The debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump was a crucial moment in the US presidential election — with potentially historic consequences.
The stakes were particularly high for Harris. Although she has been vice-president for almost four years, Harris is still a relatively unknown quantity for many American voters. She only became the Democratic nominee in July, after Joe Biden belatedly decided not to seek a second term. The memory of Biden’s catastrophic performance in his own debate with Trump little over 10 weeks ago — which in effect forced him out of the race — underlined the potential risks for Harris of a weak performance, this late in the campaign.
Harris had not won the nomination through the usual testing process of the primary elections. Nor has she given many interviews. Trump and the Republicans had claimed that her campaign team was shielding her from scrutiny because she is a lightweight, who would not be able to cope without a teleprompter. Some Democrats may have quietly feared that was true.