Trump vs. Harris: A Debate That Cemented, Rather Than Altered, the Political Course

Last night’s Trump vs. Harris debate felt like a return to normalcy, a striking contrast to the previous debate to involve Trump, only a few months ago. Unlike the seismic, disruptive quality of the moment, last night unfolded as one that largely reinforced an already established trajectory, rather than altering it. It marks a pivotal moment in this election season — yet not for its ability to change minds, but for its confirmation of a reality that has been steadily taking shape: Kamala Harris is rising, and Donald Trump feeding scraps to his base.

The Historical Significance of Debates

Since the very first televised debate — Kennedy v. Nixon 1960 — their significance has been, well, ‘debated’. The fact that it was on TV changed things forever, and, with the 1960 election being so close, it’s probably fair to say that debate did in fact have a major impact.

Since then, there have been hot moments. Even in the last few cycles, Obama’s unexpectedly poor performance in 2012, and Trump’s clinical delivery of “you’d be in jail” when Clinton expressed thanks that he wasn’t in charge of the country’s security. There were more, of course. When Bill Clinton felt the pain of an audience member talking about the economy in 1992; when…