She made a strong impression even though she dodged some questions. Trump was Trump. He never looked at Harris and showed enormous contempt.
Goldford, who is a professor emeritus of political science at Drake University in Des Moines, says that Donald Trump's focus was primarily on the base of loyal so-called Maga Republicans.
Unlike Harris, he didn't try to reach out to the political center. He went deep and she went broad, so to speak. He played on people's fears, she talked about hope.
Aggressive and prepared
Valexpert Robert Speel at Penn State Erie in Pennsylvania also thinks that the vice president made a strong impression.
She was more aggressive towards Trump than I expected, he says.
The contrast was enormous compared to the fateful debate between President Joe Biden and Donald Trump last summer. Then, Democrat Biden seemed confused and aged. Tonight, his party colleague made an engaged impression.
She came well-prepared and seemed really sharp, says Robert Speel.
Even Fox News, the TV channel that is well-disposed towards Trump, says that Kamala Harris did better in the debate. And if Fox News says so, you can probably assume that it will be the general opinion, reasons Speel.
In terms of content, Dennis Goldford believes that Harris' claim that Trump admires dictators can take hold among some middle-of-the-road voters. Trump, on the other hand, constantly returned to dark messages about a country in decline and illegal immigration, which usually resonates with his supporters.
Change of opinion?
The former president also made a number of false claims, and the moderators were forced to intervene with facts about what is true on several occasions.
It will probably provoke anger and outrage among those who support Trump, who can see it as the moderators being on "Harris' side", believes Robert Speel. On the other hand, he believes that the group of independent middle-of-the-road voters who have not yet decided who to vote for may lean more towards Harris after the debate.
Some may not have liked that he had such a pessimistic view of the USA. He said that the USA is "a dying country in decline", says Robert Speel.
Dennis Goldford says that Harris still has a tough task in presenting herself to her fellow citizens.
My impression is that she wanted to convince people that she is not a left-wing radical and that she really cares about Americans. And she smiled a lot, even when she (verbally) stabbed him.
