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Former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris take part in a presidential debate hosted by ABC in Philadelphia, Penn., on Sept. 10, 2024, in a combination of photographs.
Trump takes Harris’ bait in heated presidential debate
Vice President Kamala Harris had two opponents in Tuesday night’s highly anticipated presidential debate: former President Donald Trump and high expectations. She performed well against both.
Harris successfully put Trump on the defensive throughout much of the debate, ripping into him on issues ranging from abortion and his criminal record to Jan. 6 and his refusal to accept the 2020 election results.
“Trump was fired by 81 million people," Harris said in reference to 2020. “Clearly, he is having a very difficult time processing that.”
Meanwhile, Trump used the debate to play his greatest hits, offering doom and gloom messaging about immigration, crime, and the “radical left.” The former president, for example, said that Harris wanted to see “transgender operations on illegal aliens that are in prison.” Trump also veered into the bizarre and conspiratorial, pushing baseless assertions about immigrants eating pets.
Harris seemed to anticipate this approach and laid into Trump for recycling talking points he’s leaned on for years. “It is important that we move forward – that we turn the page on this same old tired rhetoric,” Harris said.
She explained how military leaders had described Trump to her as a “disgrace.” And when Trump attacked President Joe Biden, Harris fired back, saying, “You're not running against Joe Biden. You are running against me.”
Throughout the debate, Trump struggled to stay on topic and rarely answered questions directly. When asked about the war in Gaza, he focused instead on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine – saying it never would’ve happened under his watch (Please note: There was also an ongoing war in eastern Ukraine involving Kremlin-backed rebels throughout his presidency).
Harris also got Trump to veer away from talking about immigration, an issue that’s been the former president’s bread and butter since his 2016 campaign, by suggesting that people leave his rallies early out of boredom. Trump took the bait, going on to boast that he has the “biggest” and “most incredible” rallies in response to a question about his role in killing a bipartisan bill to strengthen border security.
Trump repeatedly came off as unprepared. When asked about health care, he openly admitted he didn’t have a plan, other than wanting to replace Obamacare. “We are looking at different plans,” Trump said. “I have concepts of a plan.”
Though some of Harris’s responses came across as scripted, she largely stuck to one key message throughout the night — portraying herself as a new generation of leadership who would turn the page on a historically divisive era in US politics. That said, the debate often lacked specifics on policy — as both candidates traded barbs and sought to portray the other as a danger to the US. “You believe in things that the American people don't believe in,” Trump said to Harris in his closing remarks, decrying her as “the worst vice president in the history of our country.”
After the debate, Trump allies appeared unimpressed by what they saw from him — with Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham describing the night as a "missed opportunity" for the former president.
Whether Harris won over any new voters remains to be seen, but her campaign is clearly feeling energized by the vice president’s performance and has already signaled a desire to participate in a second debate with Trump. In comments to reporters in the spin room on the prospect of another debate, Trump said, “We’ll look at it, but they want a second debate because they lost.”
Ian Bremmersays that Harris won the debate. And Taylor Swift, who endorsed Harris after the debate, seemingly concurs with this assessment. Do you agree? We’d love to hear from you here.
Also, please join our X Space today on the debate. We’ll start at 11 a.m. EST. Set a reminder or join here.
Defining Kamala Harris at DNC 2024
From Chicago's United Center on the final night of the Democratic National Convention, Jon Lieber, Eurasia Group's head of research and managing director for the firm's coverage of United States political and policy developments, recaps the key takeaways from the DNC.
We're here in Chicago wrapping up the Democratic National Convention for 2024. You can see the balloons are falling behind us, and the benediction is going on as folks are starting to file out of the convention hall into what I think are going to be long lines to get home.
So a couple of key themes that jumped out over the four days of the convention. One was, of course, to introduce and define Kamala Harris, and what they sort of did was embrace her record as a prosecutor, giving her this persona as a loving family member, but a tough, no-nonsense person that you don't want to mess with. And that was a theme that was repeated over and over again in testimonials from her family and friends, and also a message pretty directly given by her.
