The best replica
Yves Boisvert
“Obviously, I’m not Joe Biden.” Harris distances herself from her own administration, which is not easy – Trump’s best moment being his finale: All your great promises, why haven’t you delivered on them for three and a half years?
Laura-Julie Perreault
“Donald Trump was kicked out by 81 million people. He’s really having a hard time swallowing that!” Harris said with a laugh after an exchange about the results of the 2020 election, which Trump still disputes.
Alexandre Sirois
Every time Trump has responded to Kamala Harris’ promises by asking, “Why didn’t she do it?” This is the Democratic candidate’s greatest weakness. How can she credibly offer a “new path” when she is part of the current administration in Washington?
Isabelle Hachey
“Donald Trump was kicked out by 81 million people. He’s really having a hard time swallowing that!” Kamala Harris managed to get a smile – of spite – from Donald Trump with this allusion to the famous “You’re fired” from the reality TV show. The Apprenticewhich made the businessman famous before he plunged into politics.
The missed opportunity
Alexandre Sirois
Donald Trump has found himself on the ropes on the abortion issue. Before he was first elected, he promised Republican activists that he would appoint Supreme Court justices who would overturn the ruling Roe v. WadeHe sees clearly that this issue will make him lose votes in November, he is making concessions, but he is not managing to convince.
Isabelle Hachey
Twice, host David Muir asked Donald Trump if he regretted his actions during the January 6, 2021, riot. Both times, the former president dodged the question. “I had nothing to do with January 6,” he eventually replied, before blaming the chaos on Washington’s mayor and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Too bad. A little soul-searching would have been welcome, if surprising, from Donald Trump.
Laura-Julie Perreault
Kamala Harris did not take advantage of the first question of the debate to set the record straight on the Biden administration’s economic record. Despite three years of inflation, the United States is experiencing greater job creation than under the Trump administration, as well as rising wages. Donald Trump took the opportunity to repeat that he has created an “economy like we have never seen before” in the United States. This is his main banner.
Yves Boisvert
The missed opportunity or, shall we say, the blunder: Trump saying he has a “concept plan” on health care. When the host asks him, “So you don’t have a plan?” he replies, “I’m not president yet.”
The key moment of the debate
Isabelle Hachey
Kamala Harris’s heartfelt plea for women’s right to control their own bodies likely resonated in millions of American homes. In some states, she noted, women who have been raped and teenage girls who have been victims of incest are now being forced to carry their pregnancies to term. For his part, Donald Trump has declined to say whether he would veto a nationwide abortion ban.
Laura-Julie Perreault
If Joe Biden’s hesitations caught the eye during the first presidential debate of this election campaign, this time, it was Donald Trump’s digressions that stood out. During the segment on abortion rights, the Republican candidate was pulling in all directions, getting lost. He also contradicted himself many times, saying in the same sentence that Kamala Harris was borrowing his ideas, that she deserved a “Make America Great Again” cap before calling her a Marxist. Confusing.
Yves Boisvert
Harris was in control throughout, but she was at her best when she spoke about abortion rights and the human consequences of “Trump bans.”
Alexandre Sirois
It was Attorney General Kamala Harris who took the stage at the debate and argued effectively against a return of Donald Trump to the White House. She was particularly persuasive on Ukraine, arguing that if the former president were still in the White House, Vladimir Putin would have already taken control of Kyiv. Because Donald Trump thinks he has a friendship with this dictator who would “eat him for lunch,” she said.
We have heard too much about…
Laura-Julie Perreault
The arrival of “millions and millions of illegal immigrants.” Whenever Donald Trump didn’t want to answer a question, particularly about the January 6 assault on the Capitol, he would go on about migrants, who he said were “destroying” the United States and “eating the cats and dogs” of the people of Springfield, Ohio, a claim the moderators of the debate refuted. Oddly, there was little talk of solutions.
Alexandre Sirois
Immigration. Donald Trump sounded like a broken record as he broached the subject throughout the debate… even when asked about his responsibility for the January 6, 2021 riot. But the fact is that, strategically, it was a wise choice for him to relentlessly attack his rival on this issue. He should have talked more about inflation, though.
Yves Boisvert
“Millions and millions of people, many of them criminals, who are invading our country.” Trump seemed at a loss for content and repeated his line over and over again.
Isabelle Hachey
As expected, Donald Trump’s lies abounded in this debate. Some were grotesque: according to the former president, Democratic states practice “postnatal abortion.” In other words, the execution of babies at 9 months! And in Springfield, Ohio, Haitian immigrants eat domestic dogs and cats. In both cases, these are baseless rumors. Special mention to the moderators, David Muir and Linsey Davis, who corrected the facts live.
We haven’t heard enough about…
Isabelle Hachey
Gun control. Kamala Harris made a point of correcting Donald Trump, who had just said she wanted to eradicate guns from the country, by specifying that she herself was a gun owner, as was her running mate, Tim Walz. Not a single word about the shooting that left four dead and nine injured at a Georgia school… just a week ago. In the United States, schoolchildren are being murdered in their classrooms and it’s simply not up for debate anymore.
Laura-Julie Perreault
The environment! Both candidates deflected the ABC reporters’ question about climate change to instead talk about the strength of American industry. Quite disappointing for the millions of young Americans who consider this issue to be existential. This dodge could cost Kamala Harris dearly, since Donald Trump’s fans already know where he lives.
Yves Boisvert
The economy. That’s supposed to be voters’ top concern. Aside from lamenting inflation or promising help for businesses, it was light.
Alexandre Sirois
Guns. In the wake of yet another school shooting—this time in Georgia—once again carried out with an AR-15 assault rifle, and given the staggering number of gun-related tragedies that occur each year on American soil, it is disheartening that this topic was not on the moderators’ list. And it is a terrible shame that Kamala Harris did not advocate for better gun control.
Who won?
Yves Boisvert
Kamala Harris, by a good margin. And probably before she even spoke, as Biden had lost before he opened his mouth: she went straight to Trump to shake his hand firmly, which caught him off guard. For the rest of it, he seemed enraged, while he was calm and in control against Biden. She managed to sting him by talking about Putin who would “eat him for lunch,” while being firm and specific on several issues.
Isabelle Hachey
Kamala Harris managed to put Donald Trump on the defensive throughout the debate. The former president tried to refute his rival’s attacks, but seemed disoriented and, above all, furious. It must be said that Harris gave him no quarter, first claiming that his supporters were leaving his rallies “out of exhaustion and boredom,” then that world leaders were downright mocking him. By attacking her rival’s ego, Kamala Harris knew she would hurt him. She didn’t hold back for a second.
Laura-Julie Perreault
Kamala Harris won the debate hands down. In fact, it was almost a hold-up! She talked about her plan, gave Donald Trump a thorough trial, and made herself seem presidential throughout the 107-minute debate. That said, she could have done more to appeal to young voters and the left-wing fringe of American society, but that doesn’t seem to have deterred Taylor Swift, who endorsed her a few minutes after the debate ended. The ABC hosts also deserve a medal for confronting both candidates with their contradictions and pointing out lies and inaccuracies throughout the debate without losing their rhythm.
Alexandre Sirois
I’ll cheat and nominate: Joe Biden. His hand was forced, it’s true, but he still chose to give up his place to Kamala Harris. And in light of the debate, he won his bet. He could never have delivered a performance as good as her. She was able to both stand up to Donald Trump and prove that she has the makings of a president.