The Squiz 

With just 8 weeks until Americans vote for their next president, the campaign’s battle lines were made clear in a spicy debate between former President Donald Trump and current Vice President Kamala Harris. In the blue corner, Harris showed she could get under Trump’s skin with jibes about his criminal conviction and small crowds at his rallies. And in the red corner, Trump hit on her record in the White House, sheeting home responsibility for high inflation and surges in illegal immigration. The pundits reckon identifying the winner was a challenge. Reports say polls of the debate point to Harris as the better performer, but with the candidates neck and neck in election polls, the November ballot is still anyone’s to win/lose. 

Gimme the details

The 90 minutes of debate started with a handshake – a debate first since 2016 – where pleasantries were exchanged. From there, a lot of ground was covered with both candidates having some shaky moments… Analysts reckon Harris had a nervous start but improved as the debate went on, while Trump “chased every rabbit down every hole” when baited. Trump pushed Harris over her flip-flopping views on fracking, “radical left” ideology, and the Biden administration’s failure to improve the US. In response, Harris attacked Trump’s unclear stance on abortion, criminal indictments, and links to Project 2025. In their closing statements, Harris focused on uniting Americans and looking to the future, while Trump asked why Harris had failed to implement the policies she now advocates for.

What happens next?

Reports said this could be their only debate, but it seems both candidates are up for a second round, potentially later this month/early October. Another thing to note: straight after the debate, megastar Taylor Swift made her position clear after a lot of speculation – she’s backed Harris in an Instagram post featuring a photo with her cat in a clap back at Trump’s running mate JD Vance’s attack on “childless cat ladies”. But it’s not all about celebrity endorsements – it’s the 7 swing states that will likely decide the outcome. Cue breathless anticipation for the post-debate polls…