Who won the Harris-Trump debate? From “run, spot, run” to a wild claim about immigrants

If this was the only debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, then the country was the ultimate loser.

One candidate blustered and embraced every attack and diversion. The other covered up her entire political career and didn't face a single challenging question in one of the most one-sided moderation jobs in the history of presidential debates.

The bottom line, however, is that most voters have made up their minds. And the few who haven't? Well, if they had stuck with it, they might have chosen the right time – to stay home on November 5th.

Here are some winners and losers from Tuesday night’s showdown:

WINNER

Kamala Harris: She made the most compelling arguments of the night: that it was time to move on from the Trump era and focus on the issues that matter to voters. She received a lot of support from the moderators, but they never once checked her facts or asked a tough question, and some voters certainly noticed.

Time travel: What year are we in? Which candidate belongs to the current administration? The debate focused much more on Trump's term in office, which ended more than three and a half years ago, than on the record of the administration Harris represents. And the fact that Harris herself ran for president just four years ago as one of the most progressive candidates of all time was hardly apparent from the questions and topics.

Kamala Harris kept her composure in the debate. Donald Trump did not. And neither did ABC | Opinion

“Run, discover, run”: Perhaps the only truly funny moment of the evening was when Trump quoted that classic to describe the simplicity of Harris's recently unveiled policy proposals. But in typical Trump fashion, it was just a glancing blow. He didn't explain in detail that she hasn't answered questions about her plans and has had a rapid series of changes of mind.

Joe Biden: Yes, he didn't achieve the pinnacle of his career by seeking a second term. But he didn't have to get involved in this mess, either, and has emerged largely unscathed despite a record marred by rampant inflation and illegal immigration.

LOSER

Effects: It was hard to follow up this debate on the fallout from the last one, which ultimately ended Biden's career. And in a normal political environment, Trump's thin-skinnedness and evasive answers would hurt him. But the ABC News anchors were so conspicuously one-sided that many people won't take the whole thing seriously.

Donald Trump’s behavior: The former president seems to have lost the ability to appeal to voters beyond his base and, worst of all, he has given in to the shorthand and complaints of the part of his electorate that believes X (formerly Twitter) is the real world. He latched onto every personal attack from Harris and his attempts to point out her inadequacies were unfocused.

The American Future: Things you wouldn't learn from this debate: We have an education crisis. We need smart artificial intelligence policies that encourage development but also set guardrails. Housing is becoming increasingly unaffordable. Most of these issues barely came up, but we reexamined the 2020 election.

Immigration policy: There was a lot of talk about immigration, but there were few details about how the situation got so bad and what is needed to fix it. Instead, everyone will just remember Trump telling a ridiculous story about migrants stealing and eating pets in an Ohio town. The underlying fact that a town of 60,000 is being flooded with thousands of Haitian migrants should have been a no-brainer for Trump. He missed the shot.

Do you have an opinion on this topic? Tell us!

We love to hear Texans’ opinions on the news – and we love to publish those views in the Opinion section.

• Letters should not contain more than 150 words.

• Authors should only submit letters every 30 days.

• Please provide your name, address (including place of residence), telephone number and email address so that we can contact you if we have any further questions.

You can submit a letter to the editor in two ways:

• Send an email to [email protected] (preferred).

• Fill out this online form.

Please note: Letters will be edited for style and clarity. Publication is not guaranteed. The best letters will focus on one topic.