Donald Trump and Kamala Harris faced off in the first – and perhaps last – debate before the United States presidential elections, scheduled for November 5th. Since Biden’s withdrawal, the Democrats have managed to regain ground and, entering the debate, the former president and the current vice president of the United States were practically tied in the polls. The popularity of the Democratic duo Kamala-Walz was also evident in the stance each adopted during the debate: Trump on defense, Harris on attack (and comfortable in that role).
The vast majority of the media attributes the victory to Kamala, and clearly. CNN, for example, reports that 63 percent of voters considered the Democrat to have had the best performance. The Washington Post spoke to voters in so-called ‘swing states’ – states that sometimes vote for Republicans, sometimes for Democrats – and there was greater agreement with Kamala on the issues of health, abortion and Ukraine (even among voters in favor of Trump). The former president won over voters on the economic front. At Fox News, a Republican media outlet, they say that the ABC News moderating duo, David Muir and Lindsey Davis, were biased in favor of Kamala, contributing to making the debate “1 vs. 3.” Trump also said this after the debate. The New York Times states that, if there were elections right after the debate, Trump would have more votes – albeit with a very small margin. This is because while Trump voters have no doubts about his position on major issues, Democrats still do not understand what Kamala wants for the country. It is true that Republican congressmen are concerned about their candidate’s performance in the debate. Trump lost his composure and rambled on several issues, never managing to deliver a cohesive message. Proof of this was when, to attack the current immigration policy, he said that in Ohio Haitian refugees were eating domestic dogs and cats – something that has now been assumed by authorities to be false.
According to ABC’s check, Trump was the one who launched the most false accusations during the debate. Kamala also made false accusations, and many of her attacks on Trump were “partly true”, or “needed context”, bringing to light the lack of responsibility and seriousness with which both politicians spoke to the nation.
Trump faced a stronger opponent than Biden, and the 78-year-old candidate now seemed the least lucid. But, truth be told, the debate was very weak. None of the candidates actually spoke about the policies they intend to implement. They preferred, as is becoming a habit, to attack the opposition’s agenda. As a result, those who really lost were the North American voters who, between personal attacks, lies, and empty statements, left the debate without understanding what each one offers for the future. American politics is increasingly poor.
*Executive Director of PLATAFORMA
