Former President Donald Trump’s performance in Tuesday night’s debate against Vice President Kamala Harris was marked by a curious fixation on President Joe Biden, who was not present at the event. Despite facing off against Harris, Trump repeatedly brought up Biden, mentioning him by name 14 times and referencing him indirectly on several other occasions, according to ABC’s official transcript.
Trump’s inability to shift focus away from Biden highlighted his struggle to effectively target Harris as his opponent. The former president’s attacks on Biden were often disjointed and at times seemed out of place given the context of the debate. For instance, when asked about his plans to combat climate change, Trump veered off-topic to criticize Hunter Biden, the president’s son, over alleged business dealings in Ukraine and China.
The former president’s attacks on Biden were inconsistent and sometimes contradictory. At one point, Trump claimed that Biden “hates” Harris, while at another, he insisted that Harris “is Biden.” This lack of coherence in his criticisms underscored Trump’s difficulty in formulating a clear strategy against his actual opponent on the debate stage.
Harris, for her part, seemed prepared for Trump’s Biden-centric approach. She took the opportunity to distance herself from both Trump and Biden, emphasizing her own identity and vision for the future. In a notable moment, Harris felt compelled to remind viewers, “Clearly, I am not Joe Biden, and I am certainly not Donald Trump.”
Trump’s preoccupation with the past was another prominent feature of his debate performance. Despite months of Republican strategists urging him to move on from the 2020 election, Trump refused to acknowledge his loss when directly questioned by moderator David Muir. This backward-looking stance contrasted sharply with Harris’s message of looking to the future and “turning the page.”
The vice president consistently hammered home her theme of
representing a departure from the status quo, even as she currently holds office. She sought to position herself as a bridge between the current administration and a new direction, inviting those who may have been alienated by past events to join her campaign.
Trump’s performance also revealed ongoing tensions within the Republican Party regarding the 2020 election results. His refusal to concede defeat, even after months of legal challenges and recounts, stands at odds with the party’s attempts to move past the issue and focus on the upcoming election.
The debate highlighted the challenges Trump faces in adapting his campaign strategy to a new opponent. His tendency to revert to familiar talking points about Biden and the 2020 election may prove less effective against Harris, who can more easily distance herself from some of the criticisms leveled at the current administration.
Harris, meanwhile, appeared to capitalize on Trump’s Biden-centric approach by presenting herself as a distinct alternative to both the former and current presidents. Her message of moving forward and breaking from the past seemed designed to appeal to voters tired of the ongoing conflicts and controversies associated with both Trump and Biden.
As the campaign progresses, it remains to be seen whether Trump can adjust his strategy to more effectively target Harris, or if he will continue to focus primarily on Biden. The debate served as a clear illustration of the unique dynamics at play in this election cycle, where the incumbent president is not on the ballot, but remains a central figure in the campaign narrative.