Kamala Harris Put Trump On His Back Foot, And 6 Other Takeaways From Their First Debate

Everyone who has observed former President Donald Trump in public life over the past decade seems to agree: He is his own worst enemy, and anyone hoping to get the better of him need only encourage his worst instincts.

When Trump is dwelling on the 2020 election, making outlandish claims or harping on personal grievances, he is not focusing on areas like the economy and immigration, where voters sometimes give him an advantage.

In a clear attempt to get Trump to go off-script before a national audience, Vice President Kamala Harris’s campaign tried to get him to agree to have his microphone unmuted during the two contenders’ ABC News debate on Tuesday — a change from Trump’s debate with President Joe Biden on June 27.

Harris did not succeed there — each candidate’s microphone would stay muted while the other was speaking — but she did find plenty of other ways to trigger Trump’s bad habits. On this score and several others, the debate was an indisputable success for Harris, who has sometimes faced doubts about her extemporaneous speaking abilities.

A turning point came close to the half-hour mark, when Harris laid a trap for Trump that he walked right into, predicting that he would bring up immigration unprompted throughout the debate and mocking him for holding rallies where he discusses fictional characters like Hannibal Lecter. She even said people leave his rallies early “out of exhaustion and boredom.”

“The one thing you will not hear him talk about is you,” she said, addressing viewers. “You will not hear him talk about your dreams and your needs and your desires. And I’ll tell you, I believe you deserve a president who actually puts you first.”

Trump could not resist the opportunity to defend the size of the