United States | Lexington

Kamala Harris makes Donald Trump look out of his depth

The presidential debate was a success for the vice-president

Kamala Harris and Donald Trump arguing in a cloud of stars.
Illustration: David Simonds

It should have been Donald Trump’s moment to shine: 26 minutes into the former president’s debate with Vice-President Kamala Harris, a moderator asked her why the administration of President Joe Biden waited until “six months before the election” to act against illegal immigration. Ms Harris never got round to answering that question. Instead she talked about fighting people-smuggling as a prosecutor, accused Mr Trump of sinking a bipartisan bill to strengthen the border and, addressing those watching at home, urged them to attend a Trump rally: they would hear him spew grievances and strange tales, she said, and they would watch as bored people got up and left. “The one thing you will not hear him talk about is you,” she concluded.

Explore more

This article appeared in the United States section of the print edition under the headline “Harrised”

From the September 14th 2024 edition

Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents

Explore the edition

More from United States

Xiaohongshu And TikTok Logos

A protest against America’s TikTok ban is mired in contradiction

Another Chinese app is not the alternative some young Americans think it is

Joe Biden drives a machine that's rolling out a carpet of the US flag for Donald Trump to walk on

How Joe Biden wound up serving Donald Trump

In some ways, his administration will look less like an interregnum than like MAGA-lite


Kids skate at the Venice Skatepark in LA, which is covered in ashes as smoke rises from the Palisades Fire

How bad will the smoke be for Angelenos’ health?

Expect more sickness and disrupted schooling


Should you have to prove your age before watching porn?

America’s Supreme Court weighs a Texan law aimed at protecting kids

Tulsi Gabbard, Sean Penn and the hunt for an American hostage

A controversial trip to Syria in 2017 produced a possible sighting of Austin Tice, an imprisoned journalist

How flush Americans feel depends on their views of Donald Trump

Republicans expect a Trumponomics boom, Democrats dread a bust