911 eases trump harris clash

911 eases trump harris clash | Daily Tribune

Kamala Harris and Donald Trump shook hands Wednesday (Thursday in Manila) at New York’s 9/11 memorial to mark the anniversary of the attacks, briefly putting politics aside hours after they had clashed in a fiery presidential debate.

The solemn display of unity was in stark contrast to the evening before, when the Democratic vice president forced the rattled Republican former president on the defensive in a bruising televised encounter.

Any sense of harmony from the commemoration of the 11 September 2001 Al-Qaeda attacks on the US is likely to be short-lived, with the elections still on a knife edge with less than eight weeks to go, despite polls showing a crushing debate win for Harris.

The 78-year-old Trump came out swinging before the New York ceremony, claiming — without evidence — in an interview with Fox News that the ABC News debate in Philadelphia was “rigged” against him.

“It was a rigged deal, as I assumed it would be, because when you looked at the fact that they were correcting everything (with me) and not correcting with her,” he complained, referring to the pushback from the moderators to some of his brazenly false statements.

The debate was watched by 67 million Americans, according to final figures from ratings agency Nielsen — way up from the 51.3 million who watched the catastrophic performance in June that forced President Joe Biden out of the race.

Trump appeared to be of two minds about the Harris campaign’s call for a second debate. He initially said on social media, “why would I do a rematch?” but later said he’d be ready for two more.

‘Stand in solidarity’

The rivals kept their animosity hidden at the Ground Zero memorial, however, in an extraordinary encounter that included the outgoing President.

Biden, 81, looked on as Harris and Trump shared their second handshake in the space of a few hours — having their first such greeting at the start of the debate, in an unexpected move initiated by Harris.

Wearing commemorative blue ribbons, they all stood rapt as the names of the over 3,000 victims of the attacks on the Twin Towers were read out.

“We stand in solidarity with their families and loved ones. We also honor the extraordinary heroism on display that fateful day by ordinary Americans helping their fellow Americans,” Harris said in a statement.

She and Biden headed later to the site in Pennsylvania where a hijacked plane crashed on 9/11, with Trump following afterward.

During his visit, Biden briefly donned a red “Trump 2024” cap given to him by a Trump-supporting firefighter. The image went viral but the White House said it was a gesture of “unity.”

Biden and Harris later visited the site where another jet was flown into the Pentagon outside Washington in 2001.

‘Good job’

The solemn atmosphere could not have been more different to Wednesday night’s debate.

Both candidates declared victory but it was former prosecutor Harris who landed the blows on issues including abortion, and repeatedly managed to bait convicted felon Trump into angry remarks over past grievances.

Trump also boosted a debunked claim about migrants eating pet cats and dogs in Ohio, earning a correction from the ABC moderator.

A CNN snap poll said Harris performed better than Trump by 63 percent to 37 percent, while a YouGov poll said Harris laid out a clearer plan by 43 percent to 32 percent.

US media and commentators broadly agreed Harris had come out on top — but that it may not move the dial much in a deeply polarized and entrenched electorate.

“I thought Kamala did a good job... and kind of gave us hope,” Tanya James, a retired teacher from Texas, said Wednesday outside the White House.

Ikaika Juliano, a musician from Florida, thought, however, that the Democratic contender “is fake.”

Harris meanwhile got a boost with pop megastar Taylor Swift offering her backing minutes after the debate. Trump said Swift would “probably pay a price for it in the marketplace.” with afp