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Date: 2025-05-01 Page is: DBtxt003.php txt00027372
US ELECTION
REVIEW OF PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE

Politicon: How Trump Stumbled Head First Into Kamala’s Traps | James Carville & Al Hunt


Original article: