PORTLAND, Maine — Former President Donald Trump is vowing to not face Vice President Kamala Harris in another debate after their first head-to-head matchup in Philadelphia this week.
On substance, the candidates discussed border security, reproductive rights, and the economy.
Ultimately, the clashes between Trump and the moderators drew most of the attention, with Trump straying from talking points to rant about a number of topics, including the bizarre false claim that undocumented immigrants were eating pets.
Because of that, NEWS CENTER Maine political analysts Ken Altshuler and Lisa Keim agree the night was ultimately a win for Harris.
"The last debate, it was clear that Joe Biden was a loser then when he walked on the stage, and that was very clear," Democratic political analyst Ken Altshuler said. "Kamala Harris succeeded. She went to look presidential. She went to jab Donald Trump. We all knew this. You think Donald Trump would have been prepared for it."
Keim argued the former president was up against impossible odds and criticized the moderators for fact-checking him in real time.
"It was an incredibly biased situation and the moderators were biased," Keim said. "If I were treated like that here, I wouldn't return. You know, the fact-checking that happened against Trump and never once against Kamala."
"Donald Trump lied 33 times in that debate. Kamala Harris, once," Altshuler said. "You challenge him because he's making statements that are just false."
Many commentators, including Republicans, were critical of the former president's performance compared to his debate against President Biden where he came out on top. Keim said it was Harris who had something to prove.
"I think most people were just shocked at the way she came off, so she won basically almost the minute she stepped on stage and started speaking coherently," Keim said. "We were impressed with that."
Keim made clear Harris' debate performance did not make up for her "flip-flopping" on a number of key issues or her lack of action on border security. Altshuler agreed.
"I've criticized Kamala Harris for being the czar and not going to the border for 90 days. I agree with you. But they have changed that trend in the last year. Kamala Harris should focus on that," Altshuler said.
On the issues, many Americans believe the economy will be top of mind come November. Keim said that is the Democrats' greatest weakness.
"Democrats do not have solutions that help mainstream America, and Republicans do," she said.
"But let me tell you what a Republican commentator said that I saw on Fox News and I think this is true. He said, 'You can't blame the refs for missing layups,'" Altshuler said. "And that's the point. I know the Republican argument as it's three against one, but Donald Trump had many opportunities. The question about pets was in response to a question about immigration. How do you get derailed on that when that's your strongest argument?"
What could be a potential game-changer in the campaign is a big endorsement that came immediately following the debate from pop superstar Taylor Swift. She posted to Instagram to back Harris and share resources for her fans to register to vote.
Keim said the endorsement does not mean as much to younger voters as Democrats claim.
"I talked to my niece, who's 13, and I said, 'I can't believe that Taylor Swift came out and did this,'" Keim said. "And, you know, she has the big Taylor Swift flag in her bedroom and what she said to me is, 'What do you mean? She's always been political.' And she just shrugged it off."
Altshuler made the case that Swift's endorsement will have an impact.
"Usually I say no," he said. "However, Oprah Winfrey, they say that she caused a million people to vote for Barack Obama in 2008 by her endorsement. So somebody like Taylor Swift, 400,000 people registered to vote after her endorsement. And she was very smart. She didn't say vote for Kamala Harris. She said, 'I did the research. You do the research.'"
You can watch Political Brew every Sunday on The Weekend Morning Report at 6 a.m. You can also catch it any time on NEWS CENTER Maine+.