(The Heart Sq.) – Former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris are lower than eight weeks away from election day, and whether or not they may debate once more stays in query.
The 2 confronted off for his or her first-ever debate Tuesday evening on the Nationwide Structure Heart in Philadelphia. Earlier than this week’s debate, neither marketing campaign had agreed to a different debate.
Harris’ marketing campaign launched an announcement welcoming a second debate, however whether or not Trump’s workforce feels the identical, and whether or not the 2 camps can agree on the community to host and the main points of the controversy stay main query marks.
“Within the World of Boxing or UFC, when a Fighter will get overwhelmed or knocked out, they stand up and scream, ‘I DEMAND A REMATCH, I DEMAND A REMATCH!’ Properly, it’s no completely different with a Debate,” Trump wrote on TruthSocial Wednesday morning. “She was overwhelmed badly final evening. Each Ballot has us WINNING, in a single case, 92-8, so why would I do a Rematch?”
Tuesday’s debate hit on a broad vary of subjects – from the financial system to immigration to healthcare and abroad conflicts – and featured a plethora of jabs from each candidates.
“There’s no denying that Vice President Harris had a stable efficiency and was ready and well-rehearsed,” Colin Reed, a Republican political strategist, informed The Heart Sq..
Atone for The Publish’s debate protection
A number of analysts stated that Trump missed alternatives to carry Harris accountable for her modifications to previous stances and her normal lack of particulars on coverage points. Harris was in a position to bait Trump with feedback in regards to the crowd dimension at his rallies, worthwhile time when Trump was purported to be discussing immigration, a usually weak concern for Harris.
“The remaining questions are what influence the controversy may have by the point voters go to the polls, and whether or not she sufficiently made the case to the American public about her imaginative and prescient for the nation, which thus far, has been marked by imprecise coverage pronouncements and contradictions along with her previous statements,” Reed continued.
These contradictions in query embody Harris’ previous statements about banning fracking, a subject that obtained little consideration on the debate in Pennsylvania, a state the place fracking and inexpensive vitality are a key political concern.
Trump touted his efficiency on the debate whereas taking a shot at ABC moderators David Muir and Linsey Davis.
“I believed that was my finest Debate, EVER, particularly because it was THREE ON ONE!” Trump stated on-line instantly after the controversy.
The moderators did take hearth from others apart from Trump, together with critics who identified that whereas they aggressively fact-checked Trump, they have been far much less aggressive with Harris.
“The moderators didn’t reality verify Kamala Harris on Challenge 2025,” creator and Manhattan Institute Senior Fellow Abigail Shrier wrote on X through the debate, referring to how Trump has repeatedly disavowed the mission. “The moderators didn’t reality verify Kamala Harris on IVF. They simply fact-checked Trump for the fourth time.”
Notably, Taylor Swift endorsed Harris after the controversy, a boon to the Harris marketing campaign, although its utility was questioned by Republicans who’ve typically dismissed endorsements by stars in Hollywood and elsewhere as out of contact.
“I will probably be casting my vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz within the 2024 Presidential Election,” Swift wrote on Instagram. “I’m voting for @kamalaharris as a result of she fights for the rights and causes I imagine want a warrior to champion them. I believe she is a steady-handed, gifted chief and I imagine we are able to accomplish a lot extra on this nation if we’re led by calm and never chaos.”
Swift signed the submit “childless cat woman,” an obvious reference to 2021 remarks the place Trump’s operating mate, Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, stated the Democratic occasion was largely run by depressing, childless cat girls.
Whether or not the controversy or Swift’s endorsement will really transfer the needle on this race stays to be seen. For now, polling reveals the 2 in a useless tie nationally and in the important thing swing states.
“Kamala Harris is being skilled like an actress – lights, cameras, memorized traces – so she will be able to ‘win’ the controversy and act her method by this election,” Former Democratic lawmaker Tulsi Gabbard wrote on X. “However we’re not selecting the lead in a film; we’re selecting our Commander-in-Chief. As residents and voters, we have to acknowledge our solemn accountability on this regard.”
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