Harris prevailed with sharp points that exploited Trump’s weaknesses.
If there was any doubt that a woman could lead this country, it was put to rest Tuesday night. From the moment she crossed the stage and reached out her hand to greet Donald Trump, Kamala Harris dominated the presidential debate on substance, style and seriousness.
Like the prosecutor she used to be, the vice president made her case sharply and cleanly, identifying and exploiting Trump’s weaknesses. In doing so, she effectively undercut her opponent’s longtime strategy of snidely attacking, denigrating and even looming over women in debates.
Harris learned from the former president’s past performances that she needed to land the first punch and never let up. She cast doubt on his character, his veracity, his judgment, his ability to be empathetic to the most vulnerable at home and to stand up to dictators abroad.
She cannot help but run as a woman. But the image Harris projected was that of the “bigger man.”
She showed that she not only is capable of winning, but of leading.
Of course, one good night does not a victory make. Trump did not win the election when President Joe Biden imploded in the last debate and subsequently dropped out of the race. There remains no guarantee that Harris will break what Hillary Clinton called the “highest, hardest glass ceiling.”
But in overpowering a former president on the debate stage, Harris passed the first test. She showed that she not only is capable of winning, but of leading.
Further, Harris was particularly commanding on the one issue that polls show is most likely to motivate people, especially women, to vote: abortion. Although Americans say they are most concerned about the economy—a point underscored by the first question posed by ABC News moderators—a plurality of potential voters have told pollsters that abortion is the singular issue most likely to influence their candidate selection.
Here, the competitors agreed on one thing: Trump was responsible for the Supreme Court decision that repealed the constitutional right to abortion.
Trump forcefully championed his decision to nominate three justices who helped overturn Roe v. Wade, a ruling that polls show was opposed by the majority of Americans. He insisted, falsely, that for 52 years “every legal scholar, every Democrat, every Republican, liberal, conservative” wanted to return decisions about abortion to the states, which the Court did in 2022. And he repeated the lie that babies are “executed” after birth, which would not constitute abortion, but murder.
Harris, an outspoken supporter of abortion rights, slapped back, saying that the Court’s ruling has spawned what she labeled “Trump abortion bans” in more than 20 states, some of which provide no exception for survivors of rape and incest.
“A survivor of a crime, a violation to their body, does not have the right to make a decision about what happens to their body next,” Harris said. “That is immoral.”
She continued, speaking firmly and passionately as she pointed accusingly at Trump: “I have talked with women around our country. You want to talk about this is what people wanted? Pregnant women who want to carry a pregnancy to term suffering from a miscarriage, being denied care in an emergency room because the health care providers are afraid they might go to jail and she’s bleeding out in a car in the parking lot? She didn’t want that. Her husband didn’t want that. A 12- or 13-year-old survivor of incest being forced to carry a pregnancy to term? They don’t want that.”
Harris reiterated her pledge to sign legislation that would reinstate the protections afforded by Roe. She deflected a question about whether she supports codifying any restrictions, relying instead on the constitutional right that was in place for nearly half a century. Trump, who has waffled on whether he would vote for a ballot measure that would repeal Florida’s six-week abortion ban, said he would not sign a national ban. He did not respond directly to repeated queries about whether he would veto one.
On other topics as well, Harris employed biting language both to get under Trump’s skin, a ploy that appeared to be successful, and to portray him as a weak leader who kowtows to dictators and autocrats and has lost the trust of many of his own former appointees. In one pointed exchange, for instance, she said that “world leaders are laughing” at Trump and that some of his own military leaders say he’s a “disgrace.” In another, she said Vladimir Putin would “eat you for lunch.”
Trump tried to punch back, but not in the mean and condescending way he has with other women politicians (and journalists). He didn’t even call Harris a name, though he does on the stump. He did add to a litany of racist and sexist comments, saying this about the highest-ranking woman of color in U.S. history: “All I can say is I read where she was not Black, that she put out.” The last part of that remark seemed to fall beneath the radar.
Harris remained calm, not rising to Trump’s bait. He was unable to do the same. Perhaps the low point was when he repeated an unproven internet rumor, quickly knocked down by moderator David Muir, that Haitian immigrants in Ohio have been eating people’s pets.
A number of commentators have pointed out that the debate was unlikely to change many minds. It doesn’t have to. The goal for both campaigns is to sway the small proportion of the electorate that has yet to pick a candidate and, just as important, to energize their supporters to cast ballots.
If history is any guide, the majority of undecided voters are women. Women tend to make up their minds on voting later than men do, perhaps reflecting the shortage of time many have to tune in between paid jobs and their still-hefty family responsibilities. Women also represent the majority of the population and the majority of voters. And for decades, they have favored Democratic candidates, while men—especially white men—support Republicans. The trick for Harris is to garner more votes from women than Trump wins from men, particularly in battleground states.
She got a big boost at the end of the night with an endorsement from megastar Taylor Swift, who posted to her 283 million Instagram followers shortly after the debate ended. While celebrity endorsements don’t often influence elections, Swift’s unrivaled popularity has the potential to move young people to vote, something that could be decisive in a close race.
Harris has embraced popular culture, from reposting Charli XCX’s description of her as “brat” to playing Beyonce’s “Freedom” in her ads.
Last night, Harris, notably, took leave of her post-debate party to the tune of Swift’s song “The Man.” The women’s empowerment anthem seemed a fitting coda to the night, with a chorus that declares:
I’m so sick of running as fast as I can
Wondering if I’d get there quicker
If I was a man
And I’m so sick of them coming at me again
‘Cause if I was a man
Then I’d be the man
I’d be the man
I’d be the man
This article was produced in collaboration with The Fuller Project, a journalism nonprofit that reports on global issues affecting women.
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