We’d hate to be the person who has to wake up Donald Trump this morning. Last night’s presidential debate was arguably the most crucial moment in the entire campaign. Kamala Harris was eager to prove that she’s presidential with a firm grasp on policy while Trump was champing at the bit to demolish her.
Fortunately, by this point Harris (and everyone else) knows Trump’s glowing weak spot to hit for massive damage. It only took one measly jab at the sizes of crowds at his rallies for him to go berserk, launching into surreal rants about immigrants eating pets, hysterical accusations of Marxism, and saying she wants to “execute the baby.”
As the dust settles the consensus (even among many Trump supporters) was a knockout Harris victory. With most of the country breathing a sigh of relief, it’s time to have some fun. And what better way to puncture Trump’s dog-eating conspiracy theories than to set his inane ramblings to the Peanuts theme song?
The top reply succinctly sums up my reaction: “Who discovered this and how?” with another noting “that’s an association I would never have made in a million years.” The jaunty piano number entirely takes the wind out of Trump’s racist ramblings (which, it goes without saying, are entirely fictitious).
But while witnessing Trump’s melting brain is fun, take a moment to watch Harris’ bemused reaction. This is a masterclass on how to deal with Trump: first quizzical confusion on what he’s saying, then outright laughter as she refuses to take him seriously. The split-screen format of the debate doesn’t help Trump here, as his nightmarish vision of America being invaded by poodle-munching Haitians immediately seems absurd. And, of course, it goes without saying that this is night and day compared to the zombified, slack-jawed Biden that Trump demolished over the summer.
If we were the Harris campaign we might hire a roving pianist to follow Trump around at all times, ready to undercut his fascistic doom-laden gobbledegook with a fun and bouncy piano number.
But we shouldn’t pop the champagne corks and consign Trump to the “where are they now?” file just yet. Though Harris will see a poll boost after her debate victory both candidates are still neck and neck in crucial swing states. The entire election can ultimately be decided by a few thousand voters in these states, so though we can spend today basking in the warm glow of triumph and mocking Trump, this is merely one battle in a longer war that will likely stretch on beyond November.
All that said, maybe it’s best to remember a quote from Winston Churchill: “This is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.” Fingers crossed this debate marks a major shift in this neverending election.