{"id":2339545,"date":"2024-09-11T01:10:01","date_gmt":"2024-09-11T05:10:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/grading-harris-and-trumps-high-stakes-debate-performances-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2024-09-11T01:15:58","modified_gmt":"2024-09-11T05:15:58","slug":"grading-harris-and-trumps-high-stakes-debate-performances-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/grading-harris-and-trumps-high-stakes-debate-performances-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"Grading Harris and Trump&#8217;s high-stakes debate performances &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/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%2Fgrading-harris-and-trumps-high-stakes-debate-performances-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=2339545&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>During a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/desantis-launches-digital-ads-after-accepting-debate-with-newsom\/\" title=\"DeSantis accepts Newsom&#039;s debate challenge, launches digital ads.\">high-stakes debate<\/a>, \u2064Vice\u2064 President Kamala Harris effectively put\u2062 former President Donald Trump on the defensive, showcasing her <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/psaki-defends-pelosis-decision-to-sit-on-vital-infrastructure-during-ongoing-budget-battle\/\" title=\"Psaki Defends Pelosi\u2019s Decision To Sit On \u2018Vital\u2019 Infrastructure During Ongoing Budget Battle\">strategic approach<\/a> while he often appeared reactive. \u2063Both candidates addressed\u200c key issues,\u2062 including immigration and legal \u2064troubles, but Harris consistently baited Trump with\u2062 topics like his rally sizes \u200cand claims\u200b of the 2020 election being stolen, while Trump focused on economic matters and policy criticisms of Harris.<\/p>\n<p>Republican and Democratic strategists graded the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/post-debate-focus-group-signals-who-they-believe-won-the-gop-primary-debate\/\" title=\"Post-debate focus group indicates winner of GOP primary debate.\">candidates&#8217; performances<\/a>, with Harris\u200b receiving a &#8220;B&#8221; for her calm and collected demeanor, contrasting sharply with Trump&#8217;s irritation. Despite a strong start from Trump on economic issues, many analysts felt Harris dominated the latter part of the debate, steering the conversation and highlighting \u200dTrump&#8217;s vulnerabilities, including\u200b his perceived inability to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/u-s-army-is-officially-ditching-the-m4-rifle-for-something-much-more-powerful\/\" title=\"U.S. Army Is Officially Ditching The M4 Rifle For Something Much More Powerful\">handle pressure<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The debate is seen as pivotal, with Harris aiming to bolster her visibility \u200das a \u2064new candidate while Trump struggled to retain focus. Viewers noted\u2062 a perceived bias from the moderators \u2062towards Harris, leading to debates about the fairness of the discussion. while Harris aimed to establish herself as a\u2062 competent alternative, the impact on voter sentiment remains unclear, with\u200c both candidates\u200d seemingly locked in a competitive standing.  <\/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\">Grading the candidates: In high-stakes debate against Trump, Harris sets the pace<\/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_1757579\" 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\">Kamala Harris<\/a> kept former President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Donald Trump\">Donald Trump<\/a> on the defensive for much of their debate Tuesday night, in what could be their only appearance together before Election Day.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>&ldquo;Harris stuck to her strategy,&rdquo; Republican strategist Alex Conant said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m not sure what Trump&rsquo;s strategy was, and it&rsquo;s not at all clear that he executed it. Clearly, taking a question on immigration and getting sucked into a debate about his own legal troubles was a missed opportunity.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Harris repeatedly laid bait for Trump on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/presidential\/3149918\/harris-taunts-trump-debate-crowd-size\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"issues like his rallies\">issues like his rallies<\/a>, his difficult relationship with former allies, the criminal cases against him, the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, and his <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/presidential\/3150097\/trump-stolen-election-lost-by-whisker-sarcasm\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"claims of a stolen election\">claims of a stolen election<\/a> in 2020. Trump, more often than not, responded in kind by defending his actions in each of those circumstances.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;If that was a bridge too far for you, there&rsquo;s a place in our campaign for you to stand, for our country to stand, for our democracy, to stand for the rule of law, and to end the chaos,&rdquo; Harris said, making the case for herself as an alternative.<\/p>\n<p>While Conant wasn&rsquo;t impressed with Trump, he&rsquo;s not sure it will move polls that have the pair deadlocked.