Who won the debate?
Trump and Harris
Published By: Kazeem Ugbodaga
By Anthony Zurcher
In a testy 90-minute debate, Harris frequently rattled the former president – goading him into extended defences of the size of his rally crowds, on his conduct during the 6 January attack on the US capitol and on the officials who served in his administration who have since become outspoken critics of his campaign.
If debates are won and lost on which candidate best takes advantage of issues where they are strong with voters – and defends or deflects on areas of weakness – Tuesday night frequently tilted in favour of the vice-president.
- Trump vows to replace Obamacare, blames democrats for previous failure
- Trump claims Israel “won’t exist” if Harris wins, Harris calls him a “Dictator”
- Harris slams Trump’s criminal record in fiery debate exchange
Time and time again as the evening progressed, Harris put Trump on the defensive, with a series of jabs and barbs that he felt compelled to address. She called him weak. She said foreign leaders were laughing at him. She said people left his rallies early out of “exhaustion and boredom”.
Harris came into this debate with clear weaknesses in the minds of many Americans, on topics like inflation, immigration and the Afghanistan withdrawal. For the most part, Trump was unable to land his rhetorical punches – and in the days ahead he might come to regret the missed opportunity.
-Anthony Zurcher is BBC North America correspondent, reporting from the debate
