Trump must wish he was still running against Biden

Donald Trump speaks to journalists after the presidential debate with Kamala Harris. AFP

If this election was Donald Trump's to lose, it's quite possible he just lost it.

Instead of presenting a coherent vision for America, or selling voters on any policies, the former president grew increasingly rattled under a meticulous dismantling by Vice President Kamala Harris during last night's debate in Philadelphia.

The former prosecutor systematically peeled back Mr Trump's attack lines, turning the tables on the convicted felon as he angrily fumbled his way through his tired talking points, repeatedly forcing him to resort to racist claims and debunked falsehoods.

We knew it was going to be an interesting 90 minutes when Mr Trump early on said that Haitian immigrants are eating pet dogs in Ohio, a false claim propagated by his running mate JD Vance.

“In Springfield, they're eating the dogs, the people that came in, they're eating the cats,” Mr Trump said, as an incredulous Ms Harris looked on.

Unfortunately for Mr Trump, it was about the only memorable thing he said all night.

The 78-year-old businessman skulked, sulked and pouted like a scolded schoolboy as his rival took him to task over his previous statements, his felony convictions and his role in the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol. On the other side of the television's split screen, Ms Harris, meanwhile, smiled at the moderators and cameras and shrugged off Mr Trump's jabs.

“I have travelled the world as Vice President of the United States and world leaders are laughing at Donald Trump. I have talked with military leaders, some of whom worked with you, and they say you're a disgrace,” she said after he repeated his false claim he had won the 2020 election.

“Donald Trump was fired by 81 million people, so let's be clear about that, and clearly he is having a very difficult time processing that,” she added, referring to the 2020 popular vote result.

Even Mr Trump's allies admitted his shortcomings, with diehard supporter Senator Lindsey Graham telling one reporter afterwards that his performance was a “disaster”.

Ms Harris controlled the narrative throughout much of the night, even though ABC's moderators gave several more minutes of talking time to Mr Trump.

Mr Trump questioned the racial identity of Ms Harris, who is the first woman, black person and person of South Asian descent to serve as Vice President.

“I think the American people want better than that, want better than this,” she responded.

A key issue in the November 5 election is abortion. The conservative Supreme Court, with three Trump-picked justices, has scrapped the federal right to terminate a pregnancy, something Mr Trump has boasted about in the past but since back-pedalled on amid backlash from many women.

Instead of trying to defend his shifting stance, he accused Democrats of wanting to abort babies even after they have been born. That attack line makes no sense as it would be infanticide, which is of course illegal.

Ms Harris pointed this out and said “Donald Trump certainly should not be telling a woman what to do with her body”, a line that will resonate with women voters much more than anything he can say.

At points, Mr Trump seemed to yearn for the days when he was running against President Joe Biden, 80, whose own execrable performance at the last debate in June led to him stepping aside for Ms Harris.

He called Mr Biden a “weak, pathetic man” who “doesn't know he's alive”, and repeatedly attacked the President's record.

“It's important to remind the former president, you're not running against Joe Biden, you're running against me,” Ms Harris told Mr Trump.

The Vice President, who has dodged media briefings and given few interviews since becoming the Democratic nominee, came into the debate needing to convince sceptical voters that she is more than an amalgamation of carefully scripted talking points.

The event was the first time Ms Harris and Mr Trump had met in person, and for many Americans it was the first time they had heard her speak at length.

She has faced criticism for her “word salads”, where she has given long-winded answers that have frequently been taken out of context and done the rounds on social media.

Ms Harris performed well enough to quash some of those accusations. If salad was on the menu tonight, it was Mr Trump who wilted.