Debate reaction rolls in

AP:

Kamala Harris pressed a forceful case against Donald Trump on Tuesday in their first and perhaps only debate before the presidential election, repeatedly goading him in an event that showcased their starkly different visions for the country on abortion, immigration and American democracy.

Less than two months from Election Day and hours before the first early ballots began to be mailed today in Alabama, the debate offered the clearest look yet at a presidential race that has been repeatedly upended.

For Harris and Trump, facial expressions did much of the talking during their debate

Kamala Harris and Donald Trump said as much with their faces as they did with their words during Tuesday’s debate.

With their microphones muted unless it was their turn to speak, according to the debate rules, body language took on outsized importance for Harris and Trump.

Harris in particular leaned into the nonverbal communication, keenly aware that her every reaction was being broadcast to the world, “speaking” to the audience even while Trump ostensibly had the floor. Networks showed a split screen with both candidates for most of the debate.

NONVERBAL CUES

At various points she looked amused or befuddled by whatever Trump was saying, as if wordlessly saying he was lying. A few times, she dramatically put her fingers under her chin, eyes wide, head tilted. Other times she laughed.

Trump sometimes scowled, sometimes smiled curtly. His eyes flashed anger or annoyance, perhaps even boredom at times. He rarely looked at Harris while she spoke, instead pointing his face forward toward the cameras or ABC News moderators.

On his social media site Wednesday, Trump seemed to brush aside the idea of a second debate and professed success, likening Harris to a fighter “who gets knocked out”.

“In the World of Boxing or UFC, when a Fighter gets beaten or knocked out, they get up and scream, ‘I DEMAND A REMATCH, I DEMAND A REMATCH!’ Well, it’s no different with a Debate,” he said.

Trump said Harris “was beaten badly last night” and asked “so why would I do a Rematch?”

About six in 10 debate watchers said Harris outperformed Trump in Tuesday’s presidential debate, while about four in 10 said Trump did a better job, according to a flash poll conducted by CNN, with Harris exceeding debate watchers’ expectations. Before the debate, the same voters were evenly split on whether Trump or Harris would win.

The vast majority of debate watchers – who, importantly, do not reflect the views of the full voting public – also said, though, that the debate wouldn’t affect their vote. And perceptions of the two candidates remain largely unchanged. Views of Trump – whether positive or negative – didn’t shift meaningfully before and after the debate, while Harris received a slight bump in the share of people who view her favourably after the debate.

Similar to pre-debate polling, the poll found that Harris left the debate with higher trust in her ability to handle abortion and protecting democracy, while Trump maintained an advantage on the economy and immigration.