WASHINGTON: To many Democrats, Kamala Harris represented everything Joe Biden was not in confronting Donald Trump on the debate stage: forceful, nimble, and relentless in her attacks.
In stark contrast to Biden's debate struggles in June, Democrats who gathered in bars, watch parties, and other venues on Tuesday night found much to celebrate in Harris's aggressive approach to rattling her opponent. In a race for the White House that's exceptionally close, with both sides scrambling for an edge, it was the Democrats who emerged more energized after the nationally televised debate.
"She prosecuted Donald Trump tonight," said Alina Taylor, 51, a high school special education teacher who joined hundreds at the historically Black Salem Baptist Church of Abington in Philadelphia. They watched on a 33-foot screen. "As for Trump, I was appalled by his performance. People were laughing at him because he wasn't making much sense."
In Seattle, viewers at Massive, a queer nightclub, watched the debate projected in front of a large disco ball. The crowd erupted with laughter and cheers when Trump labeled Harris a Marxist and when the moderator challenged his false claim about states legalizing infanticide. "He's getting smoked," one attendee remarked.
However, in Brentwood, Tennessee, Sarah Frances Morris found little in the debate to sway her support for Trump. "I think he beat her on the border," she said. "He also presented more concrete plans, while Kamala Harris often talks about plans without elaborating on them."
Morris did acknowledge the historic nature of the debate. "We have our first Black woman running for president," she said, but added, "I don’t think she did enough to position herself as a strong contender."
Harris supporter Dushant Puri, 19, a UC Berkeley student, noted that the vice president made a strong impression from the outset when she crossed the stage to shake Trump's hand. "It was significant. It was their first interaction, and Harris was asserting herself."
At the same watch party, fellow student Angel Aldaco, 21, appreciated Harris’s clarity and preparation compared to Biden. He was particularly struck by one of the night's oddest moments Trump's bizarre endorsement of a conspiracy theory about immigrants eating pets. "Harris's incredulous reaction was good," Aldaco said.
While it's uncertain how much viewers learned about Harris’s presidential plans or whether she won over independents or wavering Republicans, many Democrats, previously disheartened by Biden’s performance, felt a renewed sense of hope. "Trump is pretty incapable when he’s rattled," said Ikenna Amilo, an accountant at a Democratic watch party in Portland, Maine. "Kamala showed she’s doing a good job."
Annetta Clark, 50, a Harris supporter from Vallejo, California, watched at a house party hosted by the Oakland Bay Area chapter of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women. She found the second presidential debate to be a relief compared to the first. "The first one was too much to stomach. This one, I could actually enjoy," Clark said. On Trump’s performance, she added, "It was like talking to a child. Harris did a fabulous job."
Democrat Natasha Salas, 63, from Highland, Indiana, attended an Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority watch party in Markham, Illinois. She welcomed Harris’s call for a reduction in political divisiveness, even as the vice president vigorously criticized Trump. "We all want the same things, Democrats and Republicans. We are more alike than different. I want to see the country move forward with less divisiveness."
Interest in the debate extended beyond U.S. borders. From a migrant shelter in Tijuana, Mexico, Rakan al Muhana, 40, an asylum-seeker from Gaza, became animated during discussions on Israel and Palestine. "We are running from the war," he said, referring to the conflict in Gaza. "He (Trump) doesn’t see us as human. For him, my four-month-old daughter is a terrorist." Al Muhana, who has been traveling with his family since his parents were killed in a bombing, has been on a four-month journey seeking refuge.