Kamala Harris runs with platitudes

PHILADELPHIA. After the night’s televised duel, Donald Trump’s allies rushed to defend his performance.

Vice presidential candidate JD Vance, 40, was one of those who attacked Kamala Harris head-on.

– The Americans see through her, he told Aftonbladet.

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In front of millions of television viewers, Donald Trump and Kamala Harris met in a debate with sky-high stakes, which may determine the continuation of the electoral spurt.

During 90 intense minutes, harsh words, personal attacks and drama were dealt with, seasoned with a couple of unexpected laughs.

Afterward, allies of Trump and Harris flocked to a nearby press room with hundreds of journalists from around the world to highlight the efforts of their respective candidates.

Even a main character – Donald Trump, 78 – made an unexpected and triumphant entrance, and was quickly surrounded by an impenetrable wall of television cameras.

“Best debate ever”

According to a survey by CNN, viewers judged that Harris won the debate by far.
Something Trump did not agree with. In the group of reporters, he instead took the opportunity to emphasize that the moderators of the debate were “very unfair”.

– I think it was our best debate ever, Trump said.

Harris quickly challenged Trump to a second debate in the coming weeks, but Trump was unable to give a clear answer on whether he was interested in participating.

– She wants a second debate because she lost big tonight. So we’ll see, we’ll think about it, Trump replied.

On the side stood his son, Eric Trump, who was enthusiastically filming with his cellphone, along with other Republican heavyweights.

J D Vance’s boot to Harris

Aftonbladet had a chat with Trump’s own vice-presidential candidate, J D Vance, 40, who was pleased with the performance of his gunner. He avoided naming a specific favorite moment from the debate, but took the opportunity to give the rivals the boot.

– What really stood out to me is that Kamala Harris is a politician who only uses platitudes. If you examine the content of what she said, there is almost nothing of substance behind it, except for a slogan, he said.

– And most importantly: She cannot talk about her achievements. She has been vice president for 3.5 years and claims she has “a fantastic plan to lower food prices”. Then why doesn’t she try it? he continued.

Vance, a senator from Ohio and known for his book “Hillbilly elegy”, said that Harris, along with incumbent President Biden, is responsible for high housing prices and a lack of border protection with Mexico.

– Her entire track record in office is a failure. I want to hear about Kamala Harris’ successes, but unfortunately they are so few that she can only speak in platitudes. I think the American people are smart enough to see right through it, Vance told Aftonbladet.

Scaramucci: Harris was “presidential”

In a corner of the blue carpet stood Anthony “the Mooch” Scaramucci, 60, with a glittering brooch in the shape of the American flag on the lapel of his jacket. Once upon a time, he was Trump’s communications director in the White House, but only had eleven days in the post. Today, he is one of the most ardent critics of Trump.

Scaramucci told Aftonbladet that he thought Kamala Harris appeared “presidential” during the debate, while Trump appeared careless and uninformed. He had no substance, was “as deep as a contact lens”, and had only a superficial understanding of concrete issues.

Trump appeared clearly angry, Scaramucci said.

– He was crowded out when Harris said that “you are a joke to serious leaders of allied countries and an even bigger joke to the dictators of the world.” Both statements are true, and he couldn’t quite handle it.

The uproar after the debate

Matt Gaetz, 42-year-old Republican congressman from Florida, who prepared Trump for the tough questions of the debate, stood on the sidelines. The advisers had urged Trump to adopt a more upbeat tone, be “Trump happy” and focus on policy, rather than the aggressive tone he has displayed in the past.

Was it the happy or angry Trump we saw?

– I think this is an angry country right now, Gaetz told Aftonbladet.

– It is a country where things are going in the wrong direction. Showing up at an event like this with smiles and rainbows feels inauthentic.

Shortly after the debate came the next blow – a major setback for Trump.

Superstar Taylor Swift announced her support for Kamala Harris as a presidential candidate, something that could influence young voters to go to the polls in November.

Gaetz grins widely when asked if Swift’s endorsement could affect the outcome of the election.

– I love when liberals create my music and art – and conservatives create our laws and politics.