Second, of course, they wanted to create a contrast with Trump, and the way they did that was to attack his character over and over again, talking about how, “They wouldn't trust him to move their furniture,” a really great line by Senator Elizabeth Warren, and making a contrast about the schemes and frauds and criminal convictions that are in his background versus, again, Kamala Harris's record as a prosecutor, standing up for a little guy.
And then, of course, another big theme, especially one that came out on day four tonight, was to define the Democratic Party as the party of freedom and the future of the USA. A lot of flags waving in the audience. There was an extended section speaking about the military and military strength, right in prime time. Clearly, Democrats trying to set themselves out to be the party that can defend America.
I would say three groups were really targeted over the course of the convention. The first is union members. There was a lot of shout-outs to organized labor, who are, of course, a key Democratic constituent. Black voters who are going to be absolutely critical to Kamala Harris' ability to win, particularly if they want to compete in Georgia and North Carolina. And then, Republicans, gettable on the fence Republican-leaning independents who don't like Trump all that much and want to feel comfortable voting for Kamala Harris. Very clear themes directed to those three groups throughout the week.
Overall, probably a pretty successful convention. Certainly played well here in the convention hall, but of course, it's how it plays on TV and social media that really matters.
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The Democrats’ DNC rebrand: Is the shoe on the other foot now?
Well, the Democratic National Convention is over, and as rebrands go, this was a turnaround the likes of which we haven’t seen since, say, Birkenstock went from hideous hippy sandal to high fashion icon.
Remember, barely a month ago this was a party in trouble. It was trailing in the polls, led by a visibly diminished president, and at war with itself about what to do about both of those things. The vibe was worse than hopeless; it was listless. Like, early 1990’s Apple hopeless and listless.
So much for all that. Over the past week, the Democrats reinjected a sense of energy and optimism into a party that was not long ago getting shelled with “Weekend at Bernie’s” jokes.
In doing so, they achieved three important things:
1. They passed the torch
Not just from Joe Biden to Kamala Harris but to a younger generation of Democrats altogether. I mean, whatever your view on Bill Clinton — mixed feelings over his legacy were reflected in the response to his speech – it was a moment for him to head off into history with a speech to a party that welcomed him 30 years ago as the face of the future.
2. They unified around a decent and reasonably positive message
They took shots at Donald Trump and his agenda for sure (Harris might have spent too much time on this in her speech), but the story felt less like “vote for us or else X” and more like “vote for us because of Y.”
The Democrats told a nice story about a progressive, inclusive future America, where middle-class people have nice places to live, well-fed kids don’t get shot at school, and where women are free to choose what they do with their own bodies.
3. But, mostly, they showed something they didn’t seem to have a month ago: energy
The convention, in the end, was a party for a party that needed it.
To be fair, not everything was great. Some of the speakers were duds, not all the jokes landed, and the programming ran late – Democrats appear to have adopted California’s idea of “prime time” in honor of their nominee. And there were, of course, maggots in the breakfast buffet. But these are nitpicks.
The bigger question is: What happens now? The landscape for Democrats outside of Chicago’s United Center is still a sobering one. Polls show Harris in a statistical dead heat with Donald Trump.
RFK Jr., the strongest third-party US presidential candidate in 30 years, is about to bow out of the race and pledge his support to Trump, which could give the ex-president the decisive few extra points worth of voters he’ll need.
In the end, branding and rebranding have their limits. A political party, and a presidential candidate, have to do more than sell sandals. They have to – in the words of Michelle Obama, Oprah Winfrey, and Harris herself – “Do something! Do something! Do something!”
Now that the party’s over, Harris and the Democrats have just 70 days to show what they are going to do – and how.
Former President Barack Obama speaks during the second day of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center.
