A Clare academic doesn’t believe the US presidential debate will move the needle for voters to a large degree – but admits that Kamala Harris outshone her rival on the night.
The Democratic and Republican nominees have faced off for the first and possibly only time before the country goes to the polls on November 5th.
History has been made this year as it’s the first time a party has changed its candidate between debates during the course of the US Presidential Election campaign.
Two-and-a-half months on from Joe Biden’s disastrous performance against Donald Trump in the first debate of the campaign, new Democratic nominee Kamala Harris has appeared in a debate in Philadelphia against the Republican candidate.
The wide-ranging contest, which was independently moderated, centred on a number of key election issues including the economy, abortion rights, immigration and foreign affairs.
A stand-out moment in the minds of viewers however was Trump’s tirade about Haitian immigrants eating pets which was based on unfounded rumours circulating online that have been dismissed by the authorities.
Despite the moderator’s clarification that there is no evidence to support the claim, Trump has doubled-down on his comments.
Although the majority of questions posed to the two candidates were based on policy, a large portion of the debate consisted of the election hopefuls trading barbs.
Over the course of the hour-and-a-half debate, Trump referred to Harris as a “Marxist”, accused her of using race to “divide the American people” and said that she “hates Israel”.
Harris meanwhile warned viewers that they would hear a “bunch of lies” from Trump, described him as “extreme” at one point and made reference to his alleged ties to Project 2025, a conservative policy blueprint that proposes expanding Presidential power, removing environmental regulations and tightening the relationship between church and State.
She also suggested Trump is more focused on furthering his own agenda rather than looking after the interests of the general population – an accusation the former President didn’t take lightly.
A poll taken after the debate shows 63% of viewers felt Harris gave a stronger performance while 96% of her supporters believed she was the more impressive performer .
By contrast, just 69% of Trump’s supporters believe he came out on top.
Newmarket-on-Fergus native and Professor of Politics at Dublin City University, Donncha Ó Beacháin says while Harris was the more impressive candidate, the debate will change little in terms of the election’s eventual outcome.
You can listen to the full interview here:
