What They’re Reading in the States: Harris Showed Real Leadership at the Debate. Trump Lied Himself Into Incoherence. Arrow

Tuesday night on the debate stage, Vice President Kamala Harris clearly laid out her New Way Forward for America and proved that she will be a president for all Americans. Meanwhile, Trump angrily lied his way through incoherent sentences in which he fanned the flames of racist conspiracy theories, left the door open to banning abortion nationwide, and repeatedly attacked our democratic institutions.

The impact of Harris' debate victory extended far beyond the debate stage in Philadelphia. Across the country, voters woke up to headlines of Vice President Harris' clear, presidential command of the issues that matter most - in contrast to Trump's angry ranting. Voters know that there can't be a repeat of Trump's disastrous four years in office and that his extreme Project 2025 agenda and explosive temperament make him unfit to lead. That's why they're going to elect Vice President Harris in November, the only candidate in this race who is fighting to bring costs down for families, will defend Americans' hard-won rights and freedoms, and intends to be a leader for everyone.

See commentary from across the states below:

IN ARIZONA:

AZ Central: Opinion: 'They're eating the dogs' became Trump's most laughable line from the debate

[Elvia Díaz, 09/11/24]

"It's pointless to argue Trump's intentions. He means to dehumanize foreigners and expel all undocumented immigrants, even if that means hurting America's industries that rely on that labor.

"This isn't about Trump and MAGA anymore. It's about us and what we do to end the cult and its obsession with 'eating dogs,' 'childless cat ladies' and whatever animal nonsense they seize next."

IN CALIFORNIA:

The Press Democrat: Editorial: Harris, Trump provide sharply contrasting views

[Editorial Board, 09/10/24]

"Americans who tuned in for Tuesday's debate heard a remarkably dystopian view of their country from Donald Trump.

"He called the United States 'a failing nation.' The country has been overrun by millions of illegal immigrants, he asserted, 'from jails, from prisons, from insane asylums, from mental institutions, drug dealers pour in.'

"'In Springfield,' he said, referring to Haitian refugees in Ohio, 'they're eating the dogs. The people that came in, they're eating the cats. They're eating - they're eating the pets of the people that live there.'

"Springfield's city manager says it simply isn't true, one of several fact-checks made by debate moderators David Muir and Linsey Davis of ABC News. Trump wouldn't hear it. Likewise, he dismissed crime statistics contradicting his assertions of a violent hellscape as fraudulent, insisted he won the 2020 election and again repeated a bizarre claim that abortion is legal in some states in the ninth month of pregnancy - and even after birth. That's not true.

"Harris offered a much brighter picture of the United States since Trump left office in 2021, pointing to new manufacturing jobs, investments in renewable energy and pledging to sign a bipartisan border security bill earlier this year that stalled after Trump urged fellow Republicans to withdraw their support. She proposed a child tax credit and assistance for startup small businesses and new homebuyers.

[…]

"In several exchanges, she got the better of Trump, who became agitated when she suggested crowds left his rallies early, mentioned his past bankruptcies, mocked his stature on the global stage and brought up his pending criminal cases. She also brought back a campaign line intended to distinguish herself from both Biden and Trump, she said, 'We're not going back.'"

IN FLORIDA:

Miami Herald: Editorial: At debate, Trump took the bait and resorted to misinformation on abortion and migrants

[Editorial Board, 09/10/24]

"It didn't take long for Donald Trump to take the bait and go off script and unhinged during his first presidential debate against Vice President Kamala Harris Tuesday evening.

"We lost count of the former president's fabrications, exaggerations and outright lies in Philadelphia. Where do we begin?

"He continued pushing his lies that he won the 2020 elections - our "elections are bad," he said - that Democrats are trying to allow undocumented immigrants to vote, that other countries have emptied their "insane asylums" and are sending those people to the U.S., that "migrant crime" is out of control even though several studies show that immigrants commit fewer crimes than those born in the U.S.

"We've heard most of that before, but Trump - maybe set off by Harris' suggestion that his supporters are leaving his rallies early out of boredom - was in even worse form on Tuesday. Angered and aggressive, Trump displayed what happens when he feels cornered: spew misinformation. If it's repeated enough, it will eventually become true, the thinking seems to go.

"On two issues close to South Florida, Trump's claims were especially harmful."

IN GEORGIA:

Atlanta Journal Constitution: Opinion: What AJC contributors thought of the Harris-Trump debate

[Geoff Duncan, 09/11/24]

"Viewers tuning in to the first general election debate of 2024 between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris saw a prepared and energetic Harris run circles around a defensive and unmoored Trump. As he heads down the home stretch of his third consecutive election cycle, it's an open question whether Trump, at age 78, has lost a few MPH off his political fastball.

