Both Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump have a calculation to make about what’s next for their campaigns after Tuesday night’s debate.
It’s pretty clear to me that on Tuesday night, Vice President Kamala Harris won what may be the only debate between herself and former President Trump. The vice president had some help, too. She was aided and abetted by two ABC News moderators who seemingly felt the need to fact-check virtually everything the former president said.
The former president was clearly frustrated and became more strident and divisive as the nearly two-hour debate continued. And the vice president appeared to gain renewed confidence as she saw Trump faltering under relentless questioning from herself and moderators David Muir and Linsey Davis.
Although Harris clearly won the debate in my estimation, it isn’t at all clear that this debate, just 56 days before the election, will fundamentally impact the outcome on Nov. 5.
I say that because Trump did speak directly to his base on Tuesday night. His supporters understood, as well as anyone, how much bias ABC News introduced into the process. To be sure, Harris had better answers on abortion, health care, climate change and leadership for the future. That much is clear. But what is also clear is that what Trump said in his closing statement remains the case.
Voters remain angry about the direction the country is headed, about the performance of both President Biden and Harris, as well as which candidate they trust more on the top two or three issues facing the country: the economy, immigration and law and order.
