Who Won the Presidential Debate, Trump or Harris? Newsweek Readers’ Verdicts

Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump went head-to-head last night in a lively TV debate that saw both candidates on the offensive.
Meeting for the first time, with Harris taking part in her first TV debate as a presidential hopeful, a fiery encounter ensued in which Harris questioned her opponent’s character and Trump claimed his rival was copying his “philosophy.”
Harris went into the debate needing to present the Democratic case against Trump and raise her profile with American voters—the latest New York Times-Siena College poll found that 28 percent of voters still want to know more about her and her policies, compared to only 9 percent for the former president. For his part, Trump was looking to wrest back momentum and draw a line under Harris’s honeymoon period as the Democratic nominee.
The Harris campaign felt sufficiently satisfied with the outcome of the debate to swiftly demand another, while Trump has yet to commit to a second round. But what was the Newsweek reader verdict?
In an online poll we asked ‘Who won the Sept. 10 presidential debate?’. Thousands of readers took part in the poll, with Harris outscoring Trump nearly 2 to 1. However, from readers who wrote to us to share their opinion, the reaction was more nuanced. Here is a selection of those comments, lightly edited for clarity. The result of the poll is at the end of this article.
Trump started out well by keeping a light tone and quipping that he was going to send Harris a MAGA hat. But he became angry, and even though he was trying to control his temper, his tone and demeanor were off-putting. Trump also failed to force Harris to specify her policies and let her remain in her “vibes” circle. So she won but the debate won’t be a game changer. John Lucas
Kamala has done NOTHING – ZERO – for this country and was grandfathered in as the presidential candidate. In three year she’s never offered condolences to the gold star families. Kamala will say whatever is needed to get elected. If she wins the country will be in for a rude awakening.” Kristine Sanz
At the very least, Kamala Harris gave much more clear and concise responses. Trump, on the other hand, simply came off as a delusional narcissist, who likes to hear his own voice. I can’t say what he truly stands by because he still hasn’t clearly stated this. Celestine Ragland
She handled him. Baited him to unveil his worst traits. She wasn’t threatened by his bullying remarks and clarified her position on various topics while addressing us, her audience. Raquel Bicard
I thought Harris was smirking theatrical and insincere throughout . On more than a couple of occasions Donald Trump rather wiped the smile off her face . She is simply a globalist. Leonard Arnold-Nixon
Trump’s performance was unhinged, resulting in a populist political movement being swept away as if by a tsunami. Said by a retiree who has never voted Democrat in his whole life. Nelson G. Hernandez, Sr.
Trump exhibited a lack of focus and was unable to stay on topic. He was very negative and tried to instill fear in every thing he talked about. He repeated his same old story. Robin Shult
She was throwing jabs setting him up for body blows, hooks, uppercuts, and kidney shots that made him delirious enough that he couldn’t figure out what topic they were on. Thomas Lee Smith
Donald Trump is transparent like him or not. We know what we will get. Harris did more downgrading of Trump and his back policy then telling me how to benefit us. Mary R Trotter
I don’t think anyone won. I hated how biased the mediators were. Trump and them have said the exact same things. Jaclene Newell
He answered the questions, he reminded America that she has failed for 3.5 years. Why would another 4 somehow work? Ryan McCluskey
She put out a positive message seeking unity to replace the chaos. Trump was negative and divisive. Alan Abajian
Kamala Harris gaslighted and diverted from answering any questions about whatever she was asked. Tahlia Smith
Harris was thoughtful and believable. Trump was lying and rambling on and on. Pamela Wilkey
Donald Trump babbled nonsense. Kamala Harris actually had something to say. Suzanne Meehle
I want to know why Harris’s values have changed. Crystal Willey
Immigration. Democrats have not said why they allowed in thousands of illegal immigrants. Abrahams Wanjala
Mrs. Harris failed to adequately address securing our borders and protecting our way of life. Edward Blackman
Kamala offered grounded substance in her responses and an ethical approach to U.S. governance. Lizabeth Rose Levy
Trump was full of unsubstantiated claims, allegations and lies rather telling us his plans. Ferdi Alufuo
If you cannot see the poll above, the results to the question ‘Who Won the Presidential Debate?’ were as follows:
Kamala Harris: 5,823
Donald Trump: 2,902
The poll was conducted online on September 10, 2024.