Tuesday night on the debate stage, Vice President Kamala Harris clearly laid out her New Way Forward for America and proved that she will be a president for all Americans. Meanwhile, Trump angrily lied his way through incoherent sentences in which he fanned the flames of racist conspiracy theories, left the door open to banning abortion nationwide, and repeatedly attacked our democratic institutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The impact of Harris\u2019 debate victory extended far beyond the debate stage in Philadelphia. Across the country, voters woke up to headlines of Vice President Harris\u2019 clear, presidential command of the issues that matter most \u2013 in contrast to Trump\u2019s angry ranting. Voters know that there can\u2019t be a repeat of Trump\u2019s disastrous four years in office and that his extreme Project 2025 agenda and explosive temperament make him unfit to lead. That\u2019s why they\u2019re going to elect Vice President Harris in November, the only candidate in this race who is fighting to bring costs down for families, will defend Americans\u2019 hard-won rights and freedoms, and intends to be a leader for everyone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
See commentary from across the states below:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n IN ARIZONA:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n AZ Central<\/strong><\/a>: Opinion: ‘They\u2019re eating the dogs’ became Trump\u2019s most laughable line from the debate<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n [Elvia D\u00edaz, 09\/11\/24]<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s pointless to argue Trump\u2019s intentions. He means to dehumanize foreigners and expel all undocumented immigrants, even if that means hurting America\u2019s industries that rely on that labor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis isn\u2019t about Trump and MAGA anymore. It\u2019s about us and what we do to end the cult and its obsession with \u2018eating dogs,\u2019 \u2018childless cat ladies\u2019 and whatever animal nonsense they seize next.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n IN CALIFORNIA:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The Press Democrat<\/strong><\/a>: Editorial: Harris, Trump provide sharply contrasting views<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n [Editorial Board, 09\/10\/24]<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAmericans who tuned in for Tuesday\u2019s debate heard a remarkably dystopian view of their country from Donald Trump.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHe called the United States \u2018a failing nation.\u2019 The country has been overrun by millions of illegal immigrants, he asserted, \u2018from jails, from prisons, from insane asylums, from mental institutions, drug dealers pour in.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c\u2018In Springfield,\u2019 he said, referring to Haitian refugees in Ohio, \u2018they\u2019re eating the dogs. The people that came in, they\u2019re eating the cats. They\u2019re eating \u2014 they\u2019re eating the pets of the people that live there.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSpringfield\u2019s city manager says it simply isn\u2019t true, one of several fact-checks made by debate moderators David Muir and Linsey Davis of ABC News. Trump wouldn\u2019t hear it. Likewise, he dismissed crime statistics contradicting his assertions of a violent hellscape as fraudulent, insisted he won the 2020 election and again repeated a bizarre claim that abortion is legal in some states in the ninth month of pregnancy \u2014 and even after birth. That\u2019s not true.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHarris offered a much brighter picture of the United States since Trump left office in 2021<\/strong>, pointing to new manufacturing jobs, investments in renewable energy and pledging to sign a bipartisan border security bill earlier this year that stalled after Trump urged fellow Republicans to withdraw their support. She proposed a child tax credit and assistance for startup small businesses and new homebuyers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n […]<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIn several exchanges, she got the better of Trump, who became agitated when she suggested crowds left his rallies early, mentioned his past bankruptcies, mocked his stature on the global stage and brought up his pending criminal cases.<\/strong> She also brought back a campaign line intended to distinguish herself from both Biden and Trump, she said, \u2018We\u2019re not going back.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n IN FLORIDA:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Miami Herald<\/strong><\/a>: Editorial: At debate, Trump took the bait and resorted to misinformation on abortion and migrants<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n [Editorial Board, 09\/10\/24]<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt didn\u2019t take long for Donald Trump to take the bait and go off script and unhinged during his first presidential debate against Vice President Kamala Harris Tuesday evening. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe lost count of the former president\u2019s fabrications, exaggerations and outright lies in Philadelphia. Where do we begin?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHe continued pushing his lies that he won the 2020 elections \u2014 our \u201celections are bad,\u201d he said \u2014 that Democrats are trying to allow undocumented immigrants to vote, that other countries have emptied their \u201cinsane asylums\u201d and are sending those people to the U.S., that \u201cmigrant crime\u201d is out of control even though several studies show that immigrants commit fewer crimes than those born in the U.S.