GOP consultant: Harris trounced Trump but left him an opening | Opinion

There is no credible way for Republicans to spin Tuesday night’s presidential debate on ABC. It was a train wreck for Donald Trump – a dumpster fire.

Trump needed to be disciplined. He needed to say what he would do to fix the economy, lower inflation and secure the border. He needed to make a compelling case to undecided voters that he is the better choice to be the commander-in-chief.

Instead, Trump catered to the base, engaged in fear tactics and grievance politics and even promoted a fake internet story about Haitian immigrants in Ohio abducting and eating pets.

Trump was awful.

With more than one-third of Americans in battleground states saying they don’t know what Harris stands for, the debate dubbed the “most consequential in American history” was an opportunity for Trump to define the race and reach voters who might tune in for the first time. Trump needed to be presidential. He failed.

From the onset, Kamala Harris had him playing defense. She trolled him, and he took the bait every single time. While Trump spent his time on rants (crowd sizes, weaponization of the Department of Justice, firing people), Harris spent her time connecting with voters, humanizing issues and talking about kitchen table problems.

Harris came off as strong, confident and in control. She was the adult in the room, and she proved to voters that she can do the job.

Although her policies would be a disaster, Harris proved to be a good storyteller and was able to effortlessly talk about her plans without going into any real details. She made compelling appeals to key election demographics and relied heavily on abortion as a wedge issue.

Although her policies would be a disaster, Harris proved to be a good storyteller and was able to effortlessly talk about her plans without going into any real details. She made compelling appeals to key election demographics and relied heavily on abortion as a wedge issue.

(Sidenote: Republicans will not attract voters with the incoherent message Trump gave on abortion. He could learn from former Gov. Nikki Haley , who did an excellent job in the GOP debates. He could also learn a lot from Rep. Nancy Mace .)

In short, Harris accomplished exactly what she needed to do.

Sure, it often felt like the ABC moderators were there to help Harris. They asked leading questions and, unlike the CNN moderators, chose to make themselves part of the story by fact-checking Trump and never fact-checking Harris.

But that is not why Trump lost the debate. He lost because he was unprepared and unfocused. He spent most of the night off message while Harris did a great job of making an attack and then pivoting to what she wanted to talk about. He also failed to spend any real time on the issues that matter, to offer a plan or to persuade undecided voters.

Americans want leadership and a vision – not a “concept for a plan.” Trump must have more of a message than the Biden-Harris administration has been a complete disaster and more than a reliance on a nostalgic memory of the good old days of when Trump was president. Everyone knows that past performance is no guarantee of future results.

Harris remains a bit of a chameleon. Most voters don’t know a whole lot about her, so they see what they want to see in her. That’s why some voters will ignore the fact that she sidesteps questions she doesn’t want to answer, flip-flops her positions on key issues and evades nearly all scrutiny of her record. But that is all part of her campaign strategy to run out the clock.

If someone is undecided, they are evaluating their options and looking for something else. Trump could still give it to them. He could lay out a real vision for America that unites people around a shared belief in the endless opportunities that are built upon a foundation of our rights, our individual liberties and our personal freedoms. He could share a plan that reignites the American spirit and harnesses the true greatness of America.

He has eight weeks.

Matt Wylie is a Republican political strategist and analyst who lives on Hilton Head Island. He has worked on federal, state and local campaigns.