when the moderators questioned Trump on his efforts to overturn the 2020 election and his role in the January 6 Capitol riot. Trump denied wrongdoing and repeated his baseless assertions of election fraud. Harris countered by highlighting Trump’s rejection by the voters and urged the public not to allow him to undermine democracy again, emphasizing, “Donald Trump was fired by 81 million people.”
Harris’s rise to the top of the Democratic ticket has been swift. After Biden’s lackluster debate performance against Trump in June and subsequent withdrawal from the race due to concerns about his age, Harris transitioned from vice president seeking reelection to the main nominee. She solidified her position with a strong convention performance and a well-received acceptance speech, although viewership numbers were lower than expected. report from NBC News.
The debate could mark the last major clash between Harris and Trump this election cycle, as there are currently no plans for additional presidential debates. Trump, facing multiple legal challenges, including potential imprisonment from state and federal cases, has been eager to return to the White House, where he could potentially influence or delay these prosecutions. If he wins, Trump might direct his attorney general to dismiss federal charges and delay state prosecutions until after his term.
The stakes for this election are monumental, as the future direction of the country and the personal legal battles of Donald Trump hang in the balance.
