OPINION: The first debate between Trump and Harris makes clear who the best choice for president is

Photo via: Megan Arnold/The New Political

Opinion Editor Danny Murnin writes that Kamala Harris showed the American people perfectly why it should be her in the White House, not Donald Trump, after last night’s debate .

This summer, Americans have seen historically bad performances in two different presidential debates by two separate elderly, senile men who were incapable of properly articulating why they deserve to be in the Oval Office. 

On June 27, President Joe Biden was slow, confused, tired and entirely out of it during an early general election debate with former President Donald Trump. The debate raised serious questions about his fitness to serve as President of the United States for four more years. Biden was forced to exit the race, unable to convince voters or even loyal Democrat elected officials that the debate was an anomaly. 

Last night, it was Trump whose debate performance begged the question of how fit he is to serve a second term. For the better part of two hours, Trump did nothing but lie and ramble on about irrelevant nonsense as his opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, outlined a clear, positive vision for America. 

I did not have particularly high expectations for Harris heading into last night, but when the debate ended, I was honestly blown away by how she did. While she was clearly nervous at first, she quickly found her footing.

On the economy, by and large, the most important issue for voters, she outlined a positive vision that would cut costs for middle-class families and support small businesses. During the debate, she touched on existing plans of hers to offer first-time homeowners a $25,000 down payment, extend a child tax credit of $6,000 to parents with young children, and give a $50,000 tax deduction to start-up small businesses. She also rightfully torched Trump for his plan to heavily raise tariffs on imported goods, which economists have said would raise prices and kill jobs. 

Unsurprisingly, the discussion on abortion was Harris’ strongest moment of the night, where she took time to lay out the need to restore Roe v. Wade. After all, as she said, the real-life, cruel effects of abortion access vanishing in many states is because Trump handpicked three ultra-conservative, anti-abortion judges for the Supreme Court during his presidency. In states like Texas, Missouri and Alabama, abortion is banned with no exceptions for rape or incest. 

In Texas’ case, the law is so vague that the cruelty doesn’t end with no exceptions for rape or incest. Kate Cox, a Texas woman with a completely unviable pregnancy, was forced to travel to New Mexico to have an abortion because Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton threatened to prosecute any doctors and nurses who would perform an abortion on her. Stories like these are a direct result of Trump’s actions as president. Trump’s response to Harris was to falsely say that Democrats want to execute babies after they are born and he also refused to commit to vetoing a national abortion ban. 

Foreign policy was an area that should have been stronger for Trump, but he lost the plot while Harris stayed on message. She correctly said that the current crisis in the Middle East started on Oct. 7, 2023, when 1,200 innocent Israelis were murdered by the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas. Harris committed to ensuring Israel has the right and ability to defend itself from Hamas and other proxy groups supported by Iran. 

At the same time, Harris noted that far too many innocent people in Gaza have been killed in the ongoing Israeli response. She argued that the best way to stop the bloodshed in Gaza and get the rest of the hostages home would be a permanent ceasefire that paves the way for a two-state solution. Trump didn’t give any details about his plans to end the conflict, instead insisting that Oct. 7 never would have happened if he was in office, while also bizarrely claiming that if Harris is elected, Israel will cease to exist within two years. 

Predictably, the discussion on the war in Ukraine was a strong moment for Harris and a very weak one for Trump. Trump again said that Russia would never have invaded Ukraine if he was president and that if elected, he will have a deal in place to end the war before he even takes office. Trump didn’t outline what such a deal would look like and simply said he wanted the war over with and done. For me, this was one of the most disgraceful things Trump said last night. It is obvious that such a deal would be overwhelmingly favorable to Russia and Trump’s favorite murderous, authoritarian dictator, Russian President Vladimir Putin. 

That was exactly Harris’ argument in response. She pointed out that Ukraine is an ally, a pro-American sovereign country that is fighting for its very right to exist. Russia is an anti-American country that is motivated by imperialist ambitions to take over territory in Eastern Europe that it believes it has a right to, and it certainly won’t stop with Ukraine. All the money, arms, ammunition, equipment and supplies we have sent to Ukraine has allowed the Ukrainian people to put up a formidable resistance and inflict devastating casualties on the larger Russian forces. Supporting Ukraine is about stopping another world war and not starting one; supporting Ukraine to the maximum extent possible will deter Putin from invading a NATO country, which would start another world war. 

If this entire election could be summarized in one segment, the topic of immigration was evidently where the major differences between the two candidates were most on display. A major issue for voters has been the record number of illegal border crossings during the Biden administration, but why is this so important to voters?

Perhaps it is because Trump has no intention of actually doing anything on immigration and instead just wants to use it as a campaign wedge issue. Unfortunately, he has had success with it. Part of his original appeal and support came from convincing countless Americans that all their problems in life are because of illegal immigrants. This has been a major driver of support and turnout for him, which is exactly why he strongly lobbied against a bipartisan bill in the Senate that would greatly increase border security. 

In a surprise to absolutely no one, Trump wasn’t able to stop himself from turning to hateful, bigoted talking points during the immigration conversation. He regurgitated a false story popular in Republican circles about a gang of Venezuelan illegal immigrants taking over an apartment complex in Aurora, Colorado, which has been refuted by city officials and police. He also brought up a bizarre, racist, debunked rumor that Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio have been killing and eating cats. 

One thing I found interesting that I haven’t seen many people touch on in post-debate analysis is how the two candidates talked about America. Harris gave many warnings about how the American people might suffer during a second Trump term, but not once did she go after the integrity of our great country or claim that it would only be great if she wins. Trump didn’t take the same approach. He said it “will be the end of our country” and that “this country doesn’t have a chance of success” if Harris wins. He absurdly claimed America is “a failing nation”, that “our country has gone to hell” and that through their immigration policies, Biden and Harris have “destroyed the fabric of our country.” 

At the end of the day, only one candidate on stage gave an optimistic, positive, fact-based vision for America. Harris wasn’t perfect last night and I would have appreciated more details on certain subjects, but she absolutely made the case as to why she deserves to be president. Trump lied, ranted about utter nonsense and aired his personal grievances. I think the choice in this election has never been more clear.

Please note that these views and opinions do not reflect those of The New Political.