Some Republican officials, donors and advisers say Donald Trump’s debate with Kamala Harris was not a good one, even as Trump praised his performance. Trump told “Fox & Friends” on Wednesday that the debate was one of his best, perhaps his best, suggesting he was reluctant to debate again after such a remarkable night. In Tuesday’s presidential debate, Harris, 59, put Donald Trump, 78, on the defensive with attacks on his fitness and legal troubles.
The election is Nov. 5. Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, a prominent Trump ally, called Trump’s performance abysmal and a “missed opportunity,” as he failed to focus and missed opportunities to promote his record. Chris Christie, a former Trump ally turned critic who is running against him in the 2024 Republican presidential primary, said Harris was “fantastically” prepared while Trump was not. “The person who did the debate preparation for Donald Trump should be fired,” Christie, who helped Trump prepare the debate in the 2016 election cycle, told ABC News.
“He was not good at all tonight.” The Trump campaign did not respond to a request for comment on whether there would be a change to Trump’s debate team. With the election eight weeks away and early voting days away in some states, the debate offered a rare opportunity to face tens of millions of viewers on television. The Trump-Harris debate on ABC News drew 67.1 million viewers, surpassing Trump’s debate with Biden, which drew 51 million, Nielsen data showed. The full figure, however, does not reflect online viewership, which has surged as traditional television audiences have declined. Six Republican donors and three Trump advisers said Harris won the debate because Trump couldn’t concentrate.
Trump and a false and insulting claim about immigrants in Ohio
Trump has raised concerns by amplifying a lie about Haitian immigrants in Springfield. Two Trump advisers have questioned the debate’s impact on the polls. Among undecided voters, six said they were leaning toward Trump, three backed Harris, and one was undecided. In response,
the Harris campaign challenged Trump to a second debate in October. Two donors expressed skepticism about a second debate, while two others believed Trump needed it to regain momentum. Donor Bill Penn said Trump’s performance was less than expected, while Harris’ was better, and he hoped for a second debate.
Haitian Americans said they feared for their safety after Trump repeated a false and insulting claim about immigrants in Ohio during the presidential debate. Haitian community leaders in the United States said Trump’s comments about immigrants eating pets could endanger lives and increase tensions in Springfield, Ohio. There, Haitian arrivals have boosted the local economy but strained the safety net. “We have to be careful where we go,” said Phyllis Dorsainville, 38, who says the Haitian community center he heads in Springfield has received threatening phone calls.
He said the hostility has prompted a friend who works at an Amazon warehouse to consider leaving. “He said things are out of control now; the way people are treating us, making bad comments about us,” Dorsainville said. Trump’s Tuesday statement that “they eat the dogs and the people who came, they eat the cats” is the latest in a long line of falsehoods about immigrants that have defined his political career. It follows a similar false claim that his running mate, U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio, spread on social media about new Springfield residents.
Some Frustrated in Western Ohio City
City officials said there have been no credible reports of pets being eaten. Karen Graves, a city spokeswoman, said she was not aware of hate crimes against Haitian residents, but some have been subjected to “opportunity” crimes, such as theft of property. The New York Times reported that some Haitian families in Springfield are keeping their children from school. Others have reported being bullied, assaulted and intimidated outside their homes, amid racist rhetoric on social media. The falsehood has fed the frustration of some in the western Ohio city, who say the 15,000 Haitians who have arrived in recent years to boost the city’s economy have also strained limited resources at local schools and health clinics, leading to higher rents. Tensions have been high since a Haitian driving without an Ohio license crashed into a school bus in 2023, killing 11-year-old Eden Clark and injuring 26 other children. A white supremacist was ejected from a council meeting last month for making threatening remarks about Haitian immigrants. Elon Musk amplified the lie on his platform ahead of the debate, and Jerlene Joseph of the Haitian Bridge Alliance said she tried to debunk the rumor, saying, “When Trump mentioned it, my heart dropped to the ground.”
Trump’s comments brought back painful memories for Taysha Santel of being taunted at school. About 1.1 million Haitian Americans live in the United States, half of them immigrants, with many moving to new states to find work. Most Haitian immigrants are in country legally, working in warehouses and factories and opening restaurants and grocery stores, Springfield officials said. City Manager Brian Heck said the challenges are population growth. Republican strategist Mike Madrid said Trump’s comments could galvanize his supporters and target angry white voters. But Haitian American leaders have warned that the strategy could spark violence.