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe\u2019ve heard most of that before, but Trump \u2014 maybe set off by Harris\u2019 suggestion that his supporters are leaving his rallies early out of boredom \u2014 was in even worse form on Tuesday. Angered and aggressive, Trump displayed what happens when he feels cornered: spew misinformation. If it\u2019s repeated enough, it will eventually become true, the thinking seems to go.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOn two issues close to South Florida, Trump\u2019s claims were especially harmful.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n IN GEORGIA: <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Atlanta Journal Constitution<\/strong><\/a>: Opinion: What AJC contributors thought of the Harris-Trump debate<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n [Geoff Duncan, 09\/11\/24]<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cViewers tuning in to the first general election debate of 2024 between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris saw a prepared and energetic Harris run circles around a defensive and unmoored Trump. As he heads down the home stretch of his third consecutive election cycle, it\u2019s an open question whether Trump, at age 78, has lost a few MPH off his political fastball.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cA few minutes into the contest, Harris baited Trump into a series of questions about the size of his rallies and his business career. From there, Trump lost his composure and spent the rest of the evening on his heels reacting to Harris\u2019 attacks rather than advancing his own.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cFrom unfounded claims of election fraud to Jan. 6, 2021, to even the Central Park jogger case (which took place in 1989), Trump wasted precious airtime relitigating past grievances. He even veered off course to elevate a debunked internet rumor about dogs and cats being eaten in Ohio […]<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAlong the way, Harris landed several impactful lines, including at one point reminding those watching at home that Trump had already been fired once by 81 million Americans. She parried Trump\u2019s attempts to link her to the unpopularity of the Biden-Harris Administration with a clever retort: \u201cYou\u2019re not running against Joe Biden. You\u2019re running against me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOn foreign policy, Harris used searing criticisms leveled by Trump\u2019s former appointees to raise doubts about his stability in a tumultuous world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cTo be sure, this race remains close, and this debate will not have anywhere near the impact of its June predecessor. But if that\u2019s the only chance the public gets to evaluate their two choices for president, it wasn\u2019t a close call: Harris carried the night by a mile.<\/strong>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n IN MASSACHUSETTS:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Boston Globe<\/strong><\/a>: Opinion: Kamala Harris dismantles Donald Trump<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n [Scot Leigh, 09\/11\/24]<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThere\u2019s no joy in Trumpville today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMind you, there are excuses and rationalizations and recriminations aplenty. But those only reflect an acknowledgment of the obvious: Kamala Harris scored a convincing win in their first and perhaps only debate as the two presidential nominees<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHarris didn\u2019t just outpoint Donald Trump. On subject after subject, from the economy to Ukraine to broader foreign policy to democracy to climate change to health policy to the realities of abortion policy, the Democratic vice president simply dismantled the former Republican president.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt was not close. In fact, it was such a big victory that conservative media Trumpswabs quickly turned to blaming ABC moderators David Muir and Linsey Davis for supposedly being unfair to the bullyboy of American politics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBut the moderators\u2019 bias in favor of facts and fact-checking wasn\u2019t why Harris prevailed. She dominated the debate throughout.<\/p>\n\n\n\n […]<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHarris, meanwhile, crossed a vital threshold on Tuesday: She came off as someone voters could easily imagine as president. And by doing so in this crucial clash, she gave tentative Americans yet another reason to leave Trump\u2019s dark world behind.<\/strong>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n IN MICHIGAN:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Detroit Free Press<\/strong><\/a>: Opinion: Trump’s debate nonsense on cat-eating conspiracy makes me want to laugh, cry<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n [Nancy Kaffer, 09\/11\/24]<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSometimes, it\u2019s hard to tell whether you\u2019re laughing or crying.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDonald Trump, a man who used to be president of the United States and may be again, stood on a Philadelphia debate stage Tuesday night and repeatedly insisted that immigrants to this country steal and eat pet cats and dogs.