Former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris faced off in what was their first and last debate on Tuesday last week. This was a much-anticipated event, given that President Joe Biden’s performance in July’s debate virtually knocked him out of the election, and the expectations for the impact of the debate were high. With 67 million live viewers (16 million more than the Trump-Biden Debate), and millions more on replay, the ABC debate found its way into the homes of many voters. The common inquiry post-debate is typically polling surrounding who “won the debate.” According to a Postmedia-Leger poll, despite 50% of voters believing Kamala won, Trump actually gained a point in election polling. What I saw in the debate on Trump’s end indicated a positive direction for his campaign and an injection of energy after being upstaged by Harris in the news since announcing her candidacy. Trump was messy, offensive and controversial and it was fantastic.
President Trump has a unique ability of giving off the cuff remarks which contrasted Harris’ rehearsed platitudes and talking points, making him seem far more genuine. This strategy was very intentional, as shown by his preparation of informal policy discussions with his campaign team rather than mock debates. Trump also contrasted his previous lack of energy and monotonous tone in his debate against Biden. A recent staffing decision to bring back Corey Lewandowski as Trumps new top campaign official, Trump’s campaign manager in 2016, known for “letting Trump be Trump”, is likely the cause of this style of debate, which is very reminiscent of his debates against Hillary Clinton in 2016.
Trump has also brought new energy to his campaign with his heavy focus on immigration and crime in this debate. Trump often spoke about the massive waves of immigrants that the Biden administration has let in, which a report from the House Committee on Homeland security estimates at 10 million since 2021. Questions on immigration also involved Trump’s claim about Haitian migrants eating household pets and local wildlife in the small town of Springfield, Ohio. The validity of this claim is still unclear, with the town government saying that there are no reports that substantiate this, yet a Springfield police report stating a Haitian migrant kidnapped geese out of a park two weeks ago give credence to Trump’s assertion.
The accuracy of these claims is beside the point. As a result of President Trump’s claim, the media focus has now surrounded Springfield, a largely forgotten rust-belt town, which would find no headline coverage if it weren’t for the former President. Along with this, President Trump in his utterance of Springfield has brought the national conversation onto migration, a winning issue for Trump. According to a Gallup poll, 55% of United States citizens support a reduction in migration intake into their nation. By drawing attention to a small town with a population of 60,000 now being forced to take in 20,000 Haitian migrants, Trump will gain more support from voters sympathetic to the residents of Springfield. President Trump also invoked heavy immigration rhetoric in an Arizona rally the day after the debate, stating that he was “angry about young American girls being raped and sodomized and murdered by savage criminal aliens.” Trump’s description of migration panders towards his base and the 28% of voters who place immigration as their highest priority voting issue, a larger share of voters than any other issue including the economy. He has created urgency and intimacy over the issue of immigration, taking a national issue and spotlighting its consequences in smalltown-America. If Trump can make the election a referendum on immigration, he wins.
Not only has Trump brought the national debate onto immigration, but he has also restored himself as the topic of the media’s focus. Since her ascension as the Democratic nominee, the Vice President has nearly dominated news coverage. However, after the debate, the focus has shifted to Trumps performance. Trump spoke 25% more than his opponent, and it did not go to waste. He exceled with witty remarks, telling the Vice President to be “quiet please,” inversing her “I’m speaking” moment in the 2020 VP debate with Mike Pence. Trump created another viral moment suggesting that he would send Harris a “MAGA hat” in response to her endorsement of a border wall and retraction of progressive policies. These moments have been on the top of news cycle, allowing Trump to be able to create the election narrative, just as he did in 2016.
However, Trump’s performance was far from perfect. Unfortunately, he took the bait cast by Harris and the moderators over Project 2025, comparisons over the rally sizes between the candidates and at times appeared to be rambling. While he could have done better on a technical level, he presented with very high energy that sent ripples which will excite both his base and rally new supporters. With less than two months to go before the election, this energy could carry him to victory this November.