
The first debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump couldn’t have gone much better for Harris, who successfully baited an increasingly irritated (and loud) Trump on everything from the enthusiasm of his rally attendees to being an embarrassment in the eyes of foreign leaders.
The first half of the debate, where most impressions are formed, was also heavy on her best issues and Trump’s worst, including abortion and the Jan. 6 attack. Even the immigration portion, Trump’s favorite issue, began with relitigation of the border bill he instructed his Republican allies to kill.
Trump pivoted continuously to illegal immigration; Harris repeated her vision of an opportunity economy for middle class Americans.
In a sign of confidence, the Harris campaign called for another debate as soon as this one ended. To cap the night, Taylor Swift endorsed Harris, signing her endorsement “childless cat lady.”