For the first time in years, Donald Trump and Kamala Harris came face-to-face, standing adjacent at a 9/11 commemoration ceremony in New York on Wednesday morning. This was a few hours following the fiery Tuesday evening televised debate in Philadelphia. Former New York Mayor, Mike Bloomberg, facilitated their second handshake of the night marking an exceptional moment of courtesy in an otherwise heated campaign. Harris initiated this ‘greeting’, which, given the election’s high stakes, could be perceived as a tactical ambush.
Her confident and forceful performance during the debate was seen by many to have eclipsed Trump’s significantly more defensive and agitated demeanour. Her campaign swiftly suggested another debate between the two, an idea that Trump, claiming he had dominated the first debate, showed little interest in. Discussing the offer on Fox and Friends on Wednesday morning, he stated, “We had a great night, we won the debate.”
To Trump and his team, ABC, the broadcasting network, was biased in favour of the Democrats. They echoed this sentiment by suggesting the debate had been a “three to one” scenario, with hosts David Muir and Linsey Davis fact-checking Trump’s comments throughout, reinforcing the assertion that the event was inherently unfair.
Regardless of the ensuing controversy, the ultimate influence of this debate on undecided voters is unclear. However, the intense scrutiny Harris faced under the national spotlight, against the visibly perturbed Trump, could perhaps offer a clearer image of the Vice President, someone many Americans still feel unfamiliar with.
In response to Taylor Swift’s written support for Harris, which she shared right after the debate, Trump commented that the international pop sensation “consistently appears to back a Democrat. This might cost her in terms of popularity.”
Trump is scheduled to be on the campaign trail in Arizona and Nevada on Thursday and Friday. On the other hand, Harris will make a stop in North Carolina, a state that is currently evenly split in the polls, before she heads back to Pennsylvania on Friday to hold another campaign rally.