The first debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump was a fiery affair but perhaps the biggest story of the debate was how bad (or how good) ABC handled it. Donald Trump would not only debate Kamala Harris but also ABC’s moderators who exhibited preferential treatment through the entirety of the debate. This was vastly different than the well-done debate done by CNN between Joe Biden and Donald Trump back in June. Donald Trump coming off his personal best debate performance did not improve in the midst of the deck being stacked against him, but did he lose or pull off a foxy victory?
Donald Trump’s best messaging was on the Ukraine War where he emphatically stated that he wanted the war to end rather than to persist. He would hammer Kamala Harris on Afghanistan, the weaponization of the Department of Justice, Joe Biden’s absence, and more.
However, Donald Trump was routinely derailed by attacks on his ego, such as when Kamala Harris insulted his rallies and when she brought up his position on the Central Park 5 from 1989.
Most frustratingly, Trump was not able to land a critical hit on Kamala Harris when there were multiple opportunities, especially when the economy and inflation were the first issues and immigration was also heavily talked about.
Donald Trump’s performance was akin to a quarterback throwing 2 touchdowns and 1 interception. It’s a serviceable performance on paper but not commanding (although half the quarterbacks in the NFL threw for under 200 yards in week one). ABC was gunning for Trump, and their bias likely worked on many. The Republican Party should not be engaging in such frivolous debates on mainstream media networks.
