Harris Baits Trump: Inside Their Fiery Debate
23Digest
This podcast delves into the first and possibly only presidential debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump. Jonathan Swan, a political correspondent for the New York Times, provides a detailed analysis of the debate, focusing on Harris's strategic approach and Trump's unraveling under pressure. Swan highlights how Harris successfully defined herself as a plausible president, while Trump failed to effectively attack her or hold her accountable for the Biden administration's record. The podcast also emphasizes the importance of fact-checking, with Susan Lee, a researcher and fact-checker for The Daily, explaining her role in ensuring the accuracy of the podcast's content. The transcript concludes with a brief summary of post-debate news, including Taylor Swift's endorsement of Kamala Harris and the European Union's rulings against Apple and Google.
Outlines
The Debate: A Missed Opportunity for Trump
This episode analyzes the first presidential debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, highlighting Harris's success in defining herself and exposing Trump's temperament. The debate is discussed in detail, focusing on Harris's strategic approach and Trump's unraveling under pressure.
Fact-Checking and the Importance of Accuracy
This segment delves into the importance of fact-checking in journalism and podcasting. Susan Lee, a researcher and fact-checker for The Daily, explains her role in ensuring the accuracy of the podcast's content, emphasizing the need to verify even seemingly trivial details.
Harris's Strategy and Trump's Unraveling
This segment continues the analysis of the debate, focusing on how Harris's strategy of getting under Trump's skin proved successful. Jonathan Swan describes how Trump's anger and frustration led him to make incoherent arguments and unsubstantiated claims.
Post-Debate News and Developments
This segment concludes the podcast with a brief summary of post-debate news, including Taylor Swift's endorsement of Kamala Harris and the European Union's rulings against Apple and Google.
Keywords
Presidential Debate
The first and possibly only presidential debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, analyzed by Jonathan Swan, a political correspondent for the New York Times.
Kamala Harris
The Democratic vice presidential nominee, who is analyzed for her performance in the debate and her strategic approach.
Donald Trump
The Republican president, who is analyzed for his performance in the debate and his tendency to make unsubstantiated claims.
Fact-Checking
The process of verifying the accuracy of information, emphasized by Susan Lee, a researcher and fact-checker for The Daily.
Plausibility Test
A test of whether a candidate is perceived as capable and qualified to be president, mentioned by Jonathan Swan in relation to Kamala Harris's performance in the debate.
Q&A
What was the main objective of the Trump campaign in the debate?
The Trump campaign aimed to force Kamala Harris to own her partnership with Joe Biden and the unpopular aspects of their record, particularly high prices, the situation at the southern border, and chaos around the world.
How did Kamala Harris respond to the question about whether Americans are better off now than they were four years ago?
Harris avoided directly answering the question, instead focusing on her own policy proposals and attacking Trump's economic record.
What was the turning point in the debate?
The turning point occurred when Trump was asked about abortion and struggled to articulate a coherent position, while Harris effectively used personal stories to highlight the issue's impact on women's lives.
How did Harris succeed in getting under Trump's skin?
Harris used strategic questioning, personal attacks, and subtle provocations to trigger Trump's anger and frustration, leading him to make incoherent arguments and unsubstantiated claims.
What was the significance of Trump's comments about Haitian migrants eating dogs and cats?
Trump's comments were based on a debunked Facebook rumor and were fact-checked during the debate, highlighting his tendency to spread misinformation and his willingness to engage in inflammatory rhetoric.
What was the overall impact of the debate on the race?
The debate was a missed opportunity for Trump to define Kamala Harris and potentially sway undecided voters. Harris, on the other hand, successfully presented herself as a plausible president and exposed Trump's temperament and tendency to make unsubstantiated claims.
Show Notes
In their first and possibly only presidential debate, Vice President Kamala Harris dominated and enraged former President Donald J. Trump.
Jonathan Swan, who covers politics and the Trump campaign for The Times, explains how a night that could have been about Ms. Harris’s record instead became about Mr. Trump’s temperament.
Guest: Jonathan Swan, a political correspondent for The New York Times.
Background reading:
- Read The Times’s live coverage of the debate as it happened.
- Who won? Here’s a sampling of the reaction.
- And here’s a fact-check on Mr. Trump and Ms. Harris.
For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.
Soon, you’ll need a subscription to keep full access to this show, and to other New York Times podcasts, on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Don’t miss out on exploring all of our shows, featuring everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts.
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