On September 11, from 9:00 to 10:45 Beijing time, the candidates for the United States presidential election - former U.S. President Trump and current Vice President Harris - held a televised debate for the U.S. election. This is also the first face-to-face confrontation between the two candidates.

Considering that the polling support rates of the two candidates were very close before the debate, their performance in this debate is likely to become an important factor affecting the balance in the minds of swing voters, and ultimately influencing the final result of the US election.

Although the scheduled debate time was 90 minutes, the debate lasted for over 100 minutes due to frequent interruptions and rebuttals from both candidates. Trump spoke for approximately 42 minutes and 52 seconds, while Harris spoke for approximately 37 minutes and 36 seconds.

In this debate, the two candidates discussed various issues such as the economy, abortion rights, immigration, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the Afghanistan issue, and climate change.

Compared to the debate with the 81-year-old Biden in June of this year, this debate with the 59-year-old Harris was undoubtedly much more pressure for Trump.

This point can be clearly seen from Trump's expression: during the June debate, whenever Biden spoke, Trump always had a mocking smile.

In today's debate, whenever Harris spoke to the camera, she appeared calm and composed, while Trump always had a serious expression.

So, specifically, how did the two candidates perform in this debate? In which direction will the balance of victory in this election tilt?

Comparison of the debate strategies of the two candidates

Overall, Trump's debate strategy is very similar to what it was in June: he uses a lot of exaggerated language to attack his opponent (even citing a lot of inaccurate data and false facts), and when faced with unfavorable topics, he chooses to change the subject or 'blame' his opponent.

For example, when the moderator asked about the January 6th Capitol riots, which obviously was not in Trump's favor, he immediately chose to change the subject by angrily criticizing the Democrats for their handling of immigration issues, leading to a border crisis, and so on.

And when the moderator repeated the question, he again shifted the blame to the then Speaker of the House, Democrat Nancy Pelosi, claiming that Pelosi should also be held responsible for the riots.

Harris' debate performance is clearly much stronger than that of President Biden in June. Compared to the 79-year-old Biden, who often spoke incoherently in the face of Trump's attacks in June, the 59-year-old Harris was able to respond calmly and repeatedly pointed out that Trump was speaking a 'pile of lies.'

Moreover, she can occasionally provoke Trump with comments like "Trump's rally supporters always leave early", which infuriates Trump and makes him angrily counterattack, appearing somewhat irrational.

According to Harris' debate assistant's comments, their provocative strategy has been hugely successful, with Trump "taking the bait" everywhere, and some of Trump's allies complain that they are frustrated by his repeated loss of composure in tonight's debate.

Moreover, Trump has been trying to link Harris to Biden and has made numerous accusations against the Biden-Harris administration, portraying the United States as a "failed nation":

"Remember, she is Biden. You know, she wants to distance herself from Biden. She says, 'I don't know this man.' She is Biden."

Harris, on the other hand, firmly distances herself from Biden. She points to herself with a smile and says, "Clearly, I am not Joe Biden, of course not Donald Trump. The leadership I offer to our country is that of a new generation."

Specific debate content

So, specifically, what specific governance plans did the two candidates outline?

Economically, Harris emphasized her "opportunity economy" plan and heavily promoted her proposals to make housing more affordable and expand child tax credits.

Trump argued that his tariff plan would help Americans. Trump also proposed imposing tariffs of 10% to 20% on most imports to the United States, excluding Chinese goods - tariffs on Chinese goods will reach 60%. According to the Peterson Institute for International Economics, this would cost Americans $2,600 per year.

2025 Project: After Harris accused Trump of being connected to the conservative policy roadmap 2025 Project, Trump distanced himself from the project.

Abortion issue: Trump defended his decision to support Florida's six-week abortion ban and emphasized his position that abortion should be a state matter.

Harris criticized Trump's abortion ban and said the former president "should not tell women how to treat their bodies."

Regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict: Harris stated that the war must end immediately to avoid further harm to innocent civilians, while Trump stated, "If I were president, the Russo-Ukrainian conflict and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict would not happen at all."

Regarding the Russo-Ukrainian conflict: Trump argued that he could "resolve" the conflict within 24 hours, but refused to disclose whether he wanted Ukraine to win. Harris, on the other hand, claimed that she would firmly support Ukraine, "If Trump were president, Putin would already be sitting in Kiev."

Medical care: Trump said he has a 'concept' plan to replace the Affordable Care Act, which is something he promised to do before. Harris responded that Trump has tried dozens of times to repeal the Affordable Care Act, and praised the Biden administration for its efforts to reduce prescription drug costs and limit insulin costs. She said that if she is elected president, she will strengthen the Affordable Care Act.

Race issues: When asked about his false accusations that Harris became black for political purposes, Trump said he 'couldn't care less' about his opponent's race. Harris called Trump's comments on her racial identity a 'tragedy' and criticized his record on race relations in America.

Closing Statement

In the final closing statement, Harris presented many bright visions, including protecting women's rights, protecting low- and middle-income earners, and protecting small and medium-sized businesses.

While almost all of Trump's closing statements attacked Harris: 'You have proposed so many bright visions, so why have you not accomplished anything in the three and a half years before you took office?'

Who won this debate

Shortly after the debate, both Harris and Trump seemed to claim victory in the debate.

Even before the debate was completely over, Trump's campaign team prematurely declared victory. Trump's senior advisers Chris Laskowit and Susie Wells believed that his performance was 'very good' and presented a 'bold vision for America'.

"We see President Trump explaining his bold vision for America, as well as how he will continue to consolidate the success of his first term, promote economic development, ensure border security, and stop crime from ravaging communities across the country."

Meanwhile, the Harris campaign team is calling for another round of debates after the debate ended.

"In the spotlight, the American people saw the choices they will face at the ballot box this fall: whether to move forward with Kamala Harris or to step back with Trump. That's what they saw tonight, and that's what they should see in the second debate in October. Vice President Harris is ready for the second debate. What about Donald Trump?"

However, considering that after the debate in June, the Trump team, who had the upper hand at the time, first proposed a second debate, the fact that the Harris team now proposes the second debate first seems to indicate that the latter has the upper hand in this debate.

Furthermore, based on feedback from voters, the majority of them believe that Harris performed better in this debate.

The Washington Post conducted a small-scale survey of undecided voters in 24 swing states, of which 22 believed that Harris performed better, while only 2 believed that Trump performed better.

Most respondents believed that Harris had clear thinking, professional performance, and successfully infuriated Trump, causing him to miss many opportunities to attack. Of course, some respondents also believed: "Harris didn't give a real answer to any questions in this debate."

Editor/Somer