'Bruised and angry': 5 ways Kamala Harris got the better of Donald Trump during US presidential debate

It was a 90-minute sparring session billed as a key moment in the US presidential campaign race, and one that left Donald Trump bruised and reeling after his showdown with Democratic candidate Kamala Harris. Here are five key takeaways from the televised debate in Philadelphia.

Smart provocations helped Kamala Harris seize control

From the moment she strode across the stage to introduce herself to Mr Trump with an outstretched hand - it was, remarkably, the first meeting between the pair - Kamala Harris drew on her experience as a prosecutor to control the on-stage power dynamics. She built on that momentum by choosing opportune moments to bait and goad Mr Trump, without ever resorting to personal attacks. She took aim at his rally performances - as well as the crowd sizes - and described the large-scale events as a means for the 78-year-old to rant and complain as opposed to announcing detailed plans. “People start leaving his rallies early out of exhaustion and boredom,” she said. Mr Trump was visibly flustered at being put on the back foot, and struggled to mount a convincing defence.

The debate between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris was the first time the two presidential hopefuls had met. Picture: Mario Tama/Getty Images | Getty

Trump misses easy targets

An Achilles’ heel of the Harris campaign is her U-turn on previous policy positions, such as a ban on fracking. But as she turned the focus of the debate on Mr Trump’s failings, he took the bait, responding to her barbs instead of scrutinising her stance on vital issues or areas such as inflation and economy where the Joe Biden administration has come under intense criticism. These were easy weaknesses for Mr Trump to exploit, but he lacked the concentration to make inroads save for the odd, cursory throwaway criticism.

Seizing the policy platform

As Mr Trump relied on discredited claims, misinformation and conspiracy theories, he struggled to offer a coherent vision. Asked what he would do to replace the Affordable Care Act, the best he could manage was to state he had “concepts of a plan”. By contrast, his democratic counterpart used the debate to set out clear and concise summaries of what she would do in the White House, with the messaging aimed predominantly at the US middle class. A notable example was her promise of an “opportunity economy”, with tax credits for new parents and first-time homebuyers, and a federal ban on price gouging. 

Kamala Harris controlled the dynamics from the get-go walking across the stage to shake hands with Donald Trump ahead of the presidential election debate. Picture: Win McNamee/Getty | Getty Images

The Trump campaign is doubling down on immigration

Immigration was a central thread to Mr Trump’s rambling answers. It was an issue he returned to time and again, albeit without any focus or plan. Instead, he leaned on wild-eyed misinformation and lies, at one point delivering a rant, based on a discredited report repeated by his running mate, JD Vance, asserting that Haitian immigrants in an Ohio town were abducting and eating their neighbour’s pets. 

2020 and all that

At one point, Ms Harris delivered a well-honed quip that took aim at her rival’s history, pointing out he had been “fired by 81 million people”. That reference to Mr Trump’s time on the reality television show, The Apprentice, was good humoured, but crucially, it also allowed her to mock his ongoing claims the 2020 election was ‘stolen’ from him. Ms Harris pointed out that world leaders were “laughing” at him - an attack line that left Mr Trump angry, and citing Hungary’s Viktor Orban as one of his supporters.