Debate 2024: Twitter Responses Flooding In

By Red Painter — September 11, 2024

Tonight was the first (and maybe only) debate between disgraced former President* Donald Trump and current badass Vice President Kamala Harris. The debate lasted just over 90 minutes and Trump spent his time wisely rambling about immigrants eating cats (lie), Democrats aborting babies after birth (also a lie), him actually winning the 2020 election (a total lie) and litany of other demonstrably false statements.

Harris dominated, baiting him repeatedly (crowd size was one of the best ones and she launched it pretty early in the debate). She was calm, strong, poised and had a positive vision for America. Trump had his usual doom and gloom about world war 3 and our country being a "failing nation."

TWITTER HAD LOTS OF THOUGHTS. Here are some of the best:

From start to end, Kamala Harris has just delivered what is easily one of the most successful Presidential debate performances in all of American history.

— Michael Beschloss (@BeschlossDC) September 11, 2024

Breaking:

The Harris campaign is calling for a second debate.

— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) September 11, 2024

Going into this debate, Donald Trump’s advisers were preoccupied with the issue of his lack of restraint. They anticipated Kamala Harris would try to rile him, and they wanted him to avoid taking the bait and getting thrown off his talking points. It seems they were unsuccessful.

— Olivia Nuzzi (@Olivianuzzi) September 11, 2024

This is the most brutal beatdown I’ve ever seen in a presidential debate.

— George Conway (@gtconway3d) September 11, 2024

My phone and my X mentions are being flooded by Trump supporters complaining about the debate.

I think they know he's losing. #Debate2024

— Frank Luntz (@FrankLuntz) September 11, 2024

One Republican source describes this debate in one word, "disaster."

Adding Trump was unprepared, ill tempered and overmatched tonight.

The source says the worst part is "it's all his fault."

— Kellie Meyer (@KellieMeyerNews) September 11, 2024

Just spoke with Lindsey Graham in the spin room he said the debate team
should be fired and Trump was unprepared. “disaster”

— Tim Miller (@Timodc) September 11, 2024

Harris led Trump around by the nose. It was really a classic cross examination of a hostile witness where you just lead them to say what you need them to say. Masterful.

— Elie Mystal (@ElieNYC) September 11, 2024

This is how you debate Trump - you confront him on his lies, bait him on his weak points, avoid following him down every rabbit hole/responding to every crazy utterance, and laugh off his obviously unhinged comments.

— Lis Smith (@Lis_Smith) September 11, 2024

And just moments after the debate ended, Taylor Swift entered the chat with her official endorsement. Which was then followed by this:

👀 on who's faving Taylor Swift's endorsement of Harris: Caitlin Clark, Selena Gomez, Jennifer Aniston, Mandy Moore, Andy Cohen, Jack Antonoff, Chrissy Teigen...

— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) September 11, 2024

There are 55 days until the election and a lot can change, but Trump looked like a defeated, crazy, angry old man on that stage. And optics are everything.