Video clips of Vice President Kamala Harris approaching Donald Trump to shake his hand have gone viral online, with many people describing it as a “power move.” At the outset of their Philadelphia debate, Harris entered the stage and walked directly toward Mr. Trump with her hand out, a move it appeared he was not expecting. She introduced herself by name, shook the former President’s hand, and said, “Let’s have a good debate” before approaching her podium. It was the first time that Harris and Trump had met, and social media users said the Vice President took the opportunity to set the stage and let Trump know she was unintimidated by him or the historic event.
Millions of viewers around the world tuned in to watch the debate, where Trump accused Harris of seeking to turn the United States into a communist nation. He described the Vice President as a “Marxist” who would “destroy America.” Harris repeatedly smiled or frowned at Trump’s remarks and appeared to set traps for him by mocking the crowd sizes at his rallies.
One of the lower points for Trump, according to critics, was his insistence that Haitian migrants are “eating the dogs” in Springfield, Ohio. Moderators stepped in and said they had contacted the town manager of Springfield, who denied any such event had occurred. Rumors were spreading online immediately before the event that migrants in the Ohio town had stolen and eaten people’s pets, but mainstream news sources say Springfield officials have debunked the story.
Nevertheless, Trump managed to land some blows on the Vice President, and conservative commentator Jesse Watters said he delivered the night’s best lines. Watters said both candidates had fired up their base but declared that Trump was “not perfect.”
In the aftermath, Trump took to his Truth Social media platform and shared polls from voters who believed he had won the debate, whereas Harris shared her favored clips from the event. Among the footage the Vice President shared was her remarks on Trump’s rallies, where she described them as boring and said people regularly walked out. She invited people to attend the rallies and see for themselves.
