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 practiced for the debate, and news indicated that Trump, unlike Harris, had taken a simpler approach based on his advisors’ recommendations, only practicing specific moments and choosing impactful phrases in the final days. On the other hand, many Democratic experts were worried that the several days Harris spent practicing for the debate and studying political and economic texts and taking numerous notes might backfire. Cameras focused on the stage, and the two rivals came on stage. In the initial seconds, Harris surprised everyone. She walked towards Trump, who had quickly retreated to his podium, extended her hand, shook his hand with authority, and loudly stated her name. In this way, Harris delivered a heavy response right at the start to Trump’s insults and mocking of her name, pushing him back significantly. The atmosphere created by Harris dominated the entire debate. The initial questions and discussions on the economy and livelihood provided a good opportunity for Trump to push back his opponent. This time, Harris clung tightly to her economic program, repeatedly referencing her plans. She emphasized specific life issues of the people and was clearly well-prepared to distance Biden and herself from existing problems, doing so by presenting plans for housing and reducing taxes for ordinary people. Trump failed to recall until the end to point out to Harris that she had three and a half years to implement such plans and did nothing. From the outset, Trump kept his eyes on the debate moderators and was intensely afraid of facing Harris. It was Harris who stared at him, compensating for her short stature with the help of cameras and her stance. This was the point that paved the way for Harris’s greatest achievement. Trump, in several specific situations, fell into delusions that, simply put, amounted to nothing but nonsense. In the discussion about immigrants, he repeated the bizarre rumor of Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, eating pet cats in the debate. Harris’s intriguing reaction and Trump’s ridicule, accompanied by a warning from the debate moderator, who openly stated that the city’s officials had explicitly denied this news, was notable. The abortion debate, which could have been a chance for Trump to return and correct his discourse on the matter, went astray with his claim that Democrats, especially Tim Walz, Harris’s running mate and the governor of Minnesota, favored executing newborns. Harris’s response was crushing, even though 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 own words to linger in the audience’s mind.
In the foreign policy discussion, things took an oddly surprising turn. Trump had an excellent opportunity to criticize Harris regarding the withdrawal of American forces from Afghanistan, but it was Harris who fearlessly and based on a clearly rehearsed text turned the tables and highlighted Trump’s destructive role during his presidency in this matter. Trump got worse and worse. 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 supporting Israel, where it was clear Trump had not focused or practiced on the debate content. The discussion about Putin’s invasion of Ukraine saw him practically siding with Trump. The debate was held in Pennsylvania, a highly sensitive state for this year’s election. Harris addressed the threat of Putin to Europe and especially Poland, addressing the 300,000 Polish-American citizens residing in Pennsylvania, warning them about the future of their ancestral homeland. Trump sunk deeper into the quagmire of pressure, boasting about the support of Orban, Hungary’s extremist prime minister, who is despised in Europe. It’s enough for American citizens with Eastern European roots to hear that Trump refused to acknowledge that Ukraine’s victory is in America’s interest. Harris, from this foreign policy discussion, caught Trump off guard and described him as weak and incapable, which was the last thing anyone might hear about Trump. The fire Harris ignited by mocking the lackluster nature of Trump’s rallies and the nonsense he spouts in them disrupted his focus and influenced everything. Trump, who had recently admitted in an interview that he lost the 2020 election, denied this very admission that occurred just a few days ago. Everything was tangled for him, and even though he spoke five minutes more than Harris in total, he missed all the opportunities to secure a suitable position. Ultimately, it should be noted that Harris seized several opportunities to distinguish herself from Biden. She explicitly stated she is not Joe Biden and sarcastically said she is certainly not Donald Trump. We have to wait for the polls and see the impact of this debate to determine whether she has reached the position of a candidate for change. However, all the quick polls after the debate showed Harris as the winner. In one poll, 92% of undecided respondents gave Harris the edge, although it is natural that this does not yet mean that the majority have formed a definitive opinion from this debate. A historic night was recorded, and Trump was left angry and frustrated. He quickly appeared alongside a Fox News reporter to compensate, which astonished everyone because candidates usually avoid such actions after a debate as it shows weakness. Eight weeks remain until the final election day, and Americans are gradually voting 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.