{"id":2339515,"date":"2024-09-11T00:09:01","date_gmt":"2024-09-11T04:09:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/harris-and-moderators-make-the-second-debate-more-about-trump-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2024-09-11T00:12:27","modified_gmt":"2024-09-11T04:12:27","slug":"harris-and-moderators-make-the-second-debate-more-about-trump-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/harris-and-moderators-make-the-second-debate-more-about-trump-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"Harris and moderators make the second debate more about Trump &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">26<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fharris-and-moderators-make-the-second-debate-more-about-trump-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2339515&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>In the second <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/nikki-haley-makes-her-case-for-why-she-not-trump-should-be-the-gop-nominee\/\" title=\"Nikki Haley Makes Her Case For Why She, Not Trump, Should Be The GOP Nominee\">presidential debate held<\/a> in \u2063Philadelphia, Vice President Kamala Harris aimed to shift the focus from President Joe \u200dBiden to former President \u200cDonald Trump, achieving a significant change from the first debate. Moderators\u200c from ABC News energetically fact-checked Trump, prompting him to discuss his presidency rather than attacking Harris directly.\u2064 This strategy aligns with the\u2064 Democrats&#8217; belief that the election should be\u2063 framed as a \u200dchoice \u200dbetween Trump and \u200dtheir party, rather than a referendum on the Biden-Harris\u200c administration.<\/p>\n<p>Harris emphasized her position at the forefront of the Democratic ticket, asserting, \u201cYou\u2019re not running against Joe Biden. \u200bYou\u2019re\u2064 running against me.\u201d Trump countered by claiming, \u201cShe is Biden.\u201d The impact of this debate remains uncertain, as perceptions of moderator bias could benefit\u2064 Trump.\u200c However, Harris \u2063was able to challenge \u2064Trump&#8217;s temperament and \u200dleadership style \u2064effectively.<\/p>\n<p>The debate \u200callowed for more direct exchanges between the candidates compared to the first debate, although Trump struggled to maintain focus on future issues rather \u2063than revisiting the 2020\u200d election. His attempts to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/border-wall-and-other-security-measures-planned-in-house-homeland-security-appropriations-bill\/\" title=\"House homeland security appropriations bill includes plans for border wall and additional security measures.\">address conservative concerns<\/a> about abortion also revealed \u2063his difficulties, as he avoided outright commitments to support specific policies. the debate \u200dshowcased Harris&#8217;s leadership\u2062 positioning while keeping Trump on the defensive.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Harris and moderators make the second debate more about Trump<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1757135\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>Vice President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/kamala-harris\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Kamala Harris <\/a>got one thing she wanted on Tuesday night in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/philadelphia\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Philadelphia<\/a>: The second presidential debate was much more about former President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Donald Trump<\/a> than the first.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>That was only partly due to Harris&rsquo;s own efforts. ABC News&rsquo;s moderators aggressively, and almost exclusively, fact-checked and argued with Trump. The former president and 2024 Republican presidential nominee also frequently took the bait, allowing the conversation to shift to his four years in office rather than prosecuting the case against Harris.<\/p>\n<p>Democrats have long believed that their best chance for victory is for the election to be a binary choice between Trump and themselves rather than a referendum on the Biden-Harris administration.<\/p>\n<p>The first debate was defined almost entirely by President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/joe-biden\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Joe Biden<\/a> and his struggles communicating effectively. It was arguably the most one-sided general election presidential debate in history.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/live-blog\/2024-presidential-debate-live-updates-trump-harris-abc\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">2024 PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE LIVE UPDATES: TRUMP AND HARRIS FACE OFF IN ABC SHOWDOWN<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Biden dropped out of the race less than a month later. Harris is now at the top of the Democratic ticket, a fact that she was eager to remind voters.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;You&rsquo;re not running against Joe Biden. You&rsquo;re running against me,&rdquo; Harris said.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;She is Biden,&rdquo; Trump shot back later in the debate.<\/p>\n<p>What effect this will have on the presidential race is unclear. The perception that the moderators were biased against Trump could redound to his benefit. Trump is also a familiar figure after more than nine years in national politics. Harris needed to reintroduce herself to the voters.<\/p>\n<p>But Harris was able to prosecute the case against Trump&rsquo;s temperament and record. She also argued that at 59 (she will turn 60 later this month), she represented a generational change in leadership compared to both her 81-year-old boss and the 78-year-old Trump. And Trump was put on the defensive multiple times, abandoning his early hushed tone for a more exasperated one as the debate wore on.<\/p>\n<p>ABC News allowed considerably more interplay between the candidates than CNN did in the first debate despite an extended dispute between the campaigns this time around over whether open microphones and interruptions would be allowed. The rules remained the same, but the network approaches were different.<\/p>\n<p>Trump had his moments. While he is considerably less disciplined and focused than Harris, he is funnier. He mentioned Harris&rsquo;s abandoned liberal policy positions. He asked why she did not do the things she is now promising to do during her time as vice president. He hit the Biden-Harris administration&rsquo;s record again and again.<\/p>\n<p>But every moment spent talking about the 2020 election was one not devoted to the issues of 2024. This helps Harris, who talks about Jan. 6 much less than Biden did but still views the attack on the Capitol by Trump supporters as a winning issue for her campaign. In one exchange, Harris successfully baited Trump into devoting more time to defending his rally crowd sizes than his record on immigration and the border.<\/p>\n<p>At one point, Trump caught himself after giving an extended answer about the 2020 election and said they should be focused on the future.<\/p>\n<p>Faced with a backlash from his socially conservative supporters about his recent abortion waffling, Trump wobbled on the tightrope he has been walking on the issue. He reiterated his opposition to late-term abortion and tried to paint Harris as the true radical while praising his own leadership on in vitro fertilization treatments. But he wouldn&rsquo;t back his running mate, Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH), on assurances he would veto what Democrats call a &ldquo;national abortion ban.