Egypt Daily News – Former U.S. President Donald Trump, the Republican candidate in the 2024 presidential election, finds himself in an uncomfortable position following the presidential debate he had with Democratic candidate Kamala Harris on Wednesday. During the debate, the Vice President was able to provoke Trump, and her performance was unanimously regarded, even among Republicans, as stronger than Trump’s.
The Associated Press reported that Trump emerged from the tough debate looking to regain his footing with only 55 days left until Election Day, while Alabama and some other states prepare for early voting.
The agency pointed out that Trump, less than three months ago, stepped down from the debate stage in Atlanta after watching President Joe Biden deliver a disjointed performance that led the latter to end his re-election efforts and endorse his vice president, Harris. By Wednesday, Trump was in a defensive position after Harris dominated a large part of the debate, repeatedly drawing the former president into troubled responses filled with exaggerations and lies.
The performance has left many Republicans scrambling to analyze Harris’s performance and insisting that Trump still has time to refocus on the economy, immigration, and other issues that could impact the deeply divided voters.
Republican Senator Shelley Moore, who criticized Trump’s approach, stated that she believes it would have been possible to highlight the contradictions regarding what Harris’s policies have done over the past three and a half years.
After the debate, Harris’s campaign immediately proposed the idea of a second debate. Fox News suggested holding another debate in October with moderators that Trump indicated he does not prefer. Trump stated on Truth Social that there is no need for a second round, as she, meaning Harris, was defeated decisively.
But Harris’s situation doesn’t seem to be as her opponent claims. In addition to her strong performance during the debate, the Vice President received a gift from American pop star Taylor Swift, who announced her support for Harris in the elections. This move could attract many young voters who are fans of Swift to support Harris.
Nevertheless, the Associated Press states that there is no evidence so far that the debate caused a significant shift towards Harris among those who watched the debate.
On the other hand, The Hill magazine reported the frustration and dissatisfaction of Republicans with Trump’s performance. A Republican member of Congress who supports Trump, and who requested to remain anonymous, expressed his sadness, stating that Harris knew exactly where to intervene to disturb him. It is generally disappointing that Trump was not calmer, as he was in the first debate. He added that he believes the road has become too narrow and that this is not good.
While another Republican in the House of Representatives, who declined to give his name to discuss a sensitive topic, stated that many Republicans were frustrated that Trump was unable to stay focused on the message throughout the debate.
The deputy said that Harris spoke to them as if they were children, but she did a good job of provoking Trump. Although Trump is right in his policy, he has not been able to focus on the message. The deputy continued, saying that many are frustrated that he couldn’t maintain focus or throw a punch. He described the performance as not good.
The Hill newspaper reported that Trump and the Republicans pointed fingers at various parties following his performance in the presidential debate against Harris, where the Republican candidate repeatedly fell into traps set by Kamala and struggled to clarify the message his campaign had established.
Trump and his allies pointed fingers at the debate moderators hosted by ABC News, accusing the channel of unfairly scrutinizing the former president’s responses compared to how they treated his opponent.
Trump said in statements to Fox News on Wednesday evening that the debate felt like three against one, referring to the ABC hosts who moderated the debate, David Muir and Lindsey Davis, who immediately responded to some of what Trump mentioned about abortion and immigrants mistreating pets, which he did not experience in his previous debate with President Joe Biden last June.
However, some Republicans held Trump’s advisors responsible, stating that the former president was not prepared for the confrontation, while others said that the Republican candidate himself failed to strongly connect Harris to President Biden until the last moments of the debate.
Chris Christie, the former governor of New Jersey, who was a key part of Trump’s debate preparation teams in 2016 and 2020, stated that it is clear Trump had no one to guide him during the preparation this time, as he went out there and did what he wanted, driven by his instinct and gut feeling, portraying himself as an angry and wronged candidate.
Although Trump described his performance in the debate as the best he has ever had, the former president and others quickly sought to blame others for his struggles to focus on the intended message.
