I am not Joe Biden and I am certainly not Donald Trump.
The historic and decisive debate between the two rivals of the U.S. presidential election was finally hosted by ABC. Both rivals had prepared for the debate, and reports indicated that unlike Harris, Trump had taken a simpler approach as advised by his consultants, focusing only in the final days on practicing specific moments and choosing special impactful phrases. On the other hand, many Democratic experts were worried that the several days Harris had spent practicing for the debate and studying political and economic texts and numerous notes might backfire. The cameras turned to the stage, and the two rivals came out, and in the opening seconds, Harris surprised everyone. She approached Trump, who had quickly retreated to his podium, extended her hand, shook his hand firmly, and loudly stated her name. In this way, Harris gave a heavy response right at the start to Trump’s insults and mockery of her name, pushing him back significantly. This atmosphere created by Harris dominated the entire debate. The initial questions and discussions about the economy and livelihoods were a good opportunity for Trump to push his opponent back, and this time Harris clung tightly to her economic program, repeatedly referring to her plans. She emphasized the specific problems of people’s lives and was clearly well-prepared to distance Biden and herself from the existing issues, which she did by presenting plans for housing and tax reduction for ordinary people. Trump never remembered to point out to Harris the fact that he had three and a half years to implement such plans and did nothing. From the start, Trump focused on the debate moderators and was extremely afraid of confronting Harris. It was Harris who stared at him and used the cameras and her stance to compensate for her short stature. This was the point that paved the way for Harris’s greatest achievement. Trump, in several specific situations, fell into delusions that, simply put, led to nothing but nonsense. In the discussion about immigrants, he repeated the bizarre rumor during the debate that Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, were eating pet cats. Harris’s intriguing reaction and Trump’s mockery were accompanied by a warning from the debate moderator, who openly announced that the authorities of that city had unequivocally denied the news. The abortion debate, which could have been an opportunity for Trump’s comeback and a chance to reform his discourse in this area, went astray with his claim about the Democrats, especially Tim Walz, Harris’s running mate and the governor of Minnesota, favoring the execution of newborn babies. Harris’s response was striking, although she clearly recognized that her opponent was self-destructing and it would be a waste to miss this opportunity, allowing the negative impact of Trump’s words to linger in the audience’s mind.
In the foreign policy discussion, the situation unfolded strangely. Trump had an excellent opportunity to criticize Harris regarding the withdrawal of American forces from Afghanistan, but it was Harris who, without fear and based on a clearly rehearsed text, turned the tables and highlighted Trump’s destructive role during his presidency in this matter. Trump worsened and worsened. He said Harris was an enemy of Israel and that Israel would vanish under Harris’s presidency. Harris initially allowed American Muslims to fully absorb the impact of these words and then moved on to support Israel, where it was evident that Trump was truly unfocused and unprepared regarding the debate content. The discussion of Putin’s invasion of Ukraine saw him practically siding with Trump. The debate took place in Pennsylvania, a highly sensitive state for this year’s election. Harris addressed the threat of Putin to Europe, especially Poland, and warned the 300,000 Polish-American citizens residing in Pennsylvania about the future of their homeland. Trump found himself stuck in the quagmire of pressure and took pride in supporting Orbán, Hungary’s extremist prime minister, who is despised in Europe. It was enough for American citizens with Eastern European roots to hear that Trump refused to acknowledge that Ukraine’s victory would benefit America. Harris took Trump by surprise in the foreign policy discussion, describing him as weak and incapable, the last thing anyone might say about Trump. The fire Harris ignited by mocking the lackluster nature of Trump’s rallies and the nonsense he spouts during them disrupted his focus and affected everything. Recently, in an interview, Trump admitted that he lost the 2020 election, yet he denied this very admission of defeat that occurred just days ago. Everything was tangled for him, and although he spoke five minutes more than Harris overall, he missed all these opportunities to seize a suitable position. Ultimately, it should be noted that Harris seized several opportunities to distinguish herself from Biden. She explicitly stated that she is not Joe Biden and sarcastically added that she is certainly not Donald Trump. We must wait for the polls and see the impact of this debate to determine whether she has reached the position of the candidate of change. However, all the quick polls after the debate showed Harris as the winner. In one poll, 92% of undecided respondents voted for Harris’s superiority, although it is natural that this does not yet mean that the majority of them have formed a definite opinion just from this debate. A historic night unfolded, leaving Trump angry and frustrated. He quickly appeared alongside a Fox News reporter to make up for it, which astonished everyone, as candidates usually avoid such actions after a debate, as it indicates weakness. Eight weeks remain until the final election day, and Americans gradually vote through mail-in ballots. Harris and her campaign are eager for another debate, indicating their satisfaction with the current situation. Ultimately, Philip Raines was the star of last night’s debate, having prepared Harris well for the confrontation with Trump.