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n […]<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhen Trump burst upon the political scene, we all nodded sagely to the self-evident truth that Trump was merely the catalyst for Trumpism, that if he were teleported off the planet tomorrow, the fractures he\u2019s exposed in American life would remain. But it\u2019s been eight years. Four years of a mentally and emotionally exhausting Trump presidency, capped by the Jan. 6 insurrection. Trump\u2019s baseless claims that the 2020 election was stolen and his lack of respect for democratic norms and his byzantine meanderings have been on full display.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHarris did what she needed to do in Tuesday\u2019s night\u2019s debate. She was presidential and authoritative; she rankled Trump but kept her cool; she spoke compellingly of the struggles of regular Americans and the devastating harm wrought by the repeal of Roe v. Wade; she placed the concerns of Israelis and Palestinians on equal footing with a full-throated endorsement of both peoples\u2019 right to exist; and if she shied away from more clearly illuminating her positions on a few policies, well, it\u2019s a debate, and there\u2019s no question that she\u2019s capable of engaging with policy, which is more than can be said of her opponent.<\/strong>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n IN NORTH CAROLINA:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Charlotte Observer<\/strong><\/a>: Opinion: With a new debate opponent, it\u2019s Donald Trump who\u2019s the big loser<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n [Paige Masten, 09\/11\/24]<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c…Harris was in control of Tuesday\u2019s debate from start to finish.<\/strong> A prime example: a little over 30 minutes into the debate, Harris made a dig about people getting bored at Trump\u2019s rallies and leaving early. It had its intended effect, and then some \u2014 Trump forcefully defended attendance at his rallies before embarking on an unhinged, bizarre rant about undocumented immigrants \u2018eating the pets\u2019 of people in towns. Seriously?<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cA few minutes later, Trump made another ridiculous claim about Harris wanting to perform \u2018transgender operations on illegal aliens who are in prison.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAnother area in which Harris succeeded: the issue of abortion. Harris was at her strongest when talking about abortion, saying firmly, \u2018The government and Donald Trump shouldn\u2019t be telling a woman what to do with her body.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cTrump, meanwhile, repeated outlandish lies about people executing babies after birth and tried to connect abortion to the Biden administration\u2019s student loan cancellation plans. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cTrump also passed up opportunities to try to redeem himself in the eyes of swing voters by refusing to express regret for Jan. 6, dodging questions about whether he wants Ukraine to win the war against Russia and repeating his Big Lie about the outcome of the 2020 election. Each would have been a perfect opportunity for Trump to show moderate voters that he isn\u2019t the candidate Harris and Democrats say he is, or that he isn\u2019t as extreme as some voters may fear he is. But he refused.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOnce again, Trump has proven that his real opponent in this race is himself. For the past several weeks, his job has been simple: just sound normal. He\u2019s failed to do so every time, and Tuesday\u2019s debate was no exception. That\u2019s just not going to work for undecided voters in a close race. Rather than appealing to those voters, Trump appealed to those who have already made up their minds \u2014 telling those who support him exactly what they want to hear, and giving those who don\u2019t yet another reason not to vote for him. That makes his job in battleground states like North Carolina much more difficult moving forward.<\/strong>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n IN PENNSYLVANIA:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The Philadelphia Inquirer<\/strong><\/a>: Opinion: Who won the presidential debate \u2014 Kamala Harris or Donald Trump?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n [Inquirer Opinion Writers, 09\/10\/24]<\/p>\n\n\n\n Jenice Armstrong<\/em>: \u201cVice President Harris scored the first point of the evening by stepping onstage and right into Trump\u2019s space, extending her hand. He looked taken aback \u2014 and never quite recovered.<\/strong>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Paul Davies:<\/em> \u201cThis debate was the biggest pummeling since Mike Tyson was in his prime knocking out one tomato can after another. Vice President Harris was strong, smart, and superior when it came to responding to foreign and domestic issues. To use a Trump phrase, she dominated him like a little dog. Harris called out Trump on his lies and hate, while putting forth plans and ideas for all Americans. In short, Harris looked presidential.<\/strong>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Solomon Jones: <\/em>\u201cKamala Harris put Donald Trump on the defensive from the moment she extended her hand and introduced herself. He didn\u2019t expect that. Nor did Trump expect Harris to repeatedly cite world leaders and former Trump officials who she said called Trump a laughing stock and a disgrace.<\/strong> She was strongest on reproductive health, and when she wasn\u2019t talking, Harris communicated nonverbally, with looks of amusement, bemusement, and even sympathy as Trump delivered lines that ranged from bombastic to ridiculous. She seemed to have a clear plan, and from what I could see, she executed it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n