The Palm Beach Post, Donald Trump’s local newspaper, wrote a scathing review of the former President’s performance in the highly anticipated debate against Kamala Harris. The paper declared Harris the winner and stated that Americans had the opportunity to witness candidates offering “two very distinct visions” of the future. An op-ed, published the morning after the Philadelphia event, declared that Taylor Swift’s endorsement, which came immediately after the debate, was the “cherry on top” for the Vice President.
The strongly pro-Harris piece described her as the commander of the stage and praised her for looking directly at the camera to address the American people. “In essence, she made her opponent look small,” it determined.
Addressing Trump’s perceived shortcomings, the op-ed pointed to missed opportunities and failure to hold Harris’s feet to the fire on issues such as immigration and inflation. Trump’s refusal to answer a question on a federal abortion ban into law was also condemned.
Several Republican lawmakers and commentators likewise called the debate for Harris, with many criticizing Trump for failing to keep his cool when the Vice President baited him. Former Republican Presidential primary contender Chris Christie said Harris laid traps for Trump, and he fell for them every time.
Former GOP Lieutenant Governor of Georgia Geoff Duncan, who had already declared his support for the Vice President, said Trump had a bad night and caused immense damage to his campaign by refusing to say if he wants Ukraine to win the war against Russia.
More worryingly for Mr. Trump, his new ally Robert F. Kennedy also stated that Harris was the evening’s victor. “Vice President Harris clearly won,” he said. Kennedy described Harris as superior in style, delivery, and preparation, but contended that Trump still has the better policies. However, he concluded that the former President had failed to communicate those policies to the American public, and had lost an extraordinary opportunity because he became distracted by issues such as crowd size or the 2020 election.
Meanwhile, a number of Trump allies fiercely condemned the ABC moderators for exhibiting what they believed was a clear bias in favor of the Vice President.
