Harris Continuously Irritates Trump, Time and Again
She mocked the number of attendees at his rallies and put him on the defensive regarding Project 2025.
TroibNews 
Kamala Harris set a clever trap, and Donald Trump repeatedly fell for it.
In their first in-person debate, Harris challenged Trump on various topics, including his crowd sizes, bankruptcies, and inherited wealth. She seemed to target his insecurities, asserting that world leaders laugh at him, highlighting his vulnerabilities on the global stage.
Trump found himself on the defensive, struggling to effectively counter Harris even as the dialogue shifted to issues where he typically feels more comfortable, such as immigration and the economy.
“I’m not signing a ban,” Trump stated, attempting to respond to Harris’s attacks on abortion while also supporting the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. In discussing Project 2025, which Harris has labeled as a Trump presidency blueprint, he remarked, “I don’t want to read it.”
A particularly notable moment arose when the moderators shifted to immigration, one of Trump's preferred subjects. Harris criticized him for derailing a bipartisan border deal and then took a jab at his rally sizes, which deflected attention from a politically sensitive issue for him. Trump, advised by allies to remain composed, couldn’t help himself: “People don’t leave my rallies. We have the biggest rallies, the most incredible rallies in the history of politics,” he asserted, while Harris watched with a smirk and a shake of her head.
These initial exchanges set a lively tone for the highly anticipated debate, with Harris taking charge across various topics. Though Trump began the debate appearing measured and in control, reminiscent of his prior encounter with President Joe Biden, he grew increasingly agitated as Harris pressed him.
“Talk about extreme,” Harris said after Trump regaled the audience with unfounded tales of immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, purportedly eating pets—narratives that have circulated within right-wing and conspiracy theorist circles.
Their face-off on Tuesday marked the candidates' first direct encounter, potentially the only opportunity voters will experience side-by-side before Election Day. With just days remaining before early voting begins in several key states, the two candidates, having engaged in their campaign for seven weeks, found themselves in a deadlock.
During the debate, microphones were muted while the candidates were not speaking, which had been a point of contention in recent weeks as the Harris campaign pushed for continuous mic access. Her team warned that this format disadvantaged her, as it obscured Trump’s direct exchanges with Harris and prevented her from fully challenging him.
Nevertheless, the muted mics did not hinder Harris. She adeptly used her response time to fact-check Trump and counter his claims. From the moment she arrived on stage, her body language was assertive; she approached Trump’s podium for a handshake and often maintained eye contact with him, in contrast to his avoidance.
"One does not have to abandon their faith or deeply held beliefs to agree the government, and Donald Trump certainly, should not be telling a woman what to do with her body," Harris stated, directing her gaze at Trump as she recounted instances of women facing medical emergencies due to restricted access to abortion.
Harris’s strategy was effective in keeping Trump on the defensive throughout the 90-minute debate, though it came at the expense of her time to connect with unfamiliar voters and present her policy agenda. Trump consistently managed to interject, often delivering the final remarks on various topics, even when moderators attempted to move on.
With Election Day just two months away, both candidates faced significant stakes. Trump had been struggling to find a cohesive message against a new rival, while Harris needed to introduce herself to voters on a tight timeline and had limited unscripted engagement on the campaign trail, coming into the debate with less experience than Trump.
Trump initially targeted Harris over inflation, drawing attention to grocery price increases over the past three years—a key voter concern. He attempted to conflate her with Biden during the debate, accusing her of taking his agenda for her own.
However, this strategy backfired as he became more fixated on attacking Biden rather than focusing on Harris, often reserving his sharpest jabs for a president he criticized as a poor leader who “spends all his time on a beach.”
"First of all, it's important to remind the former president, you're not running against Joe Biden," Harris asserted. "You're running against me."
While Harris refrained from publicly diverging from Biden on policy issues, she portrayed herself as the unifying choice in the race, aiming to attract an electorate eager for change. She seized on occasions to depict Trump as a representation of divisiveness over the past eight years, particularly highlighting past moments where he questioned her race.
“I think it’s a tragedy that we have someone who wants to be president who has consistently, over the course of his career, attempted to use race to divide the American people,” Harris expressed. “We don’t want this kind of approach that is just constantly trying to divide us — and especially by race.”
This tactic often left Trump scrambling for a response, as he shifted away from a systematic critique of Harris in favor of a barrage of one-liners about unrelated topics.
“She has a plan to defund the police,” Trump claimed at one point, trying to interject as the moderators sought to cut him off. “She has a plan to confiscate everybody’s gun. She has a plan to not allow fracking in Pennsylvania or anywhere else.”
Harris countered these assertions, reminding the audience that she is a gun owner and has already committed not to pursue a fracking ban.
Leading up to the debate, polls indicated a virtual tie between Trump and Harris, with the race existing within the margin of error across several battleground states.
Both campaigns moved swiftly to declare victory following the debate, with the Trump campaign asserting that he “prosecuted Kamala Harris’ abysmal record of failure that has hurt Americans for the last 4 years.” Meanwhile, the Harris campaign expressed eagerness for a second debate, with campaign co-chair Jen O’Malley Dillon asking, “Vice President Harris is ready for a second debate. Is Donald Trump?”
