The most consequential moment of the presidential debate on 10 September came towards the middle of the exchange, when Donald Trump was baited into recontesting the outcome of the 2020 election – and tripling down on the false claim that he won that contest. Kamala Harris responded with the most lethal barb of the night: “Donald Trump was fired by 81 million people, so let’s be clear about that, and clearly, he is having a very difficult time processing that.” The second most consequential moment – easier to miss and, indeed, overlooked by most pundits – came towards the beginning, when Harris cited the approval of Goldman Sachs as proof that her economic plans are sound.
The first moment perfectly captured why Harris won the debate. The second one could explain why she is still having trouble winning over working-class voters, and why the new centrism she’s pitching is focused on the wrong “centre”.
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