Let’s not kid ourselves; Harris won the 2024 presidential debate. According to a CNN flash poll, 63% of voters agree that Harris gave a better performance, impressive statistics considering 50% of voters assumed Trump would outmatch her. But viewers hardly need these statistics. Watching the debate, I could feel the contrast between Harris’s high-road idealism and Trump’s barrage of ad hominem attacks and misinformation. But what did Harris do to win?
America is in a unique position politically because our major policymaker is also our main figurehead. This means that a president must not only create popular policy, but also connect to the citizenry. In Drew Westen’s seminal book “The Political Brain,” he argues that presentation is just as important as policy to voters. “The political brain is an emotional brain,” he espouses. “It is not a dispassionate calculating machine, objectively searching for the right facts, figures, and policies to make a reasoned decision.” During the debate, Harris spent little time outlining her policy positions; but she did an exceptional job of making herself look reasonable, honest, and gracious, while making her opponent look childish, deceitful, and vapid.
Let’s address the elephant(s) in the room. Some of Trump’s statements during the debate made him seem like a total wackjob. From stating that Haitian immigrants are eating cats and dogs in Springfield, to bragging about crowd size, to responding to a question about healthcare by saying that he has “concepts of a plan,” he did himself no favors. Don’t get me wrong, it’s fun to joke about this stuff, but statements like these don’t exactly build public confidence.
In comparison, Harris made herself seem downright reasonable, even if she was less quotable. From the opening moments of the debate, Harris went over to Trump’s side of the stage and shook his hand, a courtesy that did not happen during the first debate between Trump and Biden in June. With this gesture, Harris signaled that she planned to engage in this debate respectfully and that she was willing to let down her pride to communicate with people across the aisle. Once the debate began in earnest, Harris kept her cool remarkably well, giving the American people the chance to see how she’ll act if she’s elected.
Overall, Harris did a better job presenting herself positively to the American people, while Trump acted childish and vain. This debate felt like a debut for the vice president and she made it clear that this is going to be a tight race. Stay tuned, folks; this is going to be a wild ride.
