This past week, millions of Americans turned on their TVs to witness history – the presidential debate. The debate started with something unusual in modern day – a handshake initiated by Vice President Kamala Harris. The candidates got right to it. Both candidates answered a series of questions.

Kamala Harris was prepped and ready to respond. She made her argument for a $6,000 infant tax credit, $50,000 in tax credits to cover start-up costs for new small businesses, and for abortion rights. Usually, I recommend against adding government and credit programs. I believe the national debt is a crucial element that, if not taken seriously, will cripple our economy. However, Vice President Harris argued well enough that adding these programs leaving Americans thinking that if we add debt, we might as well add it for the right reasons. In the 1980s, President Reagan increased the national debt by nearly $2 Trillion. But it was a concept strategy to weaken the Soviet Union’s pockets, and quite frankly, it did, and they fell apart. 

On the other hand, in this debate President Trump was on offense instead of defense. The point of a presidential debate is to debate on policy, the next four years, and what it means for the American People. Both candidates need to be on defense, defending their record and their ideas. Instead of answering policy-driven questions or proposing any policy, he just launched baseless attacks on Harris. Not one attack on Harris was policy-driven until the very end of the evening when, in his last sentence, he questioned what she did in the past four years. 

Worse, Trump’s so-called “highlight” drew attention for all the wrong reasons. Trump said immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, are “eating the dogs,” yes, dogs, as in the pet.  

Let’s elaborate here: the border is a mess, there have been three international conflicts, his opponent wasn’t well regarded only two months ago, it was almost unheard of that she would ever be president – and that’s the only attack Trump can think of? Why can’t he say anything he did as president?

 I’ll give him an idea: Operation Warp Speed, the economy pre-Covid, international PEACE; it’s not that hard. Trump was not focused. From the debate it is hard to say if he has a plan, or only whatever a “concept of a plan” means. 

In this debate, Harris was more focused, she debated on policy, her defenses were on point – and with that, Vice President Kamala Harris won the September 2024 presidential debate.