I don’t think anyone so popular has ever imploded as drastically and in front of more people than one major politician did in front of my very own eyes.
If you didn’t hear somehow, there was a presidential campaign debate on Tuesday, September 10. Coming into it, expectations were high for both parties, the right was riding the success of the last debate, and the left was excited for their new candidate, a former prosecutor, to make her first debate appearance.
The debate was hosted on ABC, a relatively neutral ground for the two parties. ABC’s moderators established some basic and mutually agreed upon rules, most importantly that no notes or scripts were allowed and that they would fact-check the candidates live.
The tone of the debate was set before the conversation even started. After both candidates were introduced and walked to their respective podiums, not meeting in the middle and shaking hands, Kamala Harris walked over to Donald Trump’s podium and shook his hand. For years candidates have shaken each other’s hands before debates as a sign of mutual respect and understanding, but in this case Harris had to make the first move.
In the first minutes of the debate, everything felt relatively normal, until Harris brought up the comparatively small crowd sizes of Trump’s rallies. Trump then went on a tangent which would lead to most likely the most memorable moment of the debate. Trump made the claim that, “In Springfield they’re eating the dogs, the people that came in, they’re eating the cats, they’re eating, they’re eating the pets.” This is in reference to completely unfounded and disproven claims that Haitian immigrants are eating the pets of people in Springfield, Ohio.
The absurdity didn’t stop here, over the next hour everything would unravel for Trump.
While discussing their goals for the economy, Harris explained her plans for an ‘opportunity economy’, referencing that her specific policy plans were on her website. Trump, on the other hand, would state that he does not have a plan, but that he has “concepts of a plan.” Which is not exactly the most convincing of testimonies when you’re running to be in control of the largest economy on the globe.
Trump would also claim that Harris “wants to do transgender operations on illegal aliens that are in prison” which is not only a very bizarre statement, but also completely unfounded.
He would later claim that he has “nothing to do with Project 2025… I’m not going to read it” despite the fact that there is video evidence of him commending the foundation who wrote it and explaining his plans for it years before it happened. That’s not to mention that multiple of his former staffers wrote and are promoting the manifesto, including his current campaign press secretary, some of which Harris would point out.
By the end of the debate, Trump would emerge as the clear loser of the ordeal, and he would rescind any possibility of a second debate as a result. His on-stage implosion, while totally bizarre, surely made some memorable moments for the debate’s viewers.