The first head-to-head matchup between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris was full of testy moments and colorful twists and turns.
Harris seemed to get under the ex-president’s skin by bringing up the size of his presidential rallies and tearing into the many legal cases against him.
In response, Trump dug at Harris for allowing millions of illegal migrants ‘eating dogs and cats’ into the country and claimed that President Joe Biden actually ‘hates her.’
Throughout the debate, the vice president continuously shook her head and smiled, at one time mouthing ‘that’s not true’ when Trump started talking about her being a ‘Marxist.’
Meanwhile, Trump scowled and looked down, sometimes interjecting during her allotted two minute response time as he spent the majority of the debate on the defensive.
Critics also slammed the ABC News moderators, who hosted the debate, for being ‘biased’ as they kept fact checking Trump, while letting Harris get away with her ‘lies.’
DailyMail.com breaks down analysis from top political experts who reveal the candidate that emerged victorious after the dramatic debate:
David Litt: Kamala Harris trounced Trump
Former President Obama’s top speechwriter David Litt told DailyMail.com that Democrats are cheering tonight.
‘Democrats like me were distraught after Trump beat Biden in the first debate. Tonight, we’re celebrating.’
‘Vice President Harris was poised, calm, and laid out a clear policy vision that resonated with undecided voters. Trump had one job – to tie Harris to Biden’s unpopular policies – and he apparently forgot the assignment.’
He commented on how Trump continue to ‘take the bait over and over’ which resulted in ‘rambling, whining answers that made him look confused and completely unfit to lead.’
‘If Donald Trump were a democrat and not a leader of a personality cult, his party would be talking about replacing him as its nominee after his disastrous performance in this debate.’
Jonathan Bronitsky: Both candidates showed up
Bronitsky, former chief speechwriter for Trump’s Attorney General Bill Barr and co-founder and CEO of ATHOS, said Harris did better than expected.
‘Both candidates showed up for the job,’ he told DailyMail.com.
‘Trump was disciplined, sticking to the issues. After a rocky start, Harris dispelled the notion that she’s entirely incapable of delivering a coherent, extended argument without a teleprompter.’
Bronitsky called it surprising that Harris was the candidate ‘interrupting and launching petty jabs.’
‘She hurled ad hominem attacks by proxy, like her mysterious, unnamed ‘military leaders’ calling Trump a ‘disgrace,” he went on.
But he said Trump had more ‘standout’ moments with his ‘cracker-barrel’ wit and prevailed over the VP.
‘He was on point, passionate, and genuinely ticked off about the country’s decline over the past four years. His frustration is certainly shared by countless fellow citizens.’
Joel Payne: That was a Trump ‘butt kicking’
Democratic strategist Joel Payne declared that Harris won by a landslide.
‘That was a straight up butt kicking,’ Payne told DailyMail.com. ‘Harris won that debate by three touchdowns.’
‘Winning debates don’t win you elections, but for the American people who are looking to learn more about Kamala Harris, she did very important work to educate the public about herself and about her vision.’
Payne similarly noted that Trump took ‘every bait’ by the vice president.
‘Trump was disheveled and rattled and took every bait she laid out.’
Max Burns: Not great for Trump’s campaign
MSNBC contributor and Democratic strategist Max Burns told DailyMail.com that Trump’s campaign is in trouble after the debate.
‘Tonight’s debate will be remembered for one thing: Donald Trump yelling that Haitians are eating America’s cats. That’s not the memory Trump’s campaign wants in voters’ heads as early voting begins.’
Alfredo Ortiz: Harris is trying to run from her record
The leader of conservative advocacy group the Job Creators Network said that the debate set up a ‘clear contrast’ between Trump and Harris.
He hit the vice president for going into the debate with ‘nothing but cliched talking points.’
‘Kamala ducked and dodged from her failed liberal record, flip-flopping on countless important issues. Kamala can run from her record but can’t hide from its results.’
During the debate, Trump brought up unfounded claims that illegal migrants in Ohio are ‘eating dogs and cats.’
‘They’re eating the pets of the people that live there,’ he said. ‘And this is what’s happening in our country, and it’s a shame… If she becomes president… we’ll end up being Venezuela on steroids.’
Harris simply replied with a laugh: ‘I mean, talk about extreme.’
Jessica Anderson: The ‘New Kamala’ refuses to be honest
Jessica Anderson, president of the conservative Sentinel Action Fund, told DailyMail.com that Kamala Harris was trying to ‘rewrite history on her support for the most fringe radical policies.’
She listed off the border and immigration, fracking and energy and Bidenomics as examples.
‘It’s clear she still refuses to be honest with the country about where she stands,’ Anderson went on, saying she isn’t ‘fooling voters.’
‘Four more years of Kamala with a Senate rubber stamp would continue more of the same chaos and destruction American families can’t afford.’