Emmy Martin contributed to this report.
Ian Smith contributed to this report for TROIB News
In their first in-person debate, Harris challenged Trump on various topics, including his crowd sizes, bankruptcies, and inherited wealth. She seemed to target his insecurities, asserting that world leaders laugh at him, highlighting his vulnerabilities on the global stage.
Trump found himself on the defensive, struggling to effectively counter Harris even as the dialogue shifted to issues where he typically feels more comfortable, such as immigration and the economy.
“I’m not signing a ban,” Trump stated, attempting to respond to Harris’s attacks on abortion while also supporting the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. In discussing Project 2025, which Harris has labeled as a Trump presidency blueprint, he remarked, “I don’t want to read it.”
A particularly notable moment arose when the moderators shifted to immigration, one of Trump's preferred subjects. Harris criticized him for derailing a bipartisan border deal and then took a jab at his rally sizes, which deflected attention from a politically sensitive issue for him. Trump, advised by allies to remain composed, couldn’t help himself: “People don’t leave my rallies. We have the biggest rallies, the most incredible rallies in the history of politics,” he asserted, while Harris watched with a smirk and a shake of her head.
These initial exchanges set a lively tone for the highly anticipated debate, with Harris taking charge across various topics. Though Trump began the debate appearing measured and in control, reminiscent of his prior encounter with President Joe Biden, he grew increasingly agitated as Harris pressed him.
“Talk about extreme,” Harris said after Trump regaled the audience with unfounded tales of immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, purportedly eating pets—narratives that have circulated within right-wing and conspiracy theorist circles.
Their face-off on Tuesday marked the candidates' first direct encounter, potentially the only opportunity voters will experience side-by-side before Election Day. With just days remaining before early voting begins in several key states, the two candidates, having engaged in their campaign for seven weeks, found themselves in a deadlock.
During the debate, microphones were muted while the candidates were not speaking, which had been a point of contention in recent weeks as the Harris campaign pushed for continuous mic access. Her team warned that this format disadvantaged her, as it obscured Trump’s direct exchanges with Harris and prevented her from fully challenging him.
Nevertheless, the muted mics did not hinder Harris. She adeptly used her response time to fact-check Trump and counter his claims. From the moment she arrived on stage, her body language was assertive; she approached Trump’s podium for a handshake and often maintained eye contact with him, in contrast to his avoidance.
"One does not have to abandon their faith or deeply held beliefs to agree the government, and Donald Trump certainly, should not be telling a woman what to do with her body," Harris stated, directing her gaze at Trump as she recounted instances of women facing medical emergencies due to restricted access to abortion.
Harris’s strategy was effective in keeping Trump on the defensive throughout the 90-minute debate, though it came at the expense of her time to connect with unfamiliar voters and present her policy agenda. Trump consistently managed to interject, often delivering the final remarks on various topics, even when moderators attempted to move on.
With Election Day just two months away, both candidates faced significant stakes. Trump had been struggling to find a cohesive message against a new rival, while Harris needed to introduce herself to voters on a tight timeline and had limited unscripted engagement on the campaign trail, coming into the debate with less experience than Trump.
Trump initially targeted Harris over inflation, drawing attention to grocery price increases over the past three years—a key voter concern. He attempted to conflate her with Biden during the debate, accusing her of taking his agenda for her own.
However, this strategy backfired as he became more fixated on attacking Biden rather than focusing on Harris, often reserving his sharpest jabs for a president he criticized as a poor leader who “spends all his time on a beach.”
"First of all, it's important to remind the former president, you're not running against Joe Biden," Harris asserted. "You're running against me."
While Harris refrained from publicly diverging from Biden on policy issues, she portrayed herself as the unifying choice in the race, aiming to attract an electorate eager for change. She seized on occasions to depict Trump as a representation of divisiveness over the past eight years, particularly highlighting past moments where he questioned her race.
“I think it’s a tragedy that we have someone who wants to be president who has consistently, over the course of his career, attempted to use race to divide the American people,” Harris expressed. “We don’t want this kind of approach that is just constantly trying to divide us — and especially by race.”
This tactic often left Trump scrambling for a response, as he shifted away from a systematic critique of Harris in favor of a barrage of one-liners about unrelated topics.
“She has a plan to defund the police,” Trump claimed at one point, trying to interject as the moderators sought to cut him off. “She has a plan to confiscate everybody’s gun. She has a plan to not allow fracking in Pennsylvania or anywhere else.”
Harris countered these assertions, reminding the audience that she is a gun owner and has already committed not to pursue a fracking ban.
Leading up to the debate, polls indicated a virtual tie between Trump and Harris, with the race existing within the margin of error across several battleground states.
Both campaigns moved swiftly to declare victory following the debate, with the Trump campaign asserting that he “prosecuted Kamala Harris’ abysmal record of failure that has hurt Americans for the last 4 years.” Meanwhile, the Harris campaign expressed eagerness for a second debate, with campaign co-chair Jen O’Malley Dillon asking, “Vice President Harris is ready for a second debate. Is Donald Trump?”
Emmy Martin contributed to this report.
Ian Smith contributed to this report for TROIB News
