Maroc - EURASIAREVIEW.COM - A la une - 12/Sep 23:25

Trump-Harris Debate Makes Little Impact: US Elections Remain Tight With Polling Numbers Hardly Moving – OpEd

By Harsh V. Pant For Democrats, Tuesday's US presidentialdebatewould have been a reprieve after the disastrous performance ofJoe Bidenin the last one. For Republicans, it would have allowed them to finally assessKamala Harrisas a candidate in her own right. For Americans, this would have been a moment of serious reflection on who would lead them for the next four years. And, for the rest of the world, we would get to see US democracy in action as it moves towards electing purportedly the most consequential global leader. In the end, however, the latest debate will be remembered for a bizarreDonald Trumprant about Haitian migrants in Springfield, Ohio, stealing pets and 'eating them' based on unsubstantiated claims. It also underscores how despite being termed as one of America's most consequential elections, the campaign continues to be about two personalities. Policy issues have remained largely marginal. Harris struggled to articulate an action plan for the economy, an issue on whichTrumpseems to have an advantage. Where she merely suggested that she has a plan and that Trump 'is more interested in defending himself than he is in looking out for you', the former prez targeted her for emulating his own policies. When asked about his plan to replace the Affordable Care Act a.k.a. Obamacare, he could only say that he had 'concepts of a plan' without giving out any specifics. When Harris targeted Trump on the issue of abortion, Trump ended up resorting to another of his bizarre claims that some babies were being subjected to 'executions' after birth. The two candidates focused on personal attacks, with Trump making a case that Harris is nothing but an extension of the Biden administration, and Harris returning the gesture by underlining that Trump remains an unserious leader not suited to the challenges of being US prez. Harris got under Trump's skin a few times, calling him 'weak' and 'wrong', and stating that US military leaders have called him a 'disgrace', and how turnout numbers at his rallies have been low. Trump seemed to have found his match in Harris. Unlike in his debates with Biden, he seemed to be on the defensive, often ranting his way out of a discussion. The world was also eagerly waiting for this debate to assess how the two candidates view the changing world order. But there was little serious debate on foreign policy issues. There was a complete absence of any plan to end the two wars in Europe and West Asia, or to manage the strategic competition with China. On Ukraine, Trump boasted about his ability to get a deal done even before taking over as the president, highlighting that he knows Putin 'very well' and that Russia wouldn't have gone into Ukraine if he was US president. Harris returned with the jibe: 'It is well-known that these dictators and autocrats are rooting for you to be president again because it is so clear they can manipulate you with flattery and favours.' Regarding the Israel-Hamas conflict, while Harris could only offer facile talk of a ceasefire deal, Trump could only manage to say that his opponent 'hates Israel' and 'hated the Arab population'. The one convergence of the evening was on China. Trump remained adamant about imposing 60% tariffs on Chinese goods. Harris accused Trump of 'selling American chips to China to help them improve and modernise their military' during his presidency. Making a case for additional duties on China, Trump suggested that 'other countries are going to finally, after 75 years, pay us back for all that we've done for the world, and thetariffwill be substantial'. He also stated - correctly - that the Biden administration kept most Trump-era tariffs, and, in fact, raised a few in critical sectors like semiconductors and EVs. Harris, for her part, made clear the difference between her and Trump's approach towards ensuring that the US 'wins the competition for the 21st century'. This, according to her, would require focusing on relationships with allies, and investing in American-based tech to 'win the race' on AI, quantum computing.... For all the sound and the fury surrounding the debate, the elections remain tight with polling numbers hardly moving. Harris certainly managed to make her presence felt on Tuesday. But on policies, people, Americans included, will still be trying to figure out how she or Trump intends to actually govern once in office. About the author: Professor Harsh V. Pant is Vice President – Studies and Foreign Policy at Observer Research Foundation, New Delhi.  This article was published at Observer Research Foundation and originally appeared in The Economic Times.