On September 10, Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump met for a heated debate in which they addressed some of young voters’ concerns. Just how much did the debate matter, and what is social media saying about it?
Harris and Trump’s debate came at a key moment in the presidential race. Election Day was less than two months away. It was the candidates’ first, and probably only, chance to directly compete against each other for voters’ support.
The moderators challenged both candidates, questioning Harris’s back-and-forth policy positions and correcting Trump’s false statements.
How the candidates reacted to the questions and to each other mattered.
The presidential race was already close before the debate. A national poll by NPR, PBS News, and Marist Poll found that in early September, registered voters preferred Harris to Trump by one percentage point.
The poll also revealed that around one-third of voters planned to use the debate to inform their vote.
Battleground states like Pennsylvania, which hosted the debate, usually have close levels of support for Democratic and Republican candidates. These states are crucial for Harris and Trump to win over. In addition to swing state voters, the candidates need young voters on their side.
This year, around 40 million Gen Z Americans are eligible to vote. More than 8 million of them are newly eligible, the Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement found in 2023.
Harris and Trump’s debate included several topics of particular interest to Gen Z voters.
Economy
ABC moderators David Muir and Linsey Davis began with what they called the number one issue for many voters: the economy.
“When it comes to the economy, do you believe Americans are better off than they were four years ago?” asked Muir.
Harris acknowledged the current difficulty of being able to afford everyday costs, such as housing, especially for young people.
Harris was prepared with numbers. She outlined a plan to build an “opportunity economy.” Harris said this would involve giving a $6,000 tax cut to young families and a $50,000 tax deduction to small businesses.
Harris added that Trump’s plan, which she called the “Trump sales tax,” is to provide tax cuts for wealthy Americans. This plan, Harris said, would make life even more expensive for the common person.
“I have no sales tax. That’s an incorrect statement, she knows that,” Trump replied.
Trump said his economic plan is to impose tariffs on other countries, a strategy that brought a lot of money into the United States in the past.
Abortion
Davis questioned Trump about his often-changing positions on abortion and asked whether people can trust him with their reproductive rights.
Trump said he believes in “exceptions for rape, incest, and life of the mother,” but Democrats are too radical about abortion. Trump said Democrats support ninth-month abortions, which he called “executions.”
Davis pointed out that it is not legal in any state to kill a baby after it is born.
Harris responded passionately. She said Trump was responsible for more than 20 state abortion bans and for the undoing of Roe v. Wade.
Trump’s abortion restrictions have negatively impacted people physically, emotionally, and economically, Harris said.
“I pledge to you, when Congress passes a bill to put back in place the protections of Roe v. Wade,” Harris said, “as President of the United States, I will proudly sign it into law.”
Israel and Palestine
Davis pointed out that President Joe Biden has not been able to “break through the stalemate” in the Israel-Palestine conflict. Davis asked Harris how she would do it.
Harris said Israel had a right to defend itself after it was attacked by Hamas on October 7 — but how Israel has defended itself matters.
“It is also true, far too many innocent Palestinians have been killed,” Harris said. “Children, mothers. What we know is that this war must end.”
It is estimated that 40,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have been killed by Israeli forces since October 7.
Harris said the war should end immediately with a ceasefire and with the Israeli hostages being returned home. She voiced support for a two-state solution in which there would be security for both Israel and Palestine.
Trump was also asked how he would negotiate with Israel and Hamas in order to address the conflict.
“If I were president, it would have never started,” Trump said.
Trump said that Harris hates both Israel and the Arab population. Because Iran was “broke” under his presidency, Trump added, there was no room for terror in the Middle East.
Trump also claimed that the Russia-Ukraine war would not have happened under his leadership.
Climate Change
Davis pointed out that climate change is particularly concerning to young voters. She asked both candidates how they would fight climate change.
“The former president has said that climate change is a hoax,” Harris said, “and what we know is that it is very real.”
Harris said that over the past four years, the Biden-Harris administration invested $1 trillion in clean energy. She said the fight against climate change also involves creating manufacturing jobs and relying on American-made products.
However, earlier in the debate, Harris said she would not ban fracking, a process with known environmental harms. This was in contrast to her 2020 presidential campaign, in which she said she was in favor of banning fracking.
Trump did not offer any solutions for climate change. Instead, he said the Biden-Harris administration is losing manufacturing jobs, not building them.
“This is a crooked administration, and they’re selling our country down the tubes,” Trump said.
Harris’s and Trumps’ final words to voters
In Harris’s closing statement, she emphasized the need to understand what Americans want. She restated her goal to make the cost of living more comfortable for hardworking people, especially for young people.
“I think you’ve heard tonight two very different visions for our country: one that is focused on the future and the other that is focused on the past,” Harris said, turning to look at Trump.
Harris finished with a promise to be a leader for all Americans.
“I’ve only had one client: the people,” Harris said. “That’s the kind of president we need right now, someone who cares about you and is not putting themselves first.”
Trump used his closing statement to tell viewers why they should not vote for Harris.
Trump said Harris’s plans were full of empty promises and false hope. Harris had the chance to implement her ideas as vice president, yet she did not make any effort to, Trump said.
“You haven’t done it, and you won’t do it, because you believe in things that the American people don’t believe in,” Trump said.
Trump said America is in decline and has lost its standing as a global leader because of the Biden-Harris administration.
