Who won the debate? Well, Kamala Harris was the apparent winner of Monday’s presidential debate, and many believe Donald Trump played a significant role in that outcome.

In the hours following their fierce debate, political experts and public surveys overwhelmingly declared Harris the winner. According to a CNN survey of debate watchers, Harris won by a comfortable 63-37 majority, while a YouGov poll of registered voters showed her ahead 43-28. Even Fox News analysts, who frequently support Trump, said Harris had the best of the former president.

Harris expertly upset Trump, questioning him on his inflated rally sizes, while she and the moderators questioned several of his most outlandish statements. Though she didn’t go into detail on problems like immigration, Harris’ confidence was evident, and she left the platform beaming while Trump seemed visibly irritated.

To finish off the evening, pop sensation Taylor Swift backed her.

However, the question remains: Did Harris genuinely win the debate, or did Trump’s disintegration give her the victory?

Did Harris Win, or Did Trump Self-Destruct?

The experts are split on who won the debate. While many feel Kamala Harris took advantage of Trump’s flaws, others contend that Trump’s inability to remain on track was his undoing.

“Harris won the argument, and not simply by default,” said Tomeka M. Robinson, Hofstra University’s speech and public advocacy professor. She pointed out that, although Harris skillfully kept Trump off balance, the former president did himself no favors by avoiding policy conversations.

“Trump ought to focus more on his policy accomplishments rather than falling back on his harmful rhetoric about immigration and reproductive rights,” Robinson said. Trump had a brief triumph when he questioned Harris on the Biden administration’s decision to keep tariffs in place, but his overall presentation suffered from a lack of substantive emphasis.

Similarly, Tammy R. Vigil, a media professor at Boston University, observed that while Harris expertly elicited Trump’s emotional responses, she missed opportunities to expound on her own policy proposals. “Harris knows just what buttons to press,” Vigil added, “but Trump’s material rarely depends on facts, allowing Harris to outmaneuver him.”

Trump’s Anger and Incoherence Played into Harris’s Hands

By the conclusion of the debate, Trump seemed irritated and confused. His performance drew parallels to previous discussions, where his cool manner helped him keep control. But this time, Harris’ repeated jabs and needling appeared to put him off course.

Northeastern University political science professor Nick Beauchamp stated that Harris’ continuous pushing had a crucial part in Trump’s downfall. “Harris caused Trump to lose by provoking him into furious, illogical outbursts,” Beauchamp said. Rather than presenting herself in the best possible light, Harris concentrated on highlighting Trump’s flaws, which appeared to succeed.

However, other experts contend that determining who won the discussion is difficult since Trump’s unique manner frequently breaks the conventions of political discourse. According to Steven Fein, a psychology professor at Williams College, Trump’s erroneous assertions, such as those about infants being killed or immigrants devouring pets, do not appear to affect him in the eyes of certain people. When examining these two possibilities, Fein stated, “It’s like comparing apples to washing machines.” Harris’ policy specifics don’t appear to be as important when Trump works on a different level of political communication.”

A Debate That Wasn’t Really a Debate

In the end, the tumultuous tone of the debate led several experts to criticize the format itself. James M. Farrell, a professor of argumentation at the University of New Hampshire, said the night’s back-and-forth lacked substance. “Both sides used ad hominem attacks, fallacies, and strawman arguments. “It wasn’t a respectful debate about policy ideas,” Farrell explained.

As presidential debates become more like entertainment spectacles, people may ask if they are really useful. Farrell said, “These performances aren’t discussions in the conventional sense. They’re more like political play, in which spectacle takes precedence over content.”

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