The Obamas sell Harris as hope making a comeback: ‘Yes she can’
Former President Barack Obama took to the stage at the Democratic National Convention in his hometown of Chicago on Tuesday night and turned “Yes we can” into “Yes she can.”
Obama used his address to make the case for Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign, sharply contrasting her with former President Donald Trump.
“Here is a 78-year-old billionaire who has not stopped whining about his problems since he rode down his golden escalator nine years ago. There's the childish nicknames, the crazy conspiracy theories, this weird obsession with crowd sizes,” Obama said of Trump.
Obama also touted Harris’ record as a prosecutor, praised her stances on issues like health care and abortion, and portrayed the vice president as someone who could restore a sense of kindness and empathy to the country amid a period of historical political divisions.
“The vast majority of us don’t want to live in a country that’s bitter and divided. We want something better. And the joy and excitement we’re seeing around the Harris-Walz campaign tells us we’re not alone,” Obama said, also referring to Harris’ running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.
Obama lauded Walz as the “type of person who should be in politics,” painting the Democratic vice presidential nominee – a former teacher and high school football coach – as a genuine, salt-of-the-Earth American.
“You can tell those flannel shirts he wears don’t come from some consultant. They come from his closet, and they’ve been through some stuff,” he said of Walz.
Good vibrations. The former president spoke after his wife, former first lady Michelle Obama, who struck a similar tone. “Something wonderfully magical is in the air,” she said in her remarks. “It's the contagious power of hope.”
“America, hope is making a comeback!" she declared, leading the arena to erupt in approval.
The crowd in Chicago’s United Center seemed to hang on their every word – a sign of the enduring influence the Obamas have over the Democratic Party.
Though both Obamas riled up the convention with optimistic messages about the Harris campaign, they also warned that she faced a tight race — imploring Democrats not to be complacent.
“Now the torch has been passed. Now it's up to all of us to fight for the America we believe in. And make no mistake, it will be a fight,” the former president said.
Meanwhile, Bernie stayed on brand. Earlier in the night, Sen. Bernie Sanders urged voters to support Harris in November and praised the Biden administration’s handling of the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic. But the Vermont senator, perhaps the most prominent progressive in the country, primarily used his address to outline his economic vision for the country — railing against the “billionaire class.”
Sanders, who didn’t rush to endorse Harris after Biden dropped out, has long sought to push the Democratic Party further to the left and to embrace policies that will boost the working class. His Tuesday address was reminiscent of many of the campaign speeches Sanders gave while running for president in 2016 and 2020.
Sanders also touched on the war in Gaza, which has led to protests outside of the arena. “We must summon the courage to stand up to wealth and power and deliver justice for people at home and abroad,” Sanders said, “Abroad, we must end this horrific war in Gaza, bring home the hostages, and demand an immediate cease-fire.”
We’ll be watching to see if the backing of powerful figures like the Obamas and Sanders will be enough to help the Harris-Walz campaign sustain and build on its recent momentum in the 2024 race. Day 3 at the DNC will feature a highly anticipated speech from Walz – who was relatively unknown before being tapped by Harris earlier this month – and he’ll have an opportunity to sell himself to voters on the national stage.
Jousef Shkoukani and his wife, Yara Rashad, join other protesters in Chicago's Union Park on Monday, Aug. 19.
DNC protesters urge Harris to stop sending arms to Israel
Protesters incensed over US support for Israel amid the war in Gaza gathered in Chicago’s Union Park on Monday as the Democratic National Convention kicked off just blocks away in the United Center. They accused the Biden administration of enabling “genocide” in the enclave by continuing to provide Israel with arms amid a devastating war that’s killed over 40,000 Palestinians.
The protesters carried signs that said both Democrats and Republicans have “blood on their hands” and called for an end to US aid to Israel. Some sold t-shirts with pro-Palestinian slogans for $25, pledging to donate the money toward relief in Gaza.