Trump finished his statement by calling Harris the worst vice president in the history of the country.
Social media reacts
In ABC’s post-debate comments, chief global affairs correspondent Martha Raddatz called the debate historic and fiery.
“Wow, wow, wow,” responded Jonathan Karl, ABC’s chief Washington correspondent. “That was quite a debate.”
The internet seemed to agree. Memes and jokes flooded the internet within days, especially on TikTok, with the most viral posts poking fun at Trump.
Trump’s false statement about immigrants eating pets in Springfield, Ohio, was one of the most joked-about moments on social media. Trump’s claim rose to fame as a popular audio on TikTok, and it even ended up as a musical remix.
Many pet owners posted videos of their pets “reacting” to audio of Trump’s worrisome words. The animals seemed to respond with shock or fear.
@winston_da_ween HAHAHAHAHA
♬ original sound – Independent
Other videos made fun of Trump’s false claims with sarcasm.
“I want to say thank you to Donald Trump because from now on, whenever I’m losing an argument, I will just yell, ‘they’re eating the dogs,'” @thisguyabdullah said in a TikTok video, “and hope that everyone forgets what we were talking about.”
@thisguyabdullah springfield got that dog in them I guess
♬ original sound – Abdullah
In contrast, social media posts about Harris’s performance focused on her nearly unwavering composure despite her opponent’s jabbing comments.
@mixedlinguist My favorite moment from #Kamala in tonight’s debate was the long pause where she was trying to decide what to call Trump. Pauses are part of #linguistics too!
♬ Vinyl Crackle Sound – Acerting Art & Joedeshon
In one video, TikTok creator Noah Miller posted a parody of a moment that caused much amusement online.
The moment was a silent one — a silence that spoke volumes.
Miller recreated Harris’s words in his video: “Where we invite and receive respected world leaders. And this…”
Miller paused, a restrained look on his face. Layers of audio arose in the background, filled with an array of insults Harris could have used to describe Trump.
Among the insults Miller included were “racist old liar,” “horrible fake tan,” and various expletives.
However, as Miller acted out, the true comedic moment came when Harris, after seeming to consider her options, referred to Trump simply as the “former president.”
Political experts react
Renee Carr, a political and corporate advisor who focuses on the messaging of elected officials, said that contrary to Harris’s previous speeches, the vice president spoke comfortably and authentically.
This impression was important for Democratic voters, Carr said, because it was the first time they truly saw Harris in action as a presidential candidate.
Until the debate, the Harris-Walz campaign was mainly an image: “She’s smiling and happy, and Tim Walz is a nice guy,” Carr said, “but are they actually credible candidates for the Democratic party? Is it more than the hype?”
And Harris did perform well. She was composed. She strategically used language intended to damage Trump’s confidence, reveal his weaknesses, and push him to lose his cool, Carr said.
On the other hand, Trump had less to prove, Carr said. The former president seemed to walk into the debate intentionally underprepared.
“He was fully confident in himself,” Carr said, adding that Trump did not appear intimidated by Harris. “He already feels as if he has won the vote, that he is the preferred candidate.”
These traits are consistent with signs of narcissistic personality disorder, said Carr, who is also a psychologist.
But Harris’s skillful debating and Trump’s lack of preparation may not have swayed viewers as much as expected, aside from a small number of undecided voters,
Presidential debates are “very rarely able to change people’s mind,” especially in today’s highly divided political climate, said Nicholas Higgins, associate professor and chair of the political science department at North Greenville University.
In the days following the Harris-Trump debate, a national poll by the New York Times, the Philadelphia Inquirer, and Siena College Poll asked respondents who they would vote for if they had to choose someone immediately.
The poll found that the national preference for Harris and Trump was tied, with 47% of respondents choosing each candidate.
In Pennsylvania, 50% of respondents chose Harris, and 46% chose Trump.
Already-decided voters will have determined who “won” the debate based on what they were looking for, Carr said. Trump “won” in the eyes of his supporters because he did not break character. Harris “won” with her voter base because she stood up to Trump and portrayed herself as the calmer candidate.
But judging the debate from a policy standpoint — whether Harris and Trump proposed realistic, accurate policies that would address the issues they were asked about — Higgins said that “both candidates failed miserably.”
The candidates reverted to their “favorite talking points” rather than offering realistic ideas, Higgins said. They failed to talk about how they would collaborate with the other branches of government or try to get laws passed.
In terms of rhetoric and stage presence, “Harris did a much better job of appearing to have it together,” Higgins said, adding that she successfully baited Trump into off-topic discussions.
Among Republicans who may have questioned Trump’s ability to remain calm, the debate “did shine more light that he was not as stable as they would want him to be,” Carr said.
The evening had the opposite effect for Harris, Carr said: It likely helped Harris win the votes of people who were leaning toward voting Democratic but were not entirely on board.
The debate even seemed to have pushed Taylor Swift to publicize her support for Harris on Instagram — a platform on which Swift has 284 million followers.
But Harris did not necessarily “win” the debate, Higgins said. If winning meant effectively showing voters who was better suited for the presidency and who had better policies, neither candidate succeeded.
“I wouldn’t necessarily say Kamala Harris won,” Higgins said. “I would say Donald Trump lost…He actively lost.”
R
September 23, 2024 at 7:41 pm
Great piece!Very well organized and well-rounded.