(ThyBlackMan.com) In a spectacle that was as much boxing match as it was debate, Kamala Harris and Donald Trump finally met in person, squaring off in a contentious tété-à-tété.
At the outset, Harris made a statement by invading Trump’s space, forcing him to shake her hand. It was a seemingly innocuous gesture, but it was laden with significance: the first handshake in a presidential debate since 2016. In that moment, Harris signaled that she was not afraid (or “weak”, as Trump has claimed). The greeting set the tone for a showdown that would showcase Harris’ poise versus Trump’s boorishness.
Both candidates had the same job: attack the other’s record. Trump pointed out, accurately, that Harris has been vice president for three and a half years, so she bears a great deal of responsibility for the state of America (which, in his view, is a disaster). This would have been a very potent line of attack had Trump decided to make it his theme. Instead, he waited until his closing remarks to press the point.
For her part, Harris was in top prosecutorial form, bringing up Trump’s criminal record, his being found guilty of sexual assault, and his racism. She also hammered him on his presidential record: mishandling the pandemic, historic job losses, and the chaos that defines him. Harris came prepared to hold Trump accountable, delivering precision attacks. She was perhaps most potent in discussing abortion. Whereas Harris made her position crystal clear, he made his as muddy as possible.
Yes, Harris engaged in some sloganeering — repeatedly invoking the promise of an “opportunity economy.” Still, while her lack of specifics would normally be a liability, when compared to Trump she was refreshingly grounded. He seemed to inhabit a world of his own making, one filled with grievances and conspiracy theories.
Regardless of the topic, his answers generally bore little relation to the questions that the moderators posed. Then, of course, there were Trump’s bizarre tangents. (Immigrants eating people’s pets?) Trump was not just out of touch; he often seemed to be out of his mind.
When Trump was running against President Biden, the latter’s age and mental acuity were a focus. Those criticisms, in my view, were relevant. The problem is that those criticisms should have been lobbied against Trump all along. Harris clearly understood that. In a particularly telling moment, Harris reminded Trump, “You’re not running against Joe Biden. You’re running against me.” It was a deft way of bringing up Trump’s age and mental state. (Harris is obviously aware that Trump has publicly forgotten that he was now running against her.)
It was as though Harris had a script and Trump was determined to follow it. She got under his skin by saying that he “was fired by 81 million Americans.” That statement visibly riled him. Despite his years on television, his command of optics faltered and his anger visibly simmered just beneath the surface.
Crucially, Harris hit Trump where it hurt most: taking aim at his rallies, highlighting how attendees often grow bored and leave early. If the debate were a poker game, Trump’s reaction would have been a “tell.” He seethed at that criticism — and he was incapable of simply letting it go. Prosecutor’s routinely bait witnesses; Trump fell for this trap — hook, line, and sinker. Harris demonstrated her knack for baiting him off message. Time and again, she exposed how easily he could be goaded — his ego flared by the smallest slight and his rage barely concealed.
Harris attacked Trump in a way that put him on the defensive all night. She understood the assignment: attack him and define herself. This was a boxing match that reminded me of Mike Tyson’s famous dictum: “Everyone has a plan until they get punched…” Harris struck the so-called “counter-puncher,” but she didn’t just attack; she introduced herself to the American people, defining herself before Republicans do so.
Further, when moderators gave Trump the opportunity to set the record straight about the 2020 election, he instead retreated into his usual web of lies about the past. By contrast, Harris focused on the future. “Let’s not go back,” Harris urged, emphasizing her vision of working to ensure that an already great nation can become even greater.
Most importantly, Harris demonstrated that she belonged on that stage. She didn’t just participate; she commanded. Harris looked presidential, constantly redirecting the conversation back to her core message: her dedication to the American people. She declared, “I’ve only ever had one client: the people,” a line that resonated with a clarity and purpose that Trump’s meandering rhetoric lacked.
It was clear that the destruction was one-sided — and it wasn’t Harris who was on the receiving end. Trump’s attempts to land blows often fell flat, his responses lacking the sharpness or clarity of Harris’s. When he did manage to fire back, his accusations veered into the absurd — like claiming that Democratic governors permit infanticide. This charge so outlandish that it barely warranted refutation. This wasn’t just about policy differences; this was about normalizing lies and insanity, about a candidate who seemed out of sync with reality itself.
As the debate drew to a close, it was evident that Trump’s old strategies were wearing thin. He had few answers for the moderators and even fewer for Harris’s attacks. His once-vaunted ability to dominate a stage seemed to wane in the face of an opponent who refused to be defined by his terms. In this clash between the past and the future, Harris didn’t just hold her ground; she set the agenda, proving that the era of Trump’s dominance might finally be over.
For Americans, the choice was starkly clear: a leader looking backward, or one urging the nation to move forward. The collection of body blows might not have been a TKO, but they resulted in at least a standing eight count. Most telling is the fact that, afterwards, Trump seemed disinterested in climbing back into the ring.
Written by Larry Smith
