It started when they appeared in front of the public.
Vice President Kamala Harris walked across the stage to former President Donald Trump’s seat, extended her hand and introduced herself.
Trump, visibly stunned, shook her hand.
Harris’ assertive move set the tone for the next 90 minutes, during which Harris made her case for the country’s presidency with body language as well as words.
And during that period, she repeatedly got into Trump’s skin, prompting him to launch into angry tirades in which he struggled to stay on topic and sometimes lapsed into confusing anecdotes.
“They’re eating the dogs, the people that came in, they’re eating the cats. They’re eating, they’re eating the pets of the people that live there,” Trump said, referring to an unsubstantiated claim about Haitian immigrants in a response about immigration. “This is what’s happening in our country, and it’s a disgrace.”
Trump spent much of the night hunched over, hands on the podium, pensive. He didn’t look at Harris, even when he was making a pointed point about her, instead pointing a finger at his Democratic opponent without turning his head.
It was one of the most tangible signs that Trump was getting nervous during their first debate. It started with Trump getting straight to the point about one of his key campaign issues: the economy.
Harris would sometimes tilt or shake her head in disbelief, smile incredulously, and at one point look directly at Trump, placing her hand on her chin in an exaggerated gesture as if to indicate she was listening to a tall tale. Her expression became an instant meme on social media.
As Trump bragged about how he had won the 2020 election and received more votes than any other candidate, Harris responded that he had lost and had been fired by 81 million people.
“It’s clear he’s having a really hard time processing this,” she said.
Overall, Harris’ performance was a dramatic change from what Democrats saw from President Joe Biden in the June debate, which was roundly panned as a disaster for him and set off a party revolt that saw Biden withdraw from the 2024 election. Biden then repeatedly looked off-screen, appeared lost at times and occasionally struggled to finish a sentence.
It appeared that Harris had learned from that debate: that the cameras are always on and that body language was a crucial way to communicate with the audience. Harris’ decision to initiate the handshake, toward Trump, came after she, like other Democrats, watched Trump use his physical weight in a 2016 debate against Hillary Clinton to project dominance.
On several other occasions, Harris made a point of looking directly into the camera while giving her answers. It was her attempt to emphasize the message that Trump is also going to do it, and she was trying to turn the page.
But Trump also began giving roundabout answers — and became visibly agitated. That included when Harris rebuked Trump, saying that world leaders were laughing at him and America for ever taking him seriously. Trump then announced that he had the backing of Hungarian strongman Victor Orban.
Even some Republicans deplored Trump’s performance at the end of the debate. One Republican donor called him “wild, uncontrolled” and said Harris was adept at “pushing his buttons.”
“Trump is so angry that he can’t get his message across clearly,” said one Trump fundraiser. “She’s cool, calm, and can provoke him. I was tense when I heard it. On the other hand, everyone watching is stressed and angry. Maybe they can identify very well with Trump’s anger.”
A Republican aide gave a more nuanced response, saying Harris herself had not given clear answers.
“He is taking her bait – which is a missed opportunity, but she is not giving answers on lower prices and securing the border,” the person said.
Another Republican, however, said Harris’ facial expressions may have turned off some voters.
“Trump was strong and collected for the first 30 minutes. He let the moderators get under his skin for the next 30 minutes,” the person said. “Then came back strong after the commercial break. Kamala’s facial reactions in the split screen were off-putting.”
Trump also complained about the size of Harris’ rallies, accusing her of paying people to attend without providing evidence.
At one point, Trump looked up when Harris tried to speak into her microphone, which was on mute.
“I’m talking now,” Trump said, referring to what Harris said to then-Vice President Mike Pence during the 2020 election. “Sound familiar?”
A Democrat who was critical of Biden’s performance during the debate had a very different view of Harris.
“Kamala Harris is delivering perhaps the best performance by a Democratic presidential candidate since Bill Clinton. I’ve never seen Trump back down like that,” Democratic strategist Pete Giangreco said. “That was a real a– beating.”
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
