Harris Dogwalked Trump: A Debate Review
After a lopsided debate performance, Trump faces an uphill battle to the White House
After a lopsided debate performance, Trump faces an uphill battle to the White House

The first debate between former President Donald Trump and Vice-President Kamala Harris came and went, and it was painfully obvious who won: Kamala Harris. The debate, while long anticipated, was surprisingly one-sided, with Harris meeting all of the points she needed while Trump fell for trap after trap. While the debate itself isn’t likely to decide the election on its own, the failure by Trump to capitalize on any key point and weaken Harris’ image will almost certainly hurt his presidential bid.
The Pre-Debate Considerations
As many of my readers know, I covered the debate last night in a livestream, where I both provided context regarding the importance of Harris’ momentum and how the polling stood before the debate.
Throughout that stream, I noted that Trump, while recovering from Harris’ entry into the race, was still facing an uphill battle in the election. In states like Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania, Trump is struggling to keep Harris at bay. In Wisconsin, Harris leads Trump by two points, on average. A Marquette Law Poll found that she leads him by four points, showing that Harris’ momentum seems to continue. Although, it may take time for the full extent of the debate to appear in the polls.
In states like Michigan and Pennsylvania, Trump’s position is far from ideal, with Trump only managing to tie Harris in Pennsylvania. In states that Trump needs to hold onto, such as North Carolina, Trump’s position may not be as strong as initially suspected. A Quinnipiac poll found that the former President trails Harris by three points. In the New York Times’ average, Trump is losing by one point, showing that he is not guaranteed a normally strong Republican state.
However, I also explained that these polls were subject to change and even with the debate now over, it still remains unclear how the debate will effect the election.
A Victory for Harris and an Embarrassment for Trump
Throughout the debate, Trump failed to hit on key points to criticize Vice President Harris on her record. He repeatedly rambled and came off as overwhelmed by grievances. At one point, Trump fell into bait that Harris left for him about his rallies, which prompted the former President to claim that nobody goes to Harris’ rallies.
The petty response from Trump was the first of many signs that Trump couldn’t stay on topic or avoid the bait that Harris was setting for him. Prior to the debate, his own allies were frustrated by his performance. A report by The New York Times summed this up perfectly.
Ms. Harris dominated the proceedings from nearly the start. She laid bait. He took it. It began with her needling Mr. Trump that his bored supporters had been leaving his rallies. It continued with her comment that he had inherited riches from his father. And on it went as she invoked his Republican critics, including those who served in his administration.
On the back foot, Mr. Trump repeatedly spun down rhetorical cul-de-sacs.
At one point, Ms. Harris invited viewers to watch a Trump rally for a more unfiltered view of the former president. “You will not hear him talk about your needs,” she said.
He responded not by talking about voter needs but about crowd numbers.
“People don’t leave my rallies,” he pushed back.
Shane Goldmacher and Katie Rogers, “Harris Dominates as Trump Gets Defensive: 6 Takeaways From the Debate,” The New York Times, September 11, 2024, sec. U.S.
Nor did Trump disappoint with his strange and unusual commentary, repeating a ridiculous assertion that Haitian migrants in Springfield, Ohio, were eating the dogs and cats of local residents. The absurd claims, which come from a Facebook post, were yet another example of Trump’s inability to respond to key issues that matter to everyday Americans.
Where Harris focused heavily on issues such as abortion, the economy and bipartisanship, Trump repeated absurdity after absurdity and without any real vision, and was unable to justify his bid for the presidency. One can only hope that this horrendous performance by Trump will lead to a swift and decisive victory for Harris.
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Originally published at https://theprogressiveamerican.com on September 11th, 2024.