<\/p>\n<p>Democratic strategist Brad Bannon gave Harris a &ldquo;B&rdquo; and Trump a &ldquo;C&rdquo; for their respective performances, and predicted Harris will get some positive movement in voter surveys. <\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Optics are important in presidential politics,&rdquo; Bannon said. &ldquo;She was cool, calm and collected, while Trump projected irritation and anger under pressure and looked rattled. Americans want a commander in chief who can function under pressure. Trump proved he can&rsquo;t.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Harris arguably had more to prove going into the debate, both because she is newer to the race and because she has largely stiff-armed the press since becoming the Democratic nominee on July 21. But she continued putting pressure on Trump&rsquo;s lengthy record, suggesting that he can be baited by leaders of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/can-russia-still-win-in-ukraine-what-history-keeps-telling-us\/\" title=\"Can Russia Still Win in Ukraine? What History Keeps Telling Us\">hostile foreign countries<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;It is absolutely well known that these dictators and autocrats are rooting for you to be president because they&rsquo;re so clear they can manipulate you with flattery and favors,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;That is why so many military leaders who you have worked with have told me you are a disgrace.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-media-max-width=\"560\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Kamala Harris: It is absolutely well-known that these dictators and autocrats are rooting for you to be president again, because they are so clear, they can manipulate you.. that is why so many military leaders, who you have worked with, have told me you are a disgrace. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/ydlGE8BcKe\">pic.twitter.com\/ydlGE8BcKe<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Acyn (@Acyn) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Acyn\/status\/1833688324143493512?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">September 11, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script> <\/p>\n<p>Trump tried to keep the focus on issues like immigration and economy, which are strong for him, and on Harris&rsquo;s policy flips from 2019 on fracking and police funding. He also stole her famous, &ldquo;I&rsquo;m speaking line&rdquo; when she tried to interrupt even with her microphone turned off. <\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Wait a minute, I&rsquo;m talking now,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;If you don&rsquo;t mind, please. Does that sound familiar?&rdquo;<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-media-max-width=\"560\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">President Trump UNLEASHED:<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m talking now. DOES THAT SOUND FAMILIAR?&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#128293;&#128293;&#128293; <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/YlV6kaoWqQ\">pic.twitter.com\/YlV6kaoWqQ<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/TrumpWarRoom\/status\/1833683839840842098?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">September 11, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script> <\/p>\n<p>Scott Jennings, a longtime advisor to Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY), thought that Trump won the first 15 minutes by speaking on the economy and inflation, but faded afterwards.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Then the immigration question happened,&rdquo; Jennings told the <em>Washington Examiner.<\/em> &ldquo;She evaded responsibility for any of it and pivoted to taunting him on his rallies. And [after that she was] largely &hellip; in control of the debate. He had a few moments, and she has lied terribly about a number of things, but I&rsquo;d say he won the first 15 minutes and the rest she&rsquo;s been dictating the flow of the debate.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Republican viewers complained repeatedly about ABC&rsquo;s moderators, David Muir and Linsey Davis, saying they were intervening on Harris&rsquo;s behalf and offering live fact checks of his statements but not hers. Conservative radio host&nbsp;Clay&nbsp;Travis&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/ClayTravis\/status\/1833685349383479399\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"posted\">posted<\/a> on X that &ldquo;it&rsquo;s 3 on 1.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>University of New Hampshire professor James Farrell said Trump was too agitated and needed to be calmer, but also thought Trump landed important blows against his opponent. <\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Harris has been unable to make any effective defense on the important immigration issue, and his litany of her documented radical positions went totally unanswered,&rdquo; Farrell said. &ldquo;I think too she should have answered better Trump&rsquo;s observation that Biden was pushed out and she got zero votes.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Trump accused Harris of stealing his ideas, saying he was going to &ldquo;send her a MAGA hat&rdquo; and saying &ldquo;she is Biden.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Kirstin Kiledal, professor of rhetoric at Hillsdale College, was not impressed with Harris&rsquo;s presentation of her ideas, giving her a grade of &ldquo;fail&rdquo; against Trump&rsquo;s grade of &ldquo;pass.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;&lsquo;I believe&rsquo; and &lsquo;I have a plan&rsquo; and &lsquo;I know,&rsquo; however many times you repeat them, do not equal &lsquo;I have a dream,&#8217;&rdquo; Kiledal said. &ldquo;That is the primary problem. She tells us that she has a plan, and that leaders must have a vision, but the only vision here is MAGA. It is inseparable from the Trump campaign.