"A few minutes into the contest, Harris baited Trump into a series of questions about the size of his rallies and his business career. From there, Trump lost his composure and spent the rest of the evening on his heels reacting to Harris' attacks rather than advancing his own.

"From unfounded claims of election fraud to Jan. 6, 2021, to even the Central Park jogger case (which took place in 1989), Trump wasted precious airtime relitigating past grievances. He even veered off course to elevate a debunked internet rumor about dogs and cats being eaten in Ohio […]

"Along the way, Harris landed several impactful lines, including at one point reminding those watching at home that Trump had already been fired once by 81 million Americans. She parried Trump's attempts to link her to the unpopularity of the Biden-Harris Administration with a clever retort: "You're not running against Joe Biden. You're running against me."

"On foreign policy, Harris used searing criticisms leveled by Trump's former appointees to raise doubts about his stability in a tumultuous world.

"To be sure, this race remains close, and this debate will not have anywhere near the impact of its June predecessor. But if that's the only chance the public gets to evaluate their two choices for president, it wasn't a close call: Harris carried the night by a mile."

IN MASSACHUSETTS:

Boston Globe: Opinion: Kamala Harris dismantles Donald Trump

[Scot Leigh, 09/11/24]

"There's no joy in Trumpville today.

"Mind you, there are excuses and rationalizations and recriminations aplenty. But those only reflect an acknowledgment of the obvious: Kamala Harris scored a convincing win in their first and perhaps only debate as the two presidential nominees.

"Harris didn't just outpoint Donald Trump. On subject after subject, from the economy to Ukraine to broader foreign policy to democracy to climate change to health policy to the realities of abortion policy, the Democratic vice president simply dismantled the former Republican president.

"It was not close. In fact, it was such a big victory that conservative media Trumpswabs quickly turned to blaming ABC moderators David Muir and Linsey Davis for supposedly being unfair to the bullyboy of American politics.

"But the moderators' bias in favor of facts and fact-checking wasn't why Harris prevailed. She dominated the debate throughout.

[…]

"Harris, meanwhile, crossed a vital threshold on Tuesday: She came off as someone voters could easily imagine as president. And by doing so in this crucial clash, she gave tentative Americans yet another reason to leave Trump's dark world behind."

IN MICHIGAN:

Detroit Free Press: Opinion: Trump's debate nonsense on cat-eating conspiracy makes me want to laugh, cry

[Nancy Kaffer, 09/11/24]

"Sometimes, it's hard to tell whether you're laughing or crying.

"Donald Trump, a man who used to be president of the United States and may be again, stood on a Philadelphia debate stage Tuesday night and repeatedly insisted that immigrants to this country steal and eat pet cats and dogs.

[…]

"When Trump burst upon the political scene, we all nodded sagely to the self-evident truth that Trump was merely the catalyst for Trumpism, that if he were teleported off the planet tomorrow, the fractures he's exposed in American life would remain. But it's been eight years. Four years of a mentally and emotionally exhausting Trump presidency, capped by the Jan. 6 insurrection. Trump's baseless claims that the 2020 election was stolen and his lack of respect for democratic norms and his byzantine meanderings have been on full display.

"Harris did what she needed to do in Tuesday's night's debate. She was presidential and authoritative; she rankled Trump but kept her cool; she spoke compellingly of the struggles of regular Americans and the devastating harm wrought by the repeal of Roe v. Wade; she placed the concerns of Israelis and Palestinians on equal footing with a full-throated endorsement of both peoples' right to exist; and if she shied away from more clearly illuminating her positions on a few policies, well, it's a debate, and there's no question that she's capable of engaging with policy, which is more than can be said of her opponent."

IN NORTH CAROLINA:

Charlotte Observer: Opinion: With a new debate opponent, it's Donald Trump who's the big loser

[Paige Masten, 09/11/24]

"…Harris was in control of Tuesday's debate from start to finish. A prime example: a little over 30 minutes into the debate, Harris made a dig about people getting bored at Trump's rallies and leaving early. It had its intended effect, and then some - Trump forcefully defended attendance at his rallies before embarking on an unhinged, bizarre rant about undocumented immigrants 'eating the pets' of people in towns. Seriously?

"A few minutes later, Trump made another ridiculous claim about Harris wanting to perform 'transgender operations on illegal aliens who are in prison.'

"Another area in which Harris succeeded: the issue of abortion. Harris was at her strongest when talking about abortion, saying firmly, 'The government and Donald Trump shouldn't be telling a woman what to do with her body.'

"Trump, meanwhile, repeated outlandish lies about people executing babies after birth and tried to connect abortion to the Biden administration's student loan cancellation plans.