“It’s incredibly important that we get a cease-fire, at the very least,” protester Jousef Shkoukani, 29, told GZERO Media.
“For Palestinians, it’s incredibly important that people start to recognize that we’re not just numbers and that we’re dying in large quantities based on Israel’s indiscriminate bombing,” added Shkoukani, a Chicagoan whose father immigrated to the US from Palestine.
Shkoukani, one of thousands who protested on Monday, said that he previously knocked on doors for President Joe Biden but now identifies as an independent. He said the Democratic Party has “talked the talk but never walked the walk with respect to its policies on Middle Eastern affairs,” adding that what the protesters are looking for from Vice President Kamala Harris and Democrats is “a commitment to a permanent cease-fire if elected.”
Chicago has been bracing for major protests surrounding the DNC for months amid the continued fighting in Gaza, particularly after divisive demonstrations at US college campuses earlier this year. There’s a heavy, palpable police presence in the city. And while Monday’s protests were largely peaceful, a small group of demonstrators broke through a barrier near the convention, and several were reportedly detained by police.
Though the mood inside the United Center was far more celebratory, the war was also an inescapable topic. Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York praised Harris’ support for a cease-fire in Gaza in her remarks to the convention and was met with loud applause. Later on, Biden said his administration was working around the clock to bring the hostages home from Gaza and secure a cease-fire to end the war. He went on to say that the protesters out on the streets of Chicago had “a point,” adding that “a lot of innocent people are being killed, on both sides.” But most of the prominent Democrats who took to the convention stage largely used their time to tout Harris’ qualifications for president while blasting former President Donald Trump as a convicted felon and danger to democracy.
More Gaza-related protests are planned for this week, and the beginnings of an encampment could be spotted in Union Park — next to a sign that read “PIG FREE ZONE.” We’ll be watching to see how the demonstrations play out, and whether they influence the tone and direction of the convention in the days ahead.
Attendees walk past a sign at the United Center ahead of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Illinois, on Aug. 19, 2024.
Democrats are running a campaign built on vibes
In standard practice and just days ahead of the party’s Democratic National Convention, Democrats released their 2024 policy platform over the weekend. The rest of the race, however, has been anything but typical.
In the latest twist, Democrats chose not to update their party platform despite the name atop the ticket switching from Joe Biden to Kamala Harris. Instead, they opted to stick with a version approved in mid-July – from before Biden dropped out of the race. The platform frames a battle between “opportunity and optimism” versus “revenge and retribution,” laying bare a fundamental difference between the 2024 Democratic and Republican campaigns: one is about atmospherics, and the other is deeply personal.
In the month that Harris has sat atop the ticket, she has overseen a near-total change in the campaign narrative. Until July 21, 2024, Biden and former President Donald Trump had spent months locked in a protracted and bleak conversation about who was the bigger threat to democracy. Was age the more significant concern? How would the US manage a president with felony convictions? For months, US voters sat on the sidelines of a slow walk to a repeat of the 2020 election, which a meaningful proportion of those polled did not want.
With Biden’s exit from the race in July and the surprisingly seamless convergence around Harris, the storyline has shifted from a rerun to a “new way forward,” to take one of the vice president’s campaign taglines. And as the 2024 party platform reflects, for Dems, this way forward need not be connected to one politician or another.
Despite the newfound support for Harris – her campaign raised a reported $200 million during her first week as the candidate – this is not yet the Harris Democratic party. Harris is a conduit for Democrats who were searching for a lifeline out of a crisis and a path to preserve their November ambitions. If the policy platform is not updated to any specific Harris policy viewpoint, that’s not seen as a hindrance. If her vision of an “opportunity economy” is questioned by economists, it deserves only a bit of hand-wringing. While a Harris presidency would likely move policy in impactful ways, what is driving the moment for Democrats is unity behind defeating Trump.
