Trump allowed himself to be provoked by Harris in debate
Trump and Democrat Harris competed against each other in their first TV debate on Tuesday evening (local time). In Philadelphia, the two candidates engaged in a heated exchange of words. Trump allowed himself to be provoked by Harris, seemed annoyed at times and became defensive. Harris attacked Trump head-on and did not let herself be disturbed. The appearance was a particular test for her because she had only entered the race for the White House a few weeks ago. The duel ushers in the hot phase of the presidential election campaign, with the election taking place on November 5th.
In a CNN snap poll of registered voters, 63 percent of respondents said they saw Harris as the winner – compared to 37 percent who saw Trump ahead. In a YouGov survey, 54 percent of voters surveyed said they thought Harris had won the TV debate – 31 percent voted for Trump. It is completely unclear what influence the debate will have on the election. So far, Harris and Trump are roughly neck and neck in polls.
Trump shared photos of polls showing him as the winner on his online mouthpiece Truth Social. However, these were online or viewer polls conducted by certain broadcasters and do not claim to be representative.
Trump sets conditions for second duel
There is currently no date for a second debate. Harris suggested a second one immediately after the first. Trump has made it clear in the past that his home network Fox News should host another debate. After the debate, Trump called the breakfast show and said that the two moderators suggested by Fox News, Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum, should not moderate such a debate. Instead, the 78-year-old suggested Fox News commentators Jesse Watters, Laura Ingraham and Sean Hannity, all of whom are staunch supporters of Trump and regularly insult the Democrats on their shows.
The ABC broadcaster, however, which hosted the debate in Philadelphia, was the “most dishonest” broadcaster, said Trump. The duel was “three against one,” the Republican complained, referring to the two moderators. They had fact-checked some of the ex-president’s statements live and described them as false.
Trump: Swift will pay a price
Meanwhile, the campaign team of 59-year-old Harris and her running mate Tim Walz was delighted with the support of pop star Taylor Swift and began selling Harris-Walz friendship bracelets. Fans of the singer, the “Swifties,” often wear friendship bracelets to spread a positive vibe. Swift announced shortly after the TV debate that she would vote for Harris in the November election. This is good news for the Democrat, because Swift has enormous influence among her fans – especially young women, an important voting group.
Trump seemed annoyed by Swift’s decision. “She always seems to support a Democrat. And she’ll probably pay a price for that in the market,” he said. He added that he is not a Swift fan. A few weeks ago, Trump published images generated using artificial intelligence on his online mouthpiece that were intended to give the impression that Swift and her fans supported Trump. Swift now cited these images as a reason why she was making her political position public. Trump’s running mate JD Vance complained that Swift was a billionaire who had no connection with the interests and problems of most Americans.
