On September 11th from 9:00 to 10:45 Beijing time, former US President Trump and current Vice President Harris held a televised debate on the US presidential election, marking the first face-to-face confrontation between the two candidates.
Considering the extremely close poll support rates of the two individuals before the debate, their performance in this debate is likely to become an important weight in influencing the balance of voters' minds, ultimately affecting the final outcome of the US election.
Although the originally scheduled debate time was 90 minutes, the final duration of the debate exceeded 100 minutes due to both candidates frequently arguing over the topic. Among them, Trump spoke for about 42 minutes and 52 seconds, and Harris spoke for about 37 minutes and 36 seconds.
In this debate, the two candidates discussed the economy, the right to abortion, immigration, the Palestinian Israeli conflict, the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Afghanistan, climate change and other issues.
Compared to the debate with 81 year old Biden in June this year, this debate with 59 year old Harris has put a lot of absolute pressure on Trump.
This can be clearly seen from Trump's expression alone: during the June debate, whenever Biden spoke, Trump always showed a mocking smile:
During today's debate, whenever Harris speaks in front of the camera, he appears calm and composed, while Trump always has a serious expression.
So, specifically, how did the two candidates perform in this debate? Where will the balance of victory in this election tilt towards?
Comparison of Debate Strategies between the Two
Overall, Trump's debate strategy is very similar to his one in June: he heavily uses exaggerated language to attack his opponents (even quoting many erroneous data and false facts), and when faced with unfavorable topics, he chooses to shift the topic or "throw the blame" on his opponents.
For example, when the host asked about the January 6, 2021 Capitol riot, due to the fact that this issue was clearly unfavorable to Trump, he immediately chose to change the topic and angrily criticized Democrats for their inadequate handling of immigration issues, which led to the loss of control at the US border, and so on.
And when the host repeated the question again, he chose to blame the then Speaker of the House, Democrat Pelosi, claiming that Pelosi was also responsible for the riot.
Harris' debate performance was clearly much stronger than President Biden's in June. Compared to 81 year old Biden's repeated gibberish when facing Trump's attacks in June, 59 year old Harris was able to calmly counterattack when facing Trump's attacks, constantly pointing out that what Trump said was "a bunch of lies".
Moreover, she can occasionally provoke Trump with words, such as using comments like "always leaving early" from Trump's supporters at rallies to provoke Trump and make him angry and counterattack, appearing somewhat irrational.
According to Harris' debate aide's comments, their provocative strategy has been a huge success, with Trump "hooked everywhere", and some of Trump's allies also complaining that they are frustrated by Trump's repeated loss of composure in tonight's debate.
In addition, Trump has been trying to bind Harris to Biden, heavily accusing Biden and the Harris administration of governing poorly, making the United States a "failed country":
Remember, she's Biden. You know, she wants to get rid of Biden. She said, 'I don't know this gentleman.' She's Biden
Harris, on the other hand, decisively severed his relationship with Biden. She smiled and pointed at herself, saying, "Obviously, I am not Joe Biden, and of course not Donald Trump. What I am providing for our country is a new generation of leaders
Specific debate content
So, specifically, what governance plans did the two candidates elaborate on?
Economically, Harris emphasized her "opportunity economy" plan and vigorously promoted her proposals to make housing cheaper and expand child tax credits.
Trump argued that his tariff plan would help Americans. Trump also proposed imposing tariffs of 10% to 20% on most goods imported into the United States. According to the Peterson Institute for International Economics, this will cost Americans $2600 a year.
2025 Project: After Harris accused Trump of being involved with the conservative policy roadmap 2025 project, Trump distanced himself from the project.
Abortion issue: Trump defended his decision to support Florida's six week abortion ban and emphasized his stance that abortion should be a state matter.
Harris criticized Trump's abortion ban and stated that the former president "should not tell women how to treat their bodies.
Regarding the Israeli Palestinian conflict: Harris stated that the war must end immediately to avoid harming more innocent civilians; Trump said, "If I were the president, the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the Palestinian Israeli conflict would never happen".
Regarding the Russia Ukraine conflict: Trump argues that he can "resolve" the conflict within 24 hours, but does not want to disclose whether he wants Ukraine to win. Harris, on the other hand, claimed to firmly support Ukraine, stating that "if Trump were president, Putin would already be sitting in Kiev".
Healthcare: Trump has stated that he has a "planned concept" to replace the Affordable Care Act, which he previously promised to do. Harris responded by saying that Trump had attempted dozens of times to repeal the Affordable Care Act and praised the Biden administration's efforts to reduce prescription drug costs and limit insulin costs. She said that if she is elected president, she will strengthen the Affordable Care Act.
Race issue: When asked about his false allegations that Harris "happened to turn black" for political purposes, Trump said he "doesn't care" about his opponent's race at all. Harris called Trump's comments about her racial identity a "tragedy" and criticized his record in race relations in the United States.
Summary statement
In the final concluding remarks, Harris put forward many beautiful visions, including protecting women's rights, protecting low - and middle-income earners, and protecting small and medium-sized enterprises.
And almost all of Trump's concluding remarks were attacking Harris: "You have put forward so many beautiful visions, why haven't you achieved anything in the three and a half years of your previous presidency
Who won this debate
Shortly after the debate ended, both Harris and Trump seemed to claim that they had the upper hand in the debate.
Before the debate was completely over, Trump's campaign team announced victory ahead of schedule. Trump's senior advisers Chris LaXivita and Susie Wells praised his performance as "outstanding" and put forward a "bold vision for America":
We have seen President Trump articulate his bold vision for America and how he will continue to consolidate the success of his first term, driving economic development, ensuring border security, and stopping criminal activity from ravaging communities across the country
At the same time, the Harris campaign team also called for another round of debate after the debate ended:
"In the spotlight, the American people saw the choice they will face in front of the ballot box this fall: whether to move forward with Camara Harris or to move back with Trump. That is what they saw tonight, and what they should see in the second debate in October. Vice President Harris is ready to participate in the second debate. What about Donald Trump?"
However, considering that after the June debate, the Trump team, which had the upper hand at the time, first proposed a second debate, this time the Harris team was the first to propose the second debate, which seems to indicate that the latter had the upper hand in this debate.
Furthermore, based on voter feedback, the vast majority of voters believe that Harris performed better in this debate.
The Washington Post conducted a small-scale survey of 24 undecided voters in swing states, with 22 believing Harris performed better and only 2 believing Trump performed better.
According to a CNN poll, 63% of viewers believe that Harris defeated Trump in the debate.
Most respondents believe that Harris had clear thinking, performed professionally, and successfully angered Trump, causing him to miss many opportunities to attack. Of course, some respondents also believe that Harris did not provide any real answers to any questions in this debate