2024 Presidential Debate: The Highlights & Low Moments


September 10, 2024

In a fiery and confrontational debate, Kamala Harris relentlessly baited Donald Trump for nearly the entire 1 hour and 45 minutes, and the former president took the bait each time. Harris had clearly prepared extensively, strategically working remarks into her answers that were designed to provoke Trump. She accused him of being "weak" and "wrong," claimed world leaders were laughing at him, and called him a "disgrace" in the eyes of military leaders. She even brought up Trump's loss in the 2020 election, reminding him that 81 million Americans voted for Joe Biden and adding, "Clearly, he’s having a very difficult time processing that."

Trump, for his part, was often unrestrained, repeating falsehoods about widespread election fraud and pushing extreme conspiracy theories. He claimed Democrats supported illegal practices like abortion after birth and described a dark, collapsing America, echoing the "American carnage" theme from his 2017 inauguration speech. At one point, Trump invoked a bizarre theory about immigrants eating pets.

As the debate concluded, Harris received a final endorsement boost when pop icon Taylor Swift publicly announced her support for the Democratic ticket, sarcastically signing her post as “Taylor Swift, Childless Cat Lady.” The reference was a jab at Trump’s running mate, Ohio Senator JD Vance, whose controversial comments had already alienated many women voters. The combination of Harris's strong performance and Swift’s endorsement seemed to galvanize support from key demographics. Read more

Comments(0)

Log in to comment