After the debate, Trump went to the spin room – Presidential candidates rarely if ever spin their own performances after leaving the stage, but Trump felt compelled to do so – and told reporters he won the debate while setting the stage to avoid another one. “I think it was the best debate that I’ve ever, personally,” he said. “Now she wants to do another one because she got beat tonight, but I don’t know if we’ll do another one.” “I thought it was a great night,” he added before complaining about the moderators, ABC News’s David Muir and Linsey Davis.
Did he and Kamala Harris participate in the same debate?
A flash poll by SSRS for CNN found that 63 percent of registered voters said Vice President Harris performed better than Trump. Only 37 percent said the same about Trump. More important, the debate did not appear to help the former president; his polling numbers remained almost the same pre- and post-debate, with 39 percent of respondents saying they viewed him favorably and 51 percent unfavorably. Harris. However, experienced an 18 percent rise from those who identified as political independents; her favorability rose from 30 percent before the debate to 48 percent after the debate. Why not? Harris demonstrated that she has a plan with specific elements. Trump at one point said he had “a concept” about a replacement for the Affordable Care Act.
As The New York Times put it, “In answer after answer, the former president reminded Americans of his role in so much of what many would rather forget: the deadly and devastating pandemic, his refusal to accept the results of the 2020 election, which was followed by a bloody siege on the U.S. Capitol, and the reversal of Roe v. Wade. He complained about his criminal charges and praised Viktor Orban, the antidemocratic leader of Hungary. He defended a false claim that migrants in Ohio are eating their neighbors’ dogs and cats and recycled years-old – and discredited – anti-abortion claims that Democrats support “execution after birth.” (Dog bites man is not news. Man bites dog is news. Man eats dog? Big fake news.)
Trump loves superlatives. “Probably the worst in our nation’s history,” he said of the Biden economy. “I created one of the greatest economies in the history of our country.” Exiting Afghanistan was “the worst withdrawal and in my opinion the most embarrassing moment in the history of our country.” “This is the most divisive presidency in the history of our country.” Biggest incredible rallies in the history of politics.” “I built one of the greatest economies in the history of the world.” That raises a question: Where does he get his information? His one-time economic advisor Gary Cohn said, “it’s worse than you can imagine…Trump won’t read anything – not one-page memos, not brief policy papers, nothing.”
Trump lied about issues large and small, from how tariffs work to immigrants eating people’s pets. I’m not suggesting that Harris always presented facts without bias, but Trump makes one outrageous claim after another, time and time again. For example, the moderator asked about Trump’s claim that the 2020 election was stolen, pointing out that the 60 plus lawsuits the Trump campaign filed were unsuccessful. Trump asserted that he had “proof” that it was stolen, but the judges dismissed his suits because Trump “did not have standing” to bring the suits. Not true; they were dismissed because no proof was ever offered.
But what I cannot understand is why Trump has a 20-point lead, 55 percent to 35 percent, on handling the economy among voters who watched the debate. There are many economic factors outside a presidential administration’s control, which makes it impossible to assert that Democratic or Republican administrations are wholly responsible for the job creation numbers during the years they presided. However, the data show that at least since 1945, Democratic presidents far outpaced Republican presidents on job creation.
There were seven presidents from each party between the end of World War II in 1945 and September 2024. During that period, when Democrats were in the White House, the economy created 88 million jobs; under Republican presidents, the economy created 32 million jobs. Democratic presidents presided over the creation of 73.2 percent of jobs, and 97.5 percent between 1989 and 2024.
At one point, Harris told viewers, “The one thing you will not hear him talk about is you. You will not hear him talk about your needs, your dreams and your desires, and I’ll tell you, I believe you deserve a president who actually puts you first, and I pledge to you that I will.”
We’re only weeks away from the election. It’s unlikely that Trump can expand his constituency, while Harris will continue to show undecided voters why she deserves their support.
Mark Berg is a community activist in Adams County and a proud Liberal. His email address is MABerg175@Comcast.net.