In the spin room at the Harris-Trump debate, I witnessed the strangest moments in my political career

Donald Trump had three opponents onstage Tuesdayat the presidential debate in Philadelphia — at least, that’s what his campaign would have you believe.

Before the two candidates had finished their closing statements in front of the ABC moderators, there was already murmuring in the so-called “spin room” that the Republican candidate would demand another try. It was a sign of the battering he took from his opponent on issues like abortion rights, January 6, and his penchant for personal attacks and showmanship over substance.

As the surrogates for Trump and Harris filed in, it became clear that a familiar song-and-dance was going to play out, with Republicans attacking the media for conducting fact-checks during the debate. But it seemed as if even the Trump campaign and Republican National Committee (RNC) officials present knew that the narrative of the night was going to be about their candidate’sinability to land any serious policy-related hits.

Before the cameras arrived, the Trump campaign had announced that his running mate JD Vance would serve as their top surrogate for the evening. That ended up being thrown to the wayside: Vance spoke to reporters for a few minutes before hopping on TV for an interview, only to be overshadowed minutes later by the arrival of Trump himself.

Candidates themselves almost never emerge in the spin rooms, with the exception of primary debates. But Trump gaggled with journalists for about 20 minutes before disappearing behind the curtains, flanked by rifle-bearing security.

In that gaggle occurred possibly one of the most stunning moments of the campaign — after defending his performance, Trump came face-to-face with New York City Councilman Yusef Salaam, none other than a member of the