Kamala Harris (and Taylor Swift) vs Donald Trump: Who won?
Donald Trump promised world peace by January 6 if elected; Kamala Harris touted her middle-class upbringing then spoke of her hired nanny – and there was more fake news than you can throw a New York Times factchecker at.
It was the first Harris v Trump debate, and it certainly didn’t disappoint – at least from an entertainment perspective. But who won – if anyone? Leading crisis management expert Sally Branson shares her thoughts.
Debates have long been critical to political campaigns. A day is a long time in politics and a debate – well it’s the longest, shortest time ever. So little time, so many opportunities for error. I’ve stood in many a back room with my breath held for the entire debate. The famous Kennedy-Nixon debate is often used to teach new campaign staff about the power of image in politics. But it’s worth asking: What lasting impact will this debate have?
Ultimately, Trump supporters will likely think he won, while Harris supporters will think she did. But the real challenge is not just convincing undecided voters. In America, a debate needs to be compelling enough to motivate people to actually go out and vote.
For me, what stands out is the physicality of the events. It’s just as important as the spoken word, if not more so. So we have not actually come that far from Kennedy-Nixon. It’s about physicality on the whole, but whilst making sure you’re policy prepared. Increasingly, though, most voters see debates through social media. People see short video clips, memes, and simple graphics the most. This means candidates need to focus on how they look, how they move and on creating memorable one-liners. Sometimes, these short clips can overshadow the actual policy discussions. We saw this today in Harris’s very visual, camera-ready responses.
