Kamala survived, and Trump underperformed. 

Trump had the opportunity to score a knockout blow, and he failed to do so. Kamala was faced with the danger of imploding, and she didn't. 

Obviously, the ABC moderators were in the tank for Kamala, but Trump could have taken a number of opportunities to stick a shiv in her, and he was too distracted by Kamala's rhetoric to do so. He defended himself rather than destroy Kamala. 

This was, in my judgment, a blown opportunity but not a disaster for Trump. Trump supporters won't leave with doubts about him, and undecideds learned relatively little about either candidate. What they did walk away with is a sense that Kamala Harris is sentient, and that is a big win for her with some people. But she didn't answer the big question: do you have policies that will make my life better. 

She didn't even try to explain it, and neither @DavidMuir or @LinseyDavis bothered to point it out or ask a follow-up. https://t.co/7NS1L72Kht

— Derek Hunter (@derekahunter) September 11, 2024

This election will be decided by people who are dissatisfied with the current state of the economy, and Trump has to reach those people. Harris managed to skate and present herself as an agent of change. 

Ben Shapiro hit the nail on the head: Trump could have and should have taken charge of this debate but didn't. Because he didn't Kamala is going to survive to challenge him again. That doesn't mean he is toast--he still is more likely to win than not. 

But Trump should have walked away with it and he didn't. So the race goes on. 

This debate won't matter. It was just eliminated as an inflection point. The American people still know nothing about Kamala Harris' positions. Donald Trump is still Donald Trump. And the legacy media are still a giant flaming dog turd.

— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) September 11, 2024

Kamala Harris' strategy was to lie, and the ABC "moderators" constantly challenged Trump on everything while they let Harris spew falsehoods all night long. 

My honest assessment?

Kamala was very prepared for this debate. She had her talking points and stuck to them. All of her answers came across as rehearsed. She was calmer than Trump, which could appeal to some of the undecided voters. She also made a point of looking at the…

— Zeek Arkham 🇺🇸 (@ZeekArkham) September 11, 2024

As usual, it was the media who were Trump's real opponent. Harris is a cipher, put there as an empty suit to do what the Establishment tells her. The media is the voice of that Establishment and carried her across the finish line. 

Real voters, not pundits, will decide who won. 

PA VOTER: "We've had both of the candidates in office before and we've gotten to see what they'd do. When facts come to facts, my life was better when Trump was in office." pic.twitter.com/7v6sssTW0b

— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) September 11, 2024

The irony is, for somebody like me trying to analyze the debate, is that the real debate will take place among people who are going to tell us what they think. Watch the memes, the analyses, the polls in a week, and we will really know whether or what the real effects of the debates will be. 

OK, obviously the 3-on-1 approach backed Trump into a corner, it made him righteously angry (as we all were) and most MAGAs are upset at how this made him look bad while they propped up Harris.

But please consider these questions:

1. For families who are economically…

— Cynical Publius (@CynicalPublius) September 11, 2024

Every time these things happen, it takes a while to sort out what real people think. What I, or ever Ed think doesn't matter. We are bloviating. Voters decide these things, not pundits. Pundits will spew positive or negative opinions, but voters decide what they think. 

Moderators Call Timeout To Huddle And Discuss Strategy With Kamala https://t.co/0BFGHjL0uJ pic.twitter.com/oNNRFkQIDC

— The Babylon Bee (@TheBabylonBee) September 11, 2024

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