The inaugural presidential debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump was chaotic, resembling a free-for-all where moderators faded into the background and established rules were disregarded, although a few blatant falsehoods were addressed.

This description might imply that it was more orderly than it actually was. In reality, Harris attacked Trump on issues that clearly troubled him, and he lost his composure. “He took all the bait and missed all the chances,” stated Dana Perino of Fox News afterward.

Jake Tapper concurred with this viewpoint and elaborated.

Who Came Out on Top in the Harris-Trump Debate?

“He swallowed the bait nearly every time, if not always,” Tapper remarked. “He referred to Fox News personalities as fact-checkers, and he even cited Hungarian leader Viktor Orbán as a character reference.

“It was like watching a 4chan thread come alive.”

While you may be frustrated by the political landscape, the spectacle was captivating television.

From the outset, as moderators David Muir and Linsey Davis of ABC News introduced the candidates, Trump appeared disinterested in greeting anyone. Harris walked over and shook his hand, introducing herself, as they had famously never met before (Trump had skipped the 2021 inauguration).

From that moment, she dominated the debate.

The moderators, on the other hand, had a less impactful role. Davis finally addressed Trump’s repeated false claim about Democrats supporting post-birth abortions—about time someone did! After Trump echoed the abhorrent and racist stereotype that Haitian immigrants consume pets in Ohio, Muir challenged him.

However, Trump contested him, referencing things he claimed to have seen on television. The agreed-upon rules stated that one candidate’s microphone would be muted while the other spoke, but Trump often began speaking again after Harris answered, and they turned his microphone back on. This effectively allowed him to deliver numerous rebuttals and stalled the debate.

On the contrary, nearly every time this occurred, Trump found himself further entangled in lies and inaccuracies. As Tapper suggested, “Before the debate, Trump supporters were hopeful that he would concentrate on issues like inflation and immigration. However, that seemed challenging for Donald Trump.”

Shocking, isn’t it? He couldn’t seem to control himself. The entire debate demonstrated a lack of self-regulation. Harris kept him defensive from the get-go, and he failed to provide anything more than what has become recognized as his typical responses. When given an opportunity to clarify, he reaffirmed his misleading narrative about a rigged 2020 election.

Regarding President Joe Biden’s retreat from the political race, he mentioned, “They kicked him out of the campaign like a dog.” Given the course of events, the only surprise was that he didn’t assert that Haitian immigrants had devoured him.

Trump’s Statements Were ‘Disconnected from Reality’

CNN’s fact-checker Daniel Dale labeled many of Trump’s false statements as “disconnected from reality.”

“I believe many Americans think politicians, in general, are dishonest,” Dale commented. “However, no major presidential candidate before Trump has lied with this level of frequency. A significant portion of what he claimed was simply incorrect.”

Each candidate largely avoided addressing the posed questions, which is a common strategy; Harris transformed most of her responses into campaign slogans, while Trump turned far too many of his into falsehoods. Throughout, Harris continually riled him up.

“Ultimately, we knew what we suspected going in, that ABC’s intention tonight was to assist Kamala Harris, and they did just that,” Laura Ingraham remarked on Fox News. That’s one interpretation. CNN’s Van Jones had a different view.

“She thoroughly defeated him,” Jones stated. “She put the bully in his place, which was beneficial for every parent in America.”

A well-known pop star also seemed to share this sentiment. Shortly after the debate, Taylor Swift endorsed Harris, captioning her Instagram post with “Childless Cat Lady,” referencing a remark made by Trump’s running mate, JD Vance.

It felt like a fitting conclusion to an outrageous evening. What more could occur? We may not want to find out.

Contact Goodykoontz at bill.goodykoontz@arizonarepublic.com. Follow on Facebook: facebook.com/GoodyOnFilm. X: @goodyk.