Harris put Trump on defensive and kept him there

Vice President Kamala Harris took the debate stage Tuesday night, shook the hand of former President Donald Trump and then spent the next 90 minutes making every effort to burrow under his skin, hammering him over his criminal convictions, his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, the size of his rally crowds and the foreign and military leaders who she said have called him a “disgrace.”

“It’s time to turn the page,” Harris declared in an aggressive performance that seemed to draw on her career as a courtroom prosecutor.

A glowering Trump often took the bait, responding to Harris’ critiques with a hail of false claims, misinformation and personal attacks during the debate broadcast from Philadelphia by ABC News. Roughly an hour after it ended, he made his way to the so-called spin room – an unusual appearance by a candidate in the space where campaign surrogates speak.

He told reporters he thought it had been his “best debate,” and that Harris, whose campaign said in a social media post that she was ready for a second debate, wanted a rematch because “she lost tonight very badly.”

The closely watched debate – the first face-to-face meeting between Harris and Trump – was an opportunity for Harris to define herself for voters who are still getting to know her barely a month after she became the Democratic nominee. At least one voter said she was swayed after watching the debate: pop star Taylor Swift, who wrote in an Instagram post to her 283 million followers that she was backing the vice president.

The matchup underscored just how much the race for the White House has changed since President Joe Biden dropped out after his miserable debate performance in June left Democrats in despair. Harris was for the most part able to deliver a crisp and clear message. Trump seemed angry and defensive.

Only infrequently was he able to tie her to the unpopular Biden, which his advisers had signaled was one of his primary goals, especially during the first hour of the debate.

“She’s a Marxist – everybody knows she’s a Marxist,” Trump said in a typical attack. “Her father’s a Marxist professor in economics, and he taught her well.”

At points, Harris put her hand under her chin as she watched Trump’s answers with skeptical amazement, laughing out loud when he repeated false and outlandish claims that immigrants were stealing and eating their neighbors’ pets in an Ohio town.

But while there were plenty of flash points, there did not seem to be a knockout blow that could fundamentally alter the dynamics of what by all measures will be an exceedingly close election in November. Harris attempted to portray Trump as a friend to billionaires and big corporations who would soak the middle class. Trump characterized Harris as a policy lightweight who was far too liberal to lead the nation.

One of the evening’s most contentious moments revolved around abortion, where voters have expressed more trust in Harris’ leadership than Trump’s. The vice president tried to frame the issue as one of personal freedom and liberty.

“One does not have to abandon their faith or deeply held beliefs to agree the government – and Donald Trump, certainly – should not be telling a woman what to do with her body,” Harris said.

For Harris, Tuesday’s debate was a chance to further define herself in voters’ eyes, with many saying they want to know more about her policy goals. For Trump, the evening offered an opportunity to show discipline in attacking the vice president without resorting to the sexist and racist jabs that he has often favored on the campaign trail. He largely managed to avoid repeating those insults, even when the moderators asked him about comments he had made questioning Harris’ racial identity.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.