Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump gave voters the clearest image yet of how their administrations will shape US foreign policy if they win the White House in November – and voters took notice. Millions of viewers tuned in from around the world to watch the duo spar in Pennsylvania, an important swing state, on Tuesday night for what may be the only debate between the two candidates. Harris immediately set the stage before the discussion began by walking over to Trump, who stands almost 20 centimeters (8 inches) taller than her, at the lectern and offering him a firm handshake – the first time the two have ever met in person.
Neither candidate laid out specific policy objectives for standing alongside Ukraine or other allies, instead offering starkly different perspectives on America’s role as the defender of democracy at home and abroad. But one candidate impressed voters.
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“I will get it settled before I even become president.”
Trump has claimed multiple times in the past that he could end Russia’s war in Ukraine quickly, without any proposed strategy. He was the first to respond to a question about the conflict during Tuesday’s debate.
“If I were president, it would have never started,” the Republican candidate claimed, emphasizing that he knows Russian President Vladimir Putin “very well.” He went on to say that “millions of people” have been killed in Ukraine “when you add it up… far worse than people understand what’s going on over there.”
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He pivoted to talking about Israel before repeating his promise about Ukraine. “I’ll get the war with Ukraine and Russia ended,” he said. His success would begin even before he was in the White House, he claimed. “If I’m President-Elect, I’ll get it done before even becoming president.”
Trump has consistently attacked NATO allies for not providing more money to the international security organization, and he continued his accusations on Tuesday. “Biden and you don’t have the courage to ask Europe like I did with NATO,” he said, adding unexplained promises to force member states to pay more.
He doubled down on his commitment to stop war in Ukraine at all costs, banking on his personal relationships to end the conflict. “I want to get the war settled,” he said. “I know Zelensky very well and I know Putin very well. I have a good relationship… they respect me. They don’t respect Biden.”
“I will get it settled before I even become president,” Trump claimed before returning to attacks on current President Joe Biden’s handling of the conflict. “We have a president that we don’t even know if he’s – where is our president? We don’t even know if he’s a president,” he asked.
The former President also implied that Harris had failed to stop the war in 2022. “They sent her to negotiate peace before the war even started. Three days later, he came in and began the war,” he falsely stated. The US was already convinced that Russia had committed to an invasion and Harris had been sent to brief Zelensky on various options. Harris never met Putin.
“That’s why Russia attacked Ukraine,” Trump added. “Because they saw how incompetent she and her boss are.”
“If Donald Trump were president, Putin would be sitting in Kyiv right now.”
The Vice President, attempting to draw a contrast between herself and her opponent, emphasized her long track record of supporting Ukraine and standing up to dictators like Putin. “It’s important to remind the former President you’re not running against Joe Biden, you’re running against me,” she said. “I believe the reason that Donald Trump says that this war would be over within 24 hours is because he would just give it [Ukraine] up.”
Harris defended her administration’s contributions to protecting Ukraine and keeping Russia at bay before the full-scale invasion. “I met with President Zelensky. I shared with him American intelligence about how he could defend himself,” she recalled. “Days later I went to NATO’s eastern flank, to Poland and Romania. And through the work that I and others did, we brought 50 countries together to support Ukraine in its righteous defense.”
She emphasized that American support, largely under Biden, has been a key to Ukraine’s survival for years. “Because of our support, because of the air defense, the ammunition, the artillery, the javelins, the Abrams tanks that we have provided, Ukraine stands as an independent and free country.”
The Democratic candidate made sure voters understood Trump’s approach to resolving the conflict. “It is well known that he admires dictators, wants to be a dictator on day one according to himself,” she said. “It is well known that he said of Putin that he can do whatever the hell he wants and go into Ukraine. It is well known when that he said when Russia went into Ukraine it was brilliant.”
Trump’s end to the war would not be favorable to Ukrainians or NATO allies, she emphasized. “If Donald Trump were president, Putin would be sitting in Kyiv right now,” she claimed, using the opportunity to lay out the consequences on foreign policy of another Trump administration.
“Understand what that would mean. Because Putin’s agenda is not just about Ukraine. Understand why the European allies and our NATO allies are so thankful that you are no longer president and that we understand the importance of the greatest military alliance the world has ever known, which is NATO.” The situation is dire, she said. “Putin would be sitting in Kyiv with his eyes on the rest of Europe. Starting with Poland,” she added.
Eventually moderator David Muir pressed Trump: “Do you believe it is in the US’s best interests for Ukraine to win the war? Yes or no.” The former President replied only, “I think it’s in the US best interest to just get this finished, just get it done.”
In contrast to Trump’s policy to negotiate an end to the war immediately, Harris took the position that America was fully invested in Ukraine, and in successfully defending against Putin’s attack on democracy in Europe.
Given the opportunity for the last word on the topic, Trump offered a somewhat disjointed and unclear rebuttal, saying that if he were president, “Putin would be sitting in Moscow, much happier than he is right now.” He immediately added a nuclear fearmongering trope used earlier in the debate and frequently used by Putin’s assets. “But he does have nuclear weapons... Maybe he’ll use them... Nobody talks about that.”
A big win for Harris
Shortly after the debate concluded, voters polled on their opinions about the performance of the candidates clearly showed a victor. Harris, still making her political debut for many Americans who were not familiar with her background just a few months ago, was able to rile Trump multiple times, getting in her own memorable soundbites. A quick poll by CNN/SRRS immediately after the event found that 63 percent of watchers felt the Democratic candidate had a more convincing performance. Of Democratic voters, 96 percent agreed Harris had won, while about 30 percent of Republican voters thought the same.
Before the debate, the two candidates were polling neck to neck, according to a recent New York Times/Ipsos poll. Trump’s bump in popularity among voters after the assassination attempt in June was quickly overcome by Harris’ boost after she clinched the nomination in July, but both candidates’ popularity appeared to even out by last month. Overall polling numbers still predict a very tight race in November.
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