Trump-Harris Debate Highlights: Policy Gaps Define US Election Race

Trump-Harris Debate Highlights: Policy Gaps Define US Election Race

In Tuesday night’s high-stakes presidential debate, Kamala Harris matched Donald Trump toe to toe in a combative strategy that took the chamber by storm through the sharpness of her rhetoric.

With her taking the stage, a firm handshake demand gave notice of her intent—to take control and challenge Trump, who is known for his strong debate presence.

Generally, much of the analysis since the debate has centred around Harris’s aggressiveness—her incisive remarks and, notably, her laughter at the president. Early polls showed that Harris did well, but history also shows that winning in a debate is not invariably success during an election.

For all the theatrics of the debate, there was little clarity on policy. Harris fared little better on substance; she touted her proposals for the economy—a $6,000 child tax credit, a $50,000 tax cut for small businesses, and assistance for first-time home buyers—but wouldn’t say whether the Biden administration will keep tariffs levied by Trump or how she’d keep inflation under control.

For his part, Trump did little to rebut Harris’s critique. His efforts to characterise Harris’s policies as radical were drowned out by his distractions, especially on immigration, where he simply restated what had gone before without any development or specific proposals.

The debate underlined a lack of substantial policy arguments from both sides. For instance, Trump spoke about his desire to repeal the Affordable Care Act but confessed that he has no detailed plan for replacement.

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What the debate managed to give the citizens was more of the demeanour of the candidates and less about the specifics within their plan of governance. As the electorate weighs the candidates, they are left with more questions than confirmed answers.