Less than a month ago, Vice-President Kamala Harris and former President Trump faced off in their first, and only, debate and while most pundits said Harris outperformed Trump, undecided voters were not so sure. The debate seemed to have done little to move the needle on polls.
Even as Harris gained ground in favorable/unfavorable polls after the debate, fewer respondents trusted Harris with the economy after hearing her plans.
“Harris is caught in a tricky situation,” said one Newsweek report. “If she goes too far towards the middle, she loses the Left. If she affirms her previous progressive positions, she chases working-class voters in crucial states like Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin into Trump’s corner.”
In the polls, both Trump and Harris support appeared largely entrenched.
At the start of the debate, Trump scored blow after blow against Harris, hitting her on the current administration’s economic policies and Harris’s job performance as border czar. Then Harris turned the tables on Trump. As she landed points against Trump, the debate moderators jumped in and began live fact-checking the former President.
There was only one problem: the moderators did not put the same pressure on Harris and bias by ABC moderators became the story of the night.
The debate shenanigans started with Harris being granted a custom podium to help mitigate her height difference with Trump.
Then came the fact checking. ABC moderators pushed back on Trump while CNN claimed Harris made only one false claim compared to Trump’s 33 during the debate. Online news agencies quickly began eviscerating both ABC and CNN. The American Spectator outlined factual errors and conspiracy theories perpetrated by moderators while other outlets pointed to more than 20 major lies, false claims, or conspiracy theories by Harris.
Megyn Kelly slammed the moderators for their Pro-Harris bias and the New York Post gave a claim-by-claim breakdown of the “fact check that ABC didn’t give Kamala Harris.”
As the dust settles from the Harris-Trump showdown, tonight’s vice-presidential debate between Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Ohio Senator JD Vance promises to offer its own fireworks. With the economic policies and border issues still front and center, both candidates are likely to face tough questions on their approaches to these key topics. With just 34 days to go until the election, voters looking for clarity on where the ticket stands—beyond the headlines and fact-checks—will want to tune in.