Even so devoted a bootlicker as Senator Lindsey Graham declared the debate a “disaster” for the ex-president.
Donald Trump is so feral and narcissistic, so unrestrained and so outside the norm of American politics, that he’s difficult to debate. It’s disorienting. Very few people have been able to stand up to him without being pulled into the muck. In the past, even when he lost debates on points, he dominated his opponents.
But on a Tuesday night in Philadelphia, Kamala Harris cracked the code.
She clearly and concisely responded the questions she was obviously going to be asked. You may disagree with the answers, or you may just not like politicians, but she was obviously prepared and professional.
Donald rambled, lied, and went off topic constantly. He spent more time talking about what Kamala said than his own policy. When he was pressed on policy he had unclear answers or dodged entirely (e.g. “concepts of a plan”).
He came across as unhinged, bordering on detached from reality, and he seemingly doesn’t have any plan or vision for the country, except that it definitely isn’t project 2025 (except it probably is). He was undeniably more interesting to watch, but not in a good way. Based purely on the debate from last night it’s not clear if he’s fit to lead a book club, let alone a nuclear superpower.