It appears pretty unanimous that Kamala Harris absolutely crushed Donald Trump in last night’s presidential debate. I’ve pulled together a summary of reactions from across the punditry:
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“It may very well be the best televised debate performance ever.” — Lawrence O’Donnell, MSNBC.
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“Donald Trump got destroyed in this debate because he can’t control his mind. And you don’t want a president of the United States that is not in full control of his mind.” — Joy Reid, MSNBC.
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“Harris won — and it wasn’t close. She showed up as her prosecutorial self, effectively putting Trump in the witness stand throughout much of the debate. Democrats have to be downright giddy.” — Adam Wren, Politico.
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“Vice President Kamala Harris demonstrated in Tuesday night’s presidential debate, in case any rational person had doubts, that she is the only decent, prepared and fit candidate in the presidential race. In both her answers and demeanor, she demonstrated the unmistakable contrast between a mature, responsible adult and someone who resembles the mean, crazy relative no one wants to sit next to at the holiday table.” — Jennifer Rubin, Washington Post.
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“Donald Trump made a raving, rambling fool of himself in that debate.” — Frank Bruni, The New York Times.
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“Vice President Harris’ supporters have got to be pleased with her performance this evening,...Over and over, baiting Donald Trump into talking about crowd sizes and court cases and Nancy Pelosi and Russiagate and grievances. And he took the bait almost every time!” — Jake Tapper, CNN.
- "You had one candidate that was completely unhinged, just completely off his rocker. He looked badly, he looked old. he looked disconnected from reality, he looked enraged." — Joe Scarborough, Morning Joe.
- "Kamala Harris: Winner by knock out," - Mike Madrid, The Lincoln Project.
- “This has to be thought of as a collapse for Donald Trump. The two common things said were 'trainwreck' and 'he needs this to end.' He didn't seem like he was ready.” — Fox pundit Harold Ford Jr.
- "Trump lost the debate and whining about the moderators doesn’t change it. He didn’t lose because of their behavior. He lost because of his own performance while his lips were moving, not theirs." — Wingnut Erick Erickson.
- “This was a clear win for Harris. She needled Trump, rebutted and debunked him and still offered a positive message and vision for America’s future. Trump brought darkness; Harris brought light.” — Charles Blow, The New York Times.
- "Harris crushed Trump, looking relaxed and focused while baiting him and setting him off into unhinged rants." — Jon Ralston, Nevada Independent.
- “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.” — Paul Davies, Opinion Editor-at-Large, The Philadelphia Inquirer. (FYI, a group of the Inquirer’s opinion writers gave Harris an overall score of 8.5/10 and gave Trump a 1.8).
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“The biggest takeaway from the debate is this: Harris is the right person to beat Trump. She’s much stronger than Biden in polls, on the debate stage and on the campaign trail. Trump seems to wish he was still running against Biden, because it’s a much different game when he’s not.” — Paige Masten, The Charlotte Observer.
- "Trump is struggling. He's struggling with putting sentences together, with making points make sense." — Abby Phillip, CNN.
- “Harris won, and it wasn’t close...She was poised, confident and passionate. By contrast, Trump grew steadily angrier and more conspiratorial as the night went on. It was as if Harris had been debating an avatar for MAGA Twitter and not a former president of the United States.” — David French, The New York Times.
- "After this debate, the Harris campaign will have little reason to do another one." — Frank Luntz, conservative commentator and pollster.
I could go on and on and on. It’s difficult to find anyone — other than a crazy like Jesse Watters — who doesn’t think that Kamala Harris actually crushed this debate. Now comes the hard work of winning this election. Harris did what she had to do last night, now let’s all double-down to do what we can do to push the Harris-Walz ticket to victory in November. Because WE’RE NOT GOING BACK.
