The second U.S. presidential debate yesterday (today morning in India) was significantly better than the first one between Donald Trump and Joe Biden. It felt more like a debate between equals, in stark contrast to the chaotic first encounter.
ECONOMY
Harris started off by responding to the moderator’s question: “When it comes to the economy, do you believe Americans are better off than they were four years ago?”
However, she didn’t directly answer the question. Instead, she outlined her plans to improve the lives of Americans, which sounded more like an opposition leader challenging an incumbent rather than a leader defending their administration’s record.
This was not the strongest start for her. I wonder why she didn’t simply say, “Yes, we are better off now than four years ago,” and then provide supporting reasons.
To her credit, she quickly recovered and began a subtle offensive.
ABORTION
She was particularly passionate when discussing abortion, which was unsurprising given her track record on this contentious issue. I’m confident her ratings received a boost after that segment. In contrast, Trump’s stance on abortion did not come across as compelling as Harris’s.
RACE
On the issue of race, moderator David Muir asked:
Mr. President, you recently said of Vice President Harris, "I didn't know she was Black until a number of years ago when she happened to turn Black, and now she wants to be known as Black." I want to ask a bigger-picture question here tonight. Why do you believe it's appropriate to weigh in on the racial identity of your opponent?
I don't. And I don't care. I don't care what she is. I don't care. You make a big deal out of something. I couldn't care less. Whatever she wants to be is okay with me. ... I don't know. I don't know. All I can say is I read where she was not Black, that she put out. And, I'll say that. And then I read that she was black. And that's okay. Either one was okay with me. That's up to her. That's up to her.
GLOBAL ISSUES
On global issues, neither candidate managed to outdo the other. There was, as usual, NATO, Afghanistan, North Korea, Russia, and China. Their responses were all quite predictable.
All said and done, I don't think either of them will be able to end the Ukraine war within 24 hours of being elected.
CLAIMS AND COUNTER-CLAIMS
Both Harris and Trump employed “scare tactics,” using “facts” to paint a dire picture of what would happen if the other candidate won.
Until the facts are verified, we won’t know the extent of truth in their claims and counterclaims. Also, whether Americans need to be fearful of the future if either of them is elected.
BODY LANGUAGE
On the whole, from the body language point of view, Harris came across as a more professional debater, frequently addressing Trump directly.
I don’t recall Trump ever looking directly at Harris except for a few sideways glances. This gave the impression that Harris was in command while Trump was on the defensive.
Harris often used the word “you,” directly addressing the American people, especially when looking into the camera. Trump, on the other hand, seemed to focus more on the word “destroy,” as in “they will destroy America”.
While we don’t know the accuracy of the facts, claims, and counterclaims made by Harris and Trump, this was indeed a fiery debate, and Kamala Harris seemed to emerge as the more articulate, forceful, and stronger participant.
Here is the replay of the full debate: