Equally matched

US Vice President Kamala Harris of the Democratic Party and former President Donald Trump of the Republican Party ended their first live debate on September 11 (Vietnam time) at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Former US President Donald Trump (left) and Vice President Kamala Harris at a live debate in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on the evening of September 10, 2024. Photo: THX/TTXVN

This event is seen as an opportunity for former President Trump to reshape the race to the White House, while Vice President Harris can take advantage to continue to "heat up" her political sweet time after many weeks of impressive breakthroughs in public opinion polls. Like previous elections, the United States witnessed a tight, attractive race with many potential turns between the two presidential candidates representing the Democratic and Republican parties. Vice President Harris's luggage before entering the debate is the momentum that her campaign has gained since officially running for election. After the end of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, her campaign announced that it had raised more than 500 million USD. According to the results of a national survey recently released by the New York Times in collaboration with Siena College on September 8, the support rate for Mr. Trump is only 1% higher than Ms. Harris (48% - 47%). The results of many other polls also show that the two candidates are approximately 1-2 percentage points apart. With the survey results having an error of up to 3 percentage points, it can be said that both are in a "drawn-out" position. It is this tug-of-war that has forced them into a "boxing match" with the determination to create a difference to attract the support of voters, especially those who are still hesitant. As expected, the 90-minute debate between the two candidates was intense, revolving around many topics of national importance such as the economic situation, immigration, abortion issues, as well as foreign policy related to prominent security issues such as the Russia-Ukraine or Hamas-Israel conflicts. CNN host Chris Wallace commented that he "has never seen a debate as fierce as the confrontation in June between Mr. Trump and President Biden". Although he is an experienced speaker and is considered to have spoken for a longer time than his opponent, in this live debate, Mr. Trump did not seem to show much of that "experienced" factor. Even in the first part of the debate, Mr. Trump seemed to be somewhat overwhelmed by his opponent. As for the Democratic candidate, Ms. Harris appeared calm, well-prepared and proactively pressed, targeting a number of issues considered to be weaknesses in the former president's policies, such as mentioning the scale of Mr. Trump's election campaigns as well as listing a number of former officials who worked in the previous administration who "turned around". When she stepped onto the stage, she proactively went to shake hands with her opponent and often looked at Mr. Trump while speaking. Expert Nick Beauchamp, Associate Professor of Political Science at Northeastern University (USA), initially commented that Ms. Harris tried to create a difference between herself and President Biden and Mr. Trump. She then delved into the debate topics and related issues to force Mr. Trump to speak more and expose his flaws. As a result, Mr. Trump had to make an effort to counterattack and was reminded by the ABC News moderator at least three times for making statements that were considered untrue. However, that did not mean a victory for Ms. Harris in this confrontation round. Although not having the explosive style of previous presidential debates, candidate Trump still showed some flexibility in responding. He blamed President Joe Biden's administration for the unprecedented high inflation rate, criticized his stance on abortion and immigration policies as harmful to the United States. The former President also affirmed that his tax cut plan would help improve the face of the US economy.

Republican strategist Ron Bonjean said that although Ms. Harris was able to make former President Trump somewhat confused, it is still unclear whether the Democratic candidate can convince voters to make a final decision after this debate. Meanwhile, the Boston Globe assessed that although Vice President Harris has repeatedly affirmed her differences with current President Biden, she has not been able to make specific arguments to clarify that difference. According to this newspaper's assessment, through the debate, this female politician showed herself to be an "equal" opponent with Mr. Trump, not clearly superior. As for Mr. Trump, the Boston Globe assessed that the Republican candidate's debate performance was not bad but could not be considered good either. The level of influence of this debate is still a question mark, because in fact, many voters, even though they have not yet voted, have made their own choices. History has proven that not everyone who wins a debate is guaranteed a ticket to the White House. In 2016, Hillary Clinton was considered to win all three rounds against Trump, but ultimately lost the election. David Lazer, a political science professor at Northeastern University, commented: "I predict there will not be a major change in the voter vote." According to experts, although the debate cannot immediately change the direction of the election, this event has at least provided important insights into the views, style and strategy of the two candidates. However, with the characteristics of US presidential elections being predictable, potentially containing unexpected and unpredictable unknowns, regardless of the outcome of the debate between the two presidential candidates or which side the battle is leaning towards, the final answer will still only be available on the fateful day of November 5.

Phuong Oanh (Vietnam News Agency)

Source: https://baotintuc.vn/phan-tichnhan-dinh/ngang-tai-can-suc-20240911162605003.htm