KAMALA Harris successfully got Donald Trump riled up during the presidential debate but her annoying habit will turn away voters, an expert has claimed.
Political presentation coach Graham Davies spoke exclusively to The U.S. Sun about the fiery 90-minute ABC debate in Philadelphia on Tuesday night.
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The presidential candidates touched on issues including immigration, race, foreign affairs, and the economy but the first punch landed before either candidate even started talking, Davies said.
When moderators David Muir and Linsey Davis welcomed Trump and Harris to the stage for a handshake, the vice president took the opportunity to “get on the front foot.”
Harris confidently walked over the stage towards Trump and his podium while he appeared to shuffle slowly, lingering on the sidelines while maintaining eye contact with his opponent at all times.
The vice president introduced herself as she shook his hand saying, “Let’s have a good debate” while the 78-year-old told her it was “nice to see you, have fun.”
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Debate night highlights…
- Donald Trump and Kamala Harris engaged in a fiery debate where, at times, the former president seemed enraged and frustrated.
- Vice President Harris tried to get under Trump’s skin by bringing up his ties to Project 2025, his criminal conviction in New York, his rally crowd sizes, and the various indictments he’s facing.
- Trump went off script when he repeated wild conspiracies about immigrants eating dogs and cats in Springfield, Ohio.
- “They’re eating the cats. They’re eating the pets of the people that live there,” Trump said as Harris laughed and shook her head.
- In one instance, Trump seemingly threw his running mate, JD Vance, under the bus and blamed him for miscommunication about his stance on a national abortion ban.
- Despite his subpar moments, Trump dubbed his performance “his best debate ever.”
- A Harris spokesperson called for a second debate in October.
‘HOSTILITIES’
“In every sense of this phrase, that was Harris very much getting on the front foot and trying to invade Trump’s territory,” Davies revealed.
“He’s not a hugely effusive shaker of hands in any situation, and although it could be conveyed as something positive from Harris, really it was the first step in hostilities.”
The vice president continually “baited” her rival during what Davies called the “most intense TV portrayal of a debate” due to the almost constant split screen showing both candidates.
“Rather than being a restrained, one-paced prosecution lawyer, she did indeed try to bait him and get under his skin,” the political presentation coach said.
He claimed the debate was a “definite Harris points win” as Trump reacted to her mockery and baiting in the way she had hoped.
This was most memorable when Trump went off script and touted wild conspiracies about immigrants eating dogs and cats in Springfield, Ohio.
Trump forced to share awkward handshake and tells Harris to ‘have fun’ after she walks over to his podium
“They’re eating the cats. They’re eating the pets of the people that live there,” Trump said as Harris laughed and shook her head.
“Talk about extreme,” she said with a smile of disbelief while the former president pouted.
The 59-year-old also launched a “big scripted thermonuclear attack” on Trump by inviting viewers to go to his “boring” rallies and witness people leaving early while the 45th president rambles about his own issues.
During the heated debate, Kamala took another jab at the former president by referring to his 2020 election loss.
“Donald Trump was fired by 81 million people, so let’s be clear about that, and clearly he is having a very difficult time processing that,” Harris commented.
The vice president continued to elaborate on her statement, claiming world leaders “are laughing at Donald Trump.”
As the remarks were made, Trump reacted by huffing in disbelief before fixing his composure.
‘BAD TRAITS’
While this “stopped [Trump] from being in control” and caused “the furious monster to leap out of his chest,” Davies issued a warning to Harris about a trait that could be costly.
This emerged numerous times throughout the debate and could push away voters no matter how much work she puts into debate preparations, Davies claimed.
Davies said the constant “rolling of eyes, and smirking and grinning and twitching was really rather annoying.”
While Harris was “clearly very carefully prepared,” and made sure her lines didn’t sound scripted, Davies, who has advised leaders in the UK on their public speaking, claimed she ignored her advisers with her facial tics.
“Facial expressions like that would have been things that her advisers would have advised against,” he said, adding that her dual habits of making mocking faces and giggling out loud while smirking are “deeply inappropriate.”
“Her facial expressions will have taken the shine of her verbal impact.”
‘CATS AND DOGS’
Ahead of any future debates, the public speaking expert advised Harris to “look into a mirror when she speaks, just to make sure she realizes how off-putting” her expressions are.
Meanwhile, the former president needs to focus on creating “memorable messages combined with legacy lines” and on not being “led astray” by Harris’ baiting and mocking tactics.
The Democratic nominee ensured she left a positive memorable message of “it’s time to turn the page, and there should be no turning back.”
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“Unfortunately the most memorable line from Donald Trump was about cats and dogs,” Davies concluded.
These will be issues that both candidates will have to focus on as the Harris campaign called for another debate next month, which Trump’s team said he was “absolutely” considering, per the New York Post.
Allan Lichtman’s 2024 presidential election prediction
Renowned historian Allan Lichtman has accurately predicted the outcomes of presidential elections since 1984 using his 13 Keys to the White House algorithm. The scholar has revealed who he thinks will be inaugurated as the 47th president in January next year based on his system of true and false statements.
If six or more statements go against the White House party, they are projected to lose the presidential election.
Midterm elections: The Democrats suffered losses in the 2022 House elections, meaning the key turns false. (Harris 0-1 Trump)
There is no primary contest: This key turns in favor of Harris because the Democrats got “smart” and rallied behind the vice president after Joe Biden ended his campaign, according to Lichtman. (Harris 1-1 Trump)
The sitting president is seeking another term: This turns false because Biden suspended his re-election campaign. (Harris 1-2 Trump)
There is no third-party challenger: This statement is true because third-party candidates like Robert F. Kennedy Jr. needed to poll at 10% nationally, according to Lichtman. (Harris 2-2 Trump)
The short-term economy is strong: This key goes in favor of the White House Party. (Harris 3-2 Trump)
The long-term economic growth has been as good as the last two terms: This key also swings toward Harris. (Harris 4-2 Trump)
The White House Party has made major national policy changes: This key is also true, according to Lichtman’s theory. (Harris 5-2 Trump)
There is sustained social unrest during the term: College campus demonstrations have erupted in reaction to the Gaza conflict, but no protests have broken out that threaten the fabric of society. This means the key goes in Harris’ column. (Harris 6-2 Trump)
The White House is untainted by scandal: Despite House Republican efforts to impeach Joe Biden, they have been unable to pin a scandal on him. (Harris 7-2 Trump)
The incumbent is charismatic: Harris is not considered a Ronald Reagan or Franklin D. Roosevelt-like figure so the key is false. (Harris 7-3 Trump)
The challenger is uncharismatic: This key goes in favor of the White House party – even though Trump is a showman. (Harris 8-3 Trump)
Lichtman warned that the two foreign policy keys – whether there has been a major success or no failure – could flip either way.
But, even if both statements flipped against Harris, Trump would not have enough keys in his column to win the election.