&rdquo; That is a strategic departure from Trump&rsquo;s focus on the states, which may suggest he has heard the criticisms from anti-abortion activists that he is running away from the reversal of <em>Roe v. Wade<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>The split screen between Harris and Trump was much better for the Democrats than Biden vs. Trump. She is younger and more articulate. Trump had to do more than just let his rival implode, with mixed results. Harris also struck the right balance between her prosecutor and &ldquo;Momala&rdquo; personas, often smiling and laughing as Trump spoke.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title><strong><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Trump nevertheless said many things that will be pleasing to his base. He was also at times able to challenge Harris&rsquo;s commitment to any set of positions for a set period of time. But he often accepted the premises of questions rather than returning to his preferred attack lines, allowing the moderators and occasionally Harris herself to accept the terms.<\/p>\n<p>The race has tightened since Harris took over from Biden, though her honeymoon seemed to be fading according to predebate polls. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/we-either-have-laws-or-we-dont-have-laws-california-violated-its-election-laws-as-well-results-are-likely-invalid\/\" title=\"We Either Have Laws or We Don\u2019t Have Laws: California Violated Its Election Laws As Well \u2013 Results Are Likely Invalid\">vice presidential candidates<\/a> are set to debate on Oct. 1. It is unclear whether Trump and Harris will debate again.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1757135\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1757135\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Vice President Kamala Harris achieved one of her goals during the second presidential debate on Tuesday night in Philadelphia: the focus shifted significantly to former President Donald Trump compared to the first debate. This shift was not solely due to Harris&#8217;s actions; ABC News moderators actively fact-checked and challenged Trump throughout the event. The former president, who is also the 2024 Republican nominee, often engaged with these challenges, redirecting discussions toward his presidency instead of critiquing Harris.<\/p>\n<p>Democrats have long believed that their best chance for success lies in framing the election as a direct choice between Trump and themselves rather than a referendum on Biden-Harris policies. The first debate had been dominated by President Joe Biden&#8217;s communication struggles, making it arguably one of the most lopsided debates in history.<\/p>\n<p>After Biden exited the race less than a month later, Harris found herself leading the Democratic ticket and was keen to remind voters of this change. &#8220;You\u2019re not running against Joe Biden; you\u2019re running against me,&#8221; she asserted during the debate. In response, Trump claimed, &#8220;She is Biden.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The impact of this debate on the presidential race remains uncertain. Some may perceive moderator bias against Trump as potentially beneficial for him. Having been a prominent figure in national politics for over nine years, he is well-known to voters while Harris needed to reestablish her identity with them.<\/p>\n<p>Harris effectively highlighted Trump&#8217;s temperament and record while positioning herself as a generational shift in leadership at 59 years old compared to both her 81-year-old boss and 78-year-old opponent. Throughout various exchanges, she managed to put Trump on defense multiple times; his demeanor shifted from calmness early on to frustration as time progressed.<\/p>\n<p>ABC News facilitated more interaction between candidates than CNN did during their previous encounter despite ongoing disputes about microphone use and interruptions\u2014though rules remained unchanged.<\/p>\n<p>Trump had moments where he shone but lacked discipline compared to Harris; however, he brought humor into his responses. He criticized Harris\u2019s past liberal stances and questioned why she hadn\u2019t acted on her current promises while serving as vice president. His repeated references to past elections detracted from addressing current issues relevant for 2024\u2014a situation that favored Harris since she focused less on January 6th than Biden did but still viewed it positively for her campaign narrative.<\/p>\n<p>In one notable exchange, she successfully drew out Trump&#8217;s lengthy defense regarding rally attendance rather than focusing on immigration policy or border issues\u2014an area where he faltered after initially discussing past elections when he should have looked forward instead.<\/p>\n<p>Confronted with backlash from conservative supporters regarding his stance on abortion rights recently shifting back-and-forths led him into tricky territory: although he reiterated opposition towards late-term abortions while attempting portray himself favorably alongside advancements like IVF treatments\u2014he hesitated backing Sen.J.D.Vance (R-OH) concerning potential vetoes over what Democrats label \u201cnational abortion bans.\u201d This indicates possible awareness about criticisms he&#8217;s received from anti-abortion advocates suggesting he&#8217;s distancing himself from Roe v.Wade\u2019s reversal implications altogether.<\/p>\n<p>Overall dynamics between both candidates appeared more favorable towards Democrats given how younger &amp; articulate HArris came across versus an older rival like trump who needed more effort beyond simply waiting for mistakes made by opponents which yielded mixed results overall.Harris balanced being assertive yet approachable throughout interactions often smiling\/laughing even amidst heated exchanges.Trump nonetheless made statements likely resonating well within his base challenging HArris\u2019 commitment levels too\u2014but frequently accepted question premises allowing moderators\/herself dictate terms instead returning back preferred attack lines.The race has tightened since HArris took charge post-Biden though pre-debate polls suggested honeymoon phase fading away ahead upcoming vice-presidential candidate debates scheduled October first without clarity whether further matchups occur again between trump\/Harris moving forward!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2659,"featured_media":2339516,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/AP24255044400686.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[3896,4021,22276,3634,32076],"class_list":["post-2339515","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-debate","tag-harris","tag-moderators","tag-trump","tag-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/AP24255044400686.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2339515","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2659"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2339515"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2339515\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2339516"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2339515"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2339515"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2339515"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}