While they are just 90 minutes in a sometimes years-long campaign, presidential debates can either be a huge blessing for a candidate’s campaign or a possible curse. Debates allow the major candidates a rare opportunity to have an essentially free 90-minute campaign ad broadcast to millions, or allow for the candidate’s rival to have free ammunition to use against them for weeks to come in their own ads. It could also be taken to the extreme in both directions, such as June’s presidential debate.
While originally thought to just be another debate between former rivals President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump, the June 27 debate did something a forum of that scale never has before: it forced a candidate out of the running. What started out as a night where the Biden campaign needed to reassure Americans that Biden still had the mental capacity for the nation’s highest office ended with Biden needing to show his own party that he had those aforementioned mental abilities. It also led people in the Democratic party to question if he should even still be their nominee. This flood of concern grew until the dam finally broke. Biden finally threw up the white flag a month later and dropped out on July 27.
The Trump campaign had a more joyous night. While he entered the night with a small lead in the polls, the night ended with him surging, putting strongly Democratic states such as New York and New Jersey and lean Democratic states like Minnesota and Virginia in his sights. All of this was to the dismay of the Democratic party, who was seemingly going down in flames and facing a possible landslide the likes of which the nation hasn’t seen since Barack Obama in 2008. All of this set the initial pretext of the Sept. 10 debate.
For Kamala Harris, the new Democratic nominee and current vice president, the night was going to be the first time she was showing herself, and her candidacy for that matter, to a wide audience of Americans. After Biden dropped out in July, Harris was the first to enter the unknown field. No Democratic primaries, a rapidly falling party and the simple question of where to go now. After grabbing the nomination with no opposition soon thereafter, she had a little over 15 weeks to run a full campaign. The September debate not only allowed for a good opportunity to advertise her six-week-old campaign but also keep the initial momentum she gained after entering the race from enthusiastic Democrats glad to have a new candidate, but optimistic swing voters who initially supported her simply because of her being a new and rather unknown candidate in a field originally comprised of two of the most unpopular candidates in history. This would also be an issue Trump was walking into the night with as well.
While this was a night for Harris to show her capabilities for the first time, it was also a time for Trump to reiterate his. Trump, similar to the Democrats, also had a very chaotic summer campaign season. Around two weeks after the debate, Trump had an attempt on his life on July 13. He had the Republican National Convention the following week, during which he nominated Senator J.D. Vance (R-OH) as his running mate and finally had to deal with the shake up of swing voters who initially tolerated him as a lesser of two evils flocking to a new and seemingly enthusiastic candidate. These two pretexts combined made for a very anticipated debate night where the candidates gave varying levels of achievement.
Harris, for her part, felt and seemed very presidential to many and was one of the more noble candidates we’ve had in recent memory, setting up her tone from the very beginning by walking to former President Trump and offering a hand shake, something that had not been offered by either of the candidates in June. She would also, for a large part, not stem off this trail either. Trump stayed consistent to what originally appealed to voters and what got him elected in 2016. He talked extensively about immigration and a little about the economy, two issues that many polls have shown are strong fields for him and his campaign.
The debate was not perfect for either candidate, however. Trump dug himself into holes throughout the duration of the 90 minutes. He said he had a “concept of a (healthcare) plan,” which he insisted he would release soon. He also interrupted Harris several times during the debate and most infamously pushed a claim that Haitian immigrants are “eating the dogs. They’re eating the cats. They’re eating the pets of the people that live there”, referring to the city of Springfield, Ohio. This claim has been revealed to be a rumor by a resident of the city posted to Facebook. The video circulating that was associated with the story was revealed to be of another case in Canton, by a woman who was not a Haitian immigrant, but an American citizen.
Harris was not the perfect debater, either. She exaggerated Trump’s tax plan, claiming that American middle income families would pay $4,000 more a year in taxes under the 20% tariff tax on China. Some analysts claim numbers close to that number. However, others claim the plan would only raise taxes for middle income families by $2,500, since Trump has also suggested a 10% tariff as well. Another claim by Harris was that Trump would “essentially be immune from any misconduct,” referring to the case Trump V. United States, which gave Trump “presidential immunities” regarding official acts in office, was decided on July 1 of this year. This is also misleading, with Chief Justice John Roberts writing that, “The President enjoys no immunity for his unofficial acts, and not everything the President does is official. The President is not above the law,” despite the ruling.
Despite these mentions though, the famous statement “a week is a year in politics” still applies. It has yet to be shown just how much sway this debate had. However, with over 60 million people tuning in last week, even a small percentage of voters could determine the outcome of the election.