This campaign tactic or strategy is paying dividends. Harris now leads Trump in head-to-head polling and across key swing states, including Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. For the first time in the 2024 race, the latest monthly polling shows that more voters trust Harris to handle the economy than Trump. These poll results came in even before Harris had the opportunity to present her economic plan last Friday in North Carolina, where she homed in on tackling price gouging, housing insecurity, and rising tax bills.
In stark contrast, the Republican Party is synonymous with Trump. The party’s policy objectives are intertwined with Trump’s political agenda. The 2024 Republican platform, rife with capitalization and exclamation points, promises to seal the border, end the weaponization of government against the American people, and turn the US into a manufacturing superpower. Each is a key Trump view. As a sign of how far the campaign needle has moved, Trump’s allies are now urging him to return to the more disciplined, issue-based messaging he managed earlier in the 2024 campaign. The risk is that as Democrats go conceptual, Trump becomes too personalized and personal.
All of this will be on display at this week’s DNC in the Windy City, where a who’s who of Democratic heavyweights and orators – including both Obamas and Clintons – have assembled. Harris will take the stage on Thursday, the final night, to deliver an address under the aspirational theme “For our Future.”
Just as the race approaches the post-Labor Day homestretch, the world is watching as Democrats inject something into the campaign that has been missing over the long election slog: energy. The party convention represents a key test of both how well Harris can hold the party together, including around fault-line issues like the Israel-Gaza conflict, and whether Democrats can sustain the good vibes over the final push of the campaign season.
Lindsay Newman is a geopolitical risk expert and columnist for GZERO.
Speaking of good news for Kamala Harris, a Cook Political Report swing state poll released Wednesday shows her leading Donald Trump in five of the seven swing states that could decide the election.
Harris heads into convention on a high note
Speaking of good news for Kamala Harris, a Cook Political Report swing state poll released Wednesday shows her leading Donald Trump in five of the seven swing states that could decide the election.
Cook, a highly rated pollster, finds Harris up in Arizona, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, tied in Georgia, and slightly behind in Nevada. If that holds through Election Day, she will likely win.
The results echo those of last week’s New York Times/Siena College poll, which showed Harris leading in Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. Both polls reflect the “vibe shift” since President Joe Biden withdrew from the race. Until then, Trump led in the swing states.
The Democrats are riding high … for now. Harris and her running mate, Tim Walz, have held large rallies while the Trump campaign has struggled to adjust to its new opponent. The upcoming Democratic National Convention may give Harris the traditional “convention bump” as well.
Still, the election is 80 days away, and the race has been volatile. Harris, who has mostly avoided the press, has benefitted from favorable mainstream media coverage, which may not last.
The coming weeks will give us a better sense of whether the initial outpouring of support for Harris/Walz is a sugar high or a square meal.
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at a campaign event in Greensboro, North Carolina, U.S., July 11, 2024.
Democratic delegates begin voting for Harris
Democrats began the process to formally select Vice President Kamala Harris as their party’s nominee on Thursday, and the online roll call will take place untilMonday at 6 p.m. ET. The following day, Harris is expected to announce her vice presidential pick.
Why now? The delegates had devised the idea of certifying the candidate before the Democratic National Convention later this month to comply with early ballot deadlines in Ohio — deadlines that have since been pushed back. Still, the party decided to vote to solidify Harris’ candidacy ahead of her picking a running mate.
Fact check: President Joe Biden was not yet certified as the Democratic Party’s candidate before he withdrew from the race, so posts online about it being too late to remove his name from the ballot in certain states are based on misinterpretations of the election process.
Poll check: The vote comes as a nationalReuters/Ipsos survey showed Harris slightly ahead of Trump this week. Polls from a Republican firm, Public Opinion Strategies,showed them tied across five swing states, with Trump ahead in Arizona and Nevada, Harris ahead in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, and the candidates tied in Michigan.
For more on the road ahead, with Harris aiming to rebuild the blue wall, click here.