TV duel on the US election: Trump swallows Harris’ bait

Es begann mit einem Handschlag. Kamala Harris, die Donald Trump noch nie persönlich begegnet war, ging zu Beginn des Fernsehduells auf den republikanischen Präsidentschaftskandidaten zu, stellte sich vor und reichte ihm die Hand. Joe Biden hatte das Ende Juni nicht getan. Trump erwiderte Harris‘ Geste am Dienstagabend im „National Constitution Center“ in Philadelphia freundlich.

Zehn, fünfzehn Minuten gab sich der frühere Präsident cool und kontrolliert. Dann begann Harris‘ Taktik zu greifen: Sie gab sich präsidentiell, wandte sich mehrfach mit Botschaften der Geschlossenheit direkt ans amerikanische Volk und streute dann immer wieder Provokationen in ihre Ausführungen. Trump schluckte zumeist den Köder. Sein Ton wurde aggressiv, seine Mimik düster.

Harris kann zufrieden sein. Sie machte ihre Punkte – wie eine Staatsanwältin im Schlussplädoyer. Sie hielt dem Druck stand. Dass sie krasse Schwächen zeigen würde wie Amtsinhaber Biden seinerzeit, war ohnehin unwahrscheinlich. Die Demokratin nutzte die Chance, das amerikanische Volk anzusprechen – viele Wähler hatten in Umfragen gesagt, sie müssten noch mehr über die Vizepräsidentin erfahren. Und ihr gelang es, dass Trump sich so präsentierte, wie man ihn kennt: selbstverliebt und grobklotzig. Auf übelste Beschimpfungen verzichtete er jedoch.

Hin und wieder setzte auch er eine gelungene Pointe, etwa als er Harris, die einmal trotz des ausgeschalteten Mikrofons dazwischenredete, aufforderte: „Warten Sie. Ich rede gerade.“ Dann fügte er ironisch die Bemerkung hinzu, ob das vertraut klinge. Im Wahlkampf vor vier Jahren hatte Harris in der Fernsehdebatte Vizepräsident Mike Pence belehrt: „Ich rede.“

The punch line seemed rehearsed. But Harris also used clearly prepared effects: Trump first emphasized on the subject of the Ukraine war, as usual, that it would not have happened under his presidency, just as the Gaza war had not happened. Biden simply had no idea how to negotiate with Vladimir Putin. He then added: Where is the president? The Democrats had “abandoned him like a dog.” Harris replied confidently, but also prepared: “You are not running against Biden, you are running against me.”

Thematically, things went as expected. Trump was able to score points in economic and financial policy: Harris said she wanted to do this and that, but the question was why she hadn’t done it in the past three and a half years. This was followed by the familiar accusations that she and Biden had “destroyed the economy”. Business owners were moving away and inflation was plaguing Americans. The candidate still seemed a little unsure and replied that they first had to clean up the mess that Trump had left behind during the pandemic. Then she turned to her program – the “economy of opportunity”.

But the Republican lost his way when it came to the migration crisis, actually a second winning issue for Trump. He began by saying that he and Biden had let millions of illegal immigrants into the country, including many criminals. Then he talked about rumors that Haitian migrants in Springfield, Ohio, were stealing cats and other pets to eat.

The ABC moderators immediately pointed out that the city authorities had assured them that there were no credible reports on the matter. Harris just raised her eyebrows and shook her head. She then pointed out that the Biden-Harris administration had negotiated a package with the Republicans in Congress that included strict regulations for border security. But Trump had instructed his party to reject the deal because he preferred to use the issue for his election campaign.

This was followed by the areas in which Trump is already on the defensive, especially on the abortion issue. The Republican had to justify the fact that he had first allowed himself to be celebrated for enabling the Supreme Court decision that overturned the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling through the constitutional judges he nominated, but now distanced himself from tightening laws in some states. Harris stressed that no one should believe a word Trump said. He would even
sign a national abortion ban with no exceptions. And Trump’s claim that the Democrats support abortions in the ninth month of pregnancy was one of his many lies. She repeatedly accused Trump of quoting his “old, worn-out manuscript.” Americans did not want to go back to all that. It was time to turn over a new chapter. That is exactly what she would do as president.

When the storming of the Capitol on January 6, 2021, was brought up, Trump had nothing to gain. He was asked twice if he regretted anything. The former president remained stubborn: he had nothing to do with it. He then lamented the way the justice system dealt with the violent mob and asked why it did not take action against criminal immigrants or the “Black Lives Matter” people who burned down Minneapolis.

Harris, however, took this as an opportunity to recall the charges against the former president for election conspiracy and his announcement that he wanted revenge on Biden and his administration. Trump pursed his lips: It was Biden and she who had used the judiciary as a political weapon. It was not he who was a danger to democracy, but the Democrats. With regard to the assassination attempt on him, he said: He was probably hit by a bullet because of their rhetoric.

The tone became more aggressive: At one point Trump accused Harris of having been in favor of a fracking ban for twelve years. She also wanted to cut funding for police authorities. Everyone knew that she was a “Marxist.” Then he said that Harris had changed her mind on shale gas extraction and police reform for tactical reasons. She was now copying him. “I’m sending her a MAGA hat,” he said, alluding to the red cap of his “Make America Great Again” movement.

Trump was unable to get back on track. His performance probably did not harm his core electorate. They love him just the way he is. But he did not make any progress in the battle for swing voters in the political center. Harris, on the other hand, can claim to have prevailed against Trump. Whether this will convince swing voters is an open question. Initial snap polls suggest this.

The former president was also asked why he had accused Harris, the daughter of an Indian mother and a black Jamaican father, of having appropriated her identity as a black woman for political reasons. Trump replied that he did not care what she was. Whatever she wanted to be was fine with him.