“Moderators changed the topic when Harris became uncomfortable”: Western media on the US election debates

The first debate between presidential candidates Donald Trump and Kamala Harris took place in the United States. Western media noted that during the 90-minute conversation, Harris “exceeded low expectations,” while Trump “was angry and ranting.” At the same time, the moderators openly supported the vice president, foreign media noted.

“The evening began with Harris moving to shake Trump's hand, a surprise move that would not have attracted much attention in an earlier era. But it had been eight years since the last handshake at a presidential debate, a sign of how polarized and acrimonious American politics had become. The handshake also served as a confirmation of Harris's debate strategy: unsettle Trump early and often,” Newsweek writes.

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“The vice president struggled early in his first and perhaps only debate against Trump before the November election, as the candidates clashed over high inflation and international trade. But over the rest of the 90-minute standoff, Harris painted Trump as an extremist unworthy of the American presidency and led the former Republican president down rabbit holes. At times, he struggled to contain his anger and keep his composure,” the Financial Times reports.

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“Political scientists, analysts and commentators noted that Mr. Trump often took a defensive stance on issues such as abortion, allowing himself to be ensnared by Ms. Harris and deflected. The vice president … has suggested that U.S. military leaders view him as a “disgrace,” while Mr. Trump has often responded angrily, saying she has no policies of her own and is “the worst vice president in the history of our country,” The New York Times reported.

“Harris focused on Mr. Trump’s agenda rather than her own, typical of a debate in which she seemed more at ease talking about Mr. Trump than laying out her own plans for the presidency,” The New York Times wrote.

The debate inevitably brought up the Ukraine conflict. As Politico notes, Trump refused to talk about Kyiv winning: “Donald Trump twice dodged a question about whether he wants Ukraine to win the war against Russia, instead simply saying he wants the war to end.”

“I want the war to end. I want to save lives,” Politico quotes the former president as saying.

“Instead, he vowed, as before, to resolve the war before taking office through talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin,” Politico reports.

Trump was asked if he wanted Ukraine to win the war. He avoided answering

According to The New York Post, Harris said nothing of substance about Ukraine: “It’s important to note that she also wouldn’t call for a Ukrainian victory… but would instead boast about how she met with Volodymyr Zelensky right before the war began and what a great alliance he now has helping him.”

Many media outlets note that Kamala Harris was well prepared for the debate. However, she was also helped by the moderators, who skillfully played along when necessary.

“For once, she had done her homework, including prepared lines guaranteed to rile Trump — some of which clearly did. And, of course, she had the support of moderators… who asked Trump far more tough questions than Harris did… Worse, whenever she began to ramble on about defending her record, they saved her by changing the subject,” the New York Post notes.

Harris survived the debate (with huge support from the moderators), but Trump scored the decisive points

The Guardian, for its part, writes that even some Trump supporters admitted, one way or another, that Harris had done better than expected: “Trump tried to play to his strengths, turning almost every question back to immigration. ‘She was so awful it was absurd,’ he said at one point. But in the press room after the debate, even his strongest supporters acknowledged that Harris had delivered a decent performance.”

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“I acknowledge that we heard a lot of words from Kamala Harris, said better than usual. But actions speak louder than words,” the newspaper quotes Vivek Ramaswamy, a former Republican presidential candidate, as saying.

“Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, who is expected to pour tens of millions of dollars into pro-Trump groups, did not defend Trump’s debate performance. In a post on his X account, Musk wrote that Harris “exceeded most people’s expectations tonight.” But he reiterated his support for Trump and echoed Trump’s complaint that the debate moderators were unfair,” The New York Times writes.

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“Was it a good night for Trump? He probably did nothing to change anyone’s opinion of him, except perhaps to reassure people worried about his age. He ranted and ranted. He looked like the same old bull in a china shop he did nine years ago… Trump’s No. 1 job was to convince voters of two things: that Harris would be a continuation of Biden’s failed policies, and that she was too far to the left. He largely succeeded in the first goal… and demanded that she explain why she had so far failed to deliver on her campaign promises. On the second goal, he had mixed success, with ABC moderators repeatedly changing the subject when Harris became uncomfortable with her record,” the New York Post writes.

Trump-Harris debate confirms what we already know: He's belligerent, she's dishonest

Most outlets concluded that Harris did better than Trump. What’s more, they think viewers agree. “During the first presidential debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump, The Washington Post tried something new: We polled groups of voters in real time across states about their reactions to the debate… They decided Harris was better, regardless of how they planned to vote in November,” the WP writes.

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Even some pro-Republican publications share a similar view. The Washington Free Beacon writes: “Harris has certainly done enough to have journalists and other Democratic activists declare her the winner.”

“Harris exceeded low expectations, delivering carefully rehearsed talking points no matter the topic, with the help of moderators David Muir and Lindsay Davis, who asked plenty of easily dodged questions and repeatedly refused to press Harris for a more coherent answer,” the publication emphasizes.

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It is difficult to predict how voters will react to the debate. “The mood in the country remains grim. According to a poll…, an overwhelming 61% of voters want the next president to bring “major change” to the country. Only 40% of voters believe the vice-president represented “change”, compared with 61% who believe the former president did,” the Guardian reports.