Harris-Trump Presidential Debate Analysis

Guest Writer: Lauren Carpenter (’26); Vox Populi Communication & Design Co-Chair

Nearly three months after the first presidential debate of the 2024 election season, Tuesday, Sep. 10 saw Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump go head-to-head in Philadelphia. This debate marked the first time that the current Vice President and the former President have faced each other on the debate stage. Following President Joe Biden’s withdrawal from the race in July, Harris, who won the Democratic nomination in August at the Democratic National Convention, has taken the presidential incumbent’s place, leading against Trump in neck-in-neck polls. This first debate between the two candidates, the second overall of the election season, illustrated the strength of each party and their desire to triumph in a fight that seems to be more about political party loyalty than actual policies. 

Since he began his political career almost a decade ago, Donald Trump has been known for his outlandish claims, sweeping generalizations, and aggression toward his opposition. The TV-star-turned-politician has created a cult of personality known for bashing opponents and praising his outspoken supporters, with himself at the center as the leader of the free world. His campaign slogan, “Make America Great Again” focuses on getting the United States back to a 1950s-idyllic society, reinstating “traditional” values and practices. 

This political ideology was then expressed in the September 2024 debate against Kamala Harris, where Trump was repeatedly fact-checked by debate moderators and refused to answer yes or no questions. In a viral statement, Trump claimed that Haitian immigrants in an Ohio town are “…eating the dogs. The people that came in. They’re eating the cats. They’re eating — they’re eating the pets of the people that live there.” Debate moderator Lindsey Davis quickly asserted that this claim is unfounded. Similarly, she corrected Trump’s statement that Democrats believe that “execution after birth… is okay,” after he cited incorrect pro-life rhetoric. When asked if “it’s appropriate to weigh in on the racial identity of your opponent,” Trump answered by stating “Whatever she wants to be is okay with me.” This statement led to an off-script back-and-forth between Trump and Harris, which ended with Trump attacking Harris’s ostensible positions on defunding the police, heightening gun control and eliminating fracking. In his typical fashion, Trump used fear tactics and false claims about his opponent to rile his supporters and unite his party behind him, rather than their commonly-held beliefs or values. In painting himself as the face of the future of the United States, Trump has mistakenly conflated his strong personality and personal opinions with the actual Republican party. 

Despite being the irrefutable winner of the debate, Kamala Harris was also guilty of refusing to directly answer questions and making incorrect, sweeping claims about her opponent. Like Trump, Harris continuously blamed economic woes, like unemployment and inflation, on her opponent, rather than recognizing the influence of the Covid-19 pandemic. She also continuously referenced a link between Trump and Project 2025, a connection which, though possible, has yet to be factually proven. Several statistics were also misrepresented throughout the debate, like the claim that “Trump left us the worst unemployment since the Great Depression.” That said, Harris came into the debate with numbers and tangible plans in hand and an ability to reference specific policies she would instate during her administration. The strengths of her performance included rarely instigating off-script discourse with her opponent and initiating a handshake before the debate had even started. Though she was the better-prepared, more articulate candidate, Harris repeatedly fell into the trap of personally attacking her political opponent and responding to Trump’s goading. She too displayed that party rivalries run deeper than many political beliefs, and used being “anyone but Trump” to her advantage. Harris’ performance displayed how it is possible to move past Democrat vs. Republican rhetoric, but only as long as this era of polarized, all-or-nothing party support can come to an end. 

Ultimately, the 2024 presidential race has become less about specific political policies to better the nation, but rather about creating and maintaining further party divisions based on personality and personal ideologies. Both Democrats and Republicans have been consumed by political boundaries and rivalries, refusing to compromise and subjecting all Americans to the consequences of party bickering. Rather than work for the betterment of the country, it seems as though politicians have become more concerned with beating one another at popularity polls and saving face. With the November election impending, it is crucial that Americans exercise their right to vote so that the country may move past infighting and petty rivalry. As the September 2024 debate proved, neither side of politics is perfect; one must simply vote for the America that they wish to see. 

(Featured image credit: ABC News)