Last night, during the first presidential debate between former U.S. President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris, moderator David Muir had to remind the candidates: “Let’s turn to policy.” Exchanges between the candidates were riddled with attacks from both sides. The debate focused heavily on each candidate’s past rather than on their envisioned futures for the American people. However, amid the personal attacks, Harris articulated her key policy points, including on abortion, foreign policy and the economy, while Trump was left angry and rambling.
Abortion
The issue of abortion has been a cornerstone of the Harris campaign and has contributed to increases in Democratic polling since the overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022. This is for good reason, as a May Gallup poll found that 32% of voters would only vote for a candidate for major office who shares their view on abortion. Similarly, a June Associated Press-NORC poll found that 70% of American adults believe abortion should be legal in most or all cases.
Harris tugged on viewers’ heartstrings while showing a clear grasp of the issue at hand. She emphasized the necessity of national abortion protections, citing that some abortion restrictions don’t make exceptions for victims of rape or incest. She also painted a vivid image of a woman “bleeding out of her car,” unable to get the healthcare she needs, and of a “12 or 13 year old survivor of incest being forced to carry a pregnancy to term.”
Trump walked the line on the issue of abortion, deflecting multiple questions surrounding whether or not he would sign a national abortion ban, while praising the “genius and heart and strength” of the justices who voted to overturn Roe and leave abortion law up to states. In recent months, Trump has softened his view on the issue of reproductive rights, leaning more than ever toward the center by avoiding direct endorsements of national abortion bans that he previously toted during his presidency. Still, with her unwavering commitment to protecting abortion rights, Harris is on the side of the majority of Americans, while Trump may find himself losing the votes of the pro-choice evangelical Christian groups that have backed him for his previous total abortion ban support. Overall, Harris did a good enough job sustaining her point on the issue and not allowing Trump’s diversions take her off track.
Economy
The economy is almost always an issue on the top of voters' minds, and this election is no different with 74% of American voters naming the economy as a “very important” issue in an August Economist/YouGov poll. While the economy has been a catch-up issue for the Harris campaign, she told voters about her economic plans, including a $6,000 child tax credit and a $50,000 tax deduction for small businesses. By emphasizing her plan of an “opportunity economy,” she connected with middle class Americans whom she has repeatedly identified herself with during the campaign.
Both candidates got sidetracked on economic issues, with Trump rebuking Harris’ attacks on his plans for tariffs, which include increasing current trade duties on foreign nations like China, and attacking her on the issue of inflation. However, Harris was able to iterate her key policy stances by addressing her economic plans under the Trump administration, and that gets her the win on this issue.
Immigration
Immigration is another contentious issue, especially given that Trump has blamed Harris for high numbers of undocumented immigrants at the U.S. southern border, calling her a failed “border tsar.” While President Joe Biden’s administration attempted to pass comprehensive immigration changes earlier this year, Trump mobilized his allies to shut the bill down in Congress. Still, current polling shows that voters prefer Trump on the issue. While Harris’ initial response about prosecuting transnational criminal organizations and the blocked bipartisan bill was effective, her argument strayed into pursuant attacks on Trump’s rallies; Harris was not able to fully defend herself or the Biden administration on the issue. On the other hand, Trump returned to the issue of immigration multiple times throughout the debate — this was also done problematically at times, for example, by referencing the false claims that migrants were eating pets in Ohio. Despite telling total lies, he will likely worm into the minds of voters who are concerned about the issue. Still, the fact that Trump’s attacks were disconnected and filled with lies means that Harris did not likely lose too many swing voters on the issue.
Foreign policy
With the war in Ukraine and the Israel-Hamas war, foreign policy is on the forefront of many voters' minds this November, especially on the left. Currently, Harris is walking a tightrope between voters who support the Biden administration’s support of Israel and those who are calling for her to break with the Biden camp and advocate more strongly for Palestine. Harris did an effective job of appealing to each side of the conflict in Gaza, not only stating Israel’s right to defend itself but also calling for a ceasefire and end to humanitarian suffering. Additionally, she evoked calls for a two-state solution and respect for the security of both Israelis and Palestinians. On the other hand, Trump told lies when attacking Harris on the issue, claiming that she “hates Israel,” which Harris has repeatedly denied. Trump, of course, also reiterated tired rhetoric about how the war in Ukraine would not have started had he been in office.
While Harris narrowly won the debate, ultimately the American people may have been left with more questions than answers. Harris’ consistent attempts to return to policy were admirable, but even she got stuck in the personal politics, giving in to some of Trump’s instigations and going on the offensive at multiple points, such as with Trump’s ongoing criminal cases. Often, candidates are more focused on winning debates through rhetoric than through policies that America needs, and Trump and Harris both displayed this shortcoming at times during the night.
Harris’ ability to rile Trump and slip in her policy along the way made her stand out against Trump’s nonsensical lies. However, she must focus on policy if she truly wants to turn the page for American politics. After all, she said at the conclusion of the debate: “The true measure of the leader is the leader who actually understands that strength is not in beating people down, it's in lifting people up.”
Ellie Fivas (24Ox, 26C) is from Cleveland, Tenn.
Pierce McDade (25Ox) is from Bloomington, Ill.
