Vice President Kamala Harris triumphed over Donald Trump on Tuesday night, with an aggressive, surgical, sustained debate performance that forced a glowering, rambling, and sputtering former president into a defensive posture from the opening moments of the event.
Harris seemed to surprise Trump from the start. After the two were introduced, she strode confidently past the six feet between their podiums, introduced herself, and held out her hand, which he weakly shook with a mumble.
Harris came into the high-stakes showdown in Philadelphia knowing that nearly one-third of the country had said they wanted to learn more about her. Throughout the 105-minute debate, she highlighted her agenda for a middle class as an “opportunity economy” while largely blunting attacks on her greatest policy weaknesses.