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Trump did make that case in his closing statement.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;She says she&rsquo;s going to do this, she&rsquo;s going to do that, she&rsquo;s going to do all these wonderful things. Why hasn&rsquo;t she done it?&rdquo; Trump asked rhetorically. &ldquo;She should leave right now, go down to that beautiful White House, go to the Capitol, get everyone together and do the things you want to do. But you haven&rsquo;t done it, and you won&rsquo;t do it.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Harris, in her closing statement, returned to her major campaign things, telling Trump he&rsquo;s not running against Joe Biden and promising a new vision.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;You&rsquo;ve heard tonight two very different visions for our country,&rdquo; she said, &ldquo;one that is focused on the future and the other that is focused on the past and an attempt to take us backward. But we are not going back.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <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_1757579\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1757579\"}});<\/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>**Evaluating the Candidates: Harris Takes Charge in High-Stakes Debate Against Trump**<\/p>\n<p>During their debate on Tuesday night, Vice President Kamala Harris effectively kept former President Donald Trump on the defensive, marking what may be their only joint appearance before Election Day. Republican strategist Alex Conant noted that &#8220;Harris adhered to her game plan,&#8221; while expressing uncertainty about Trump&#8217;s strategy and execution. He pointed out that when Trump was asked about immigration, he missed an opportunity by getting sidetracked into discussing his legal issues.<\/p>\n<p>Harris strategically provoked Trump on various topics including his rallies, strained relationships with former allies, ongoing criminal cases against him, the January 6 Capitol riot, and his allegations of a stolen 2020 election. In response to these provocations, Trump often defended himself regarding those issues. Harris argued for her candidacy as a viable alternative by stating that there is a place in her campaign for those who seek stability and adherence to the rule of law.<\/p>\n<p>While Conant found Trump&#8217;s performance lacking, he questioned whether it would impact polling numbers where both candidates appear evenly matched. Democratic strategist Brad Bannon rated Harris with a &#8220;B&#8221; and Trump with a &#8220;C,&#8221; predicting some positive shifts for Harris in voter polls due to her composed demeanor compared to Trump&#8217;s visible irritation under pressure.<\/p>\n<p>Entering the debate with more at stake due to her relative newness in the race and limited media engagement since becoming the Democratic nominee on July 21, Harris maintained pressure on Trump&#8217;s extensive record. She highlighted how foreign dictators might exploit him through manipulation: \u201cIt is absolutely well known that these dictators are rooting for you because they can manipulate you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Trump attempted to steer discussions towards topics like immigration and economic issues where he feels stronger while also criticizing Harris&#8217;s past policy positions. He even borrowed one of her famous lines when she tried interrupting him during his speaking time.<\/p>\n<p>Scott Jennings, an advisor to Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY), believed Trump initially performed well but lost momentum after addressing immigration questions where he felt Harris evaded accountability while mocking him instead.<\/p>\n<p>Republican viewers expressed dissatisfaction with ABC&#8217;s moderators for allegedly favoring Harris during fact-checks of statements made by both candidates. Some analysts suggested that Trump&#8217;s agitation hindered his performance despite landing significant points against Harris regarding immigration policies she failed to defend effectively.<\/p>\n<p>In closing remarks, both candidates reiterated their visions; Trump challenged why she hadn&#8217;t implemented any plans if they were so effective while asserting she embodies Biden\u2019s administration failures. Conversely, Harris emphasized contrasting futures\u2014one focused on progress versus one aimed at regression\u2014asserting firmly that America will not revert back under her leadership<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2635,"featured_media":2339546,"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\/Harris_Trump_Debate_PA_Election_2024_k1.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[40618,4021,36631,3634,35107],"class_list":["post-2339545","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-debateperformance","tag-harris","tag-politicalanalysis","tag-trump","tag-washingtonexaminer"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Harris_Trump_Debate_PA_Election_2024_k1.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2339545","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\/2635"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2339545"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2339545\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2339546"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2339545"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2339545"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2339545"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}