"Trump also passed up opportunities to try to redeem himself in the eyes of swing voters by refusing to express regret for Jan. 6, dodging questions about whether he wants Ukraine to win the war against Russia and repeating his Big Lie about the outcome of the 2020 election. Each would have been a perfect opportunity for Trump to show moderate voters that he isn't the candidate Harris and Democrats say he is, or that he isn't as extreme as some voters may fear he is. But he refused.

"Once again, Trump has proven that his real opponent in this race is himself. For the past several weeks, his job has been simple: just sound normal. He's failed to do so every time, and Tuesday's debate was no exception. That's just not going to work for undecided voters in a close race. Rather than appealing to those voters, Trump appealed to those who have already made up their minds - telling those who support him exactly what they want to hear, and giving those who don't yet another reason not to vote for him. That makes his job in battleground states like North Carolina much more difficult moving forward."

IN PENNSYLVANIA:

The Philadelphia Inquirer: Opinion: Who won the presidential debate - Kamala Harris or Donald Trump?

[Inquirer Opinion Writers, 09/10/24]

Jenice Armstrong: "Vice President Harris scored the first point of the evening by stepping onstage and right into Trump's space, extending her hand. He looked taken aback - and never quite recovered."

Paul Davies: "This debate was the biggest pummeling since Mike Tyson was in his prime knocking out one tomato can after another. 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."

Solomon Jones: "Kamala Harris put Donald Trump on the defensive from the moment she extended her hand and introduced herself. He didn't expect that. Nor did Trump expect Harris to repeatedly cite world leaders and former Trump officials who she said called Trump a laughing stock and a disgrace. She was strongest on reproductive health, and when she wasn't talking, Harris communicated nonverbally, with looks of amusement, bemusement, and even sympathy as Trump delivered lines that ranged from bombastic to ridiculous. She seemed to have a clear plan, and from what I could see, she executed it."

IN SOUTH CAROLINA:

The State: GOP consultant: Harris trounced Trump but left him an opening

[Matt Wylie, 09/11/24]

"There is no credible way for Republicans to spin Tuesday night's presidential debate on ABC. It was a train wreck for Donald Trump - a dumpster fire.

"Trump needed to be disciplined. He needed to say what he would do to fix the economy, lower inflation and secure the border. He needed to make a compelling case to undecided voters that he is the better choice to be the commander-in-chief.

"Instead, Trump catered to the base, engaged in fear tactics and grievance politics and even promoted a fake internet story about Haitian immigrants in Ohio abducting and eating pets.

"Trump was awful.

"With more than one-third of Americans in battleground states saying they don't know what Harris stands for, the debate dubbed the 'most consequential in American history' was an opportunity for Trump to define the race and reach voters who might tune in for the first time. Trump needed to be presidential. He failed.

"From the onset, Kamala Harris had him playing defense. She trolled him, and he took the bait every single time. While Trump spent his time on rants (crowd sizes, weaponization of the Department of Justice, firing people), Harris spent her time connecting with voters, humanizing issues and talking about kitchen table problems.

"Harris came off as strong, confident and in control. She was the adult in the room, and she proved to voters that she can do the job."

IN TEXAS:

San Antonio Express-News: Opinion: From the handshake, Harris controlled debate with Trump

[Editorial Board, 09/11/24]

"In the city where our democracy was born, Vice President Kamala Harris pressed the man who refused to concede he lost the 2020 presidential election.

"The presidential debate between Harris and former President Donald Trump last night in Philadelphia showcased stark visions for the nation and stark contrasts in poise. It was riveting and should provide reassurance to voters that Harris is more than capable of serving as president.

"While Trump tried to intimidate with bluster and sometimes nonsensical comments, Harris more than held her ground, parrying his volleys while delivering some of her own. The ex-president, unaccustomed to a rival who gave better than she got, at times seemed befuddled, his bluster replaced by confusion.

"Trump is a bruising debater, adept at baiting his opponents and putting them on the defensive. But Harris never took the bait and instead put Trump on the defensive throughout the 90-minute debate on issue after issue - abortion, inflation, the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection, even immigration.

[…]

"Harris set the tone of the debate from the beginning when she walked up to Trump and forced a handshake. In body, she commanded the physical debate space. In rhetoric and substance, she often controlled the dialogue.

"Trump officials declared victory afterward. But betting markets disagreed as did a flash CNN poll. And then came that Taylor Swift endorsement.

"The big tell is that Harris challenged Trump to a second debate, but he was noncommittal. Understandable. If the ex-president were a fighter, he would have to wait two months before he could fight again following a knockout."

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