Donald Trump beat Kamala Harris in a virtual coin toss before their presidential debate – but that’s about all he won.
From the opening moments Tuesday night, when the vice president strode over to Trump’s podium and all but forced him to shake her hand, she dictated the terms of their critical clash exactly eight weeks before Election Day.
From Harris’ point of view, the night could hardly have gone better.
She came across as fresh and energetic and brimmed with a positive future vision. Trump glowered and ranted and blasted America as a failing nation and seemed off his game.
The vice president, who has sometimes struggled in spontaneous situations, delivered the most imposing performance of her political career. Trump, who had gone into the debate predicting he’d prove boxing champ Mike Tyson’s maxim that “everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth,” was himself stunned by multiple jabs and landed few in return.
At a time when nearly a third of voters suggested in one recent poll that they wanted to know more about Harris, the vice president’s performance seemed more likely to expand her coalition. Trump, meanwhile, didn’t make much effort to change perceptions about his dystopian intentions among the key swing state voters who will decide the election.
While it’s too early to say whether Harris’ performance will translate into new momentum, her campaign will be optimistic that she’s improved her chances among, perhaps, 200,000 movable voters who will decide the next election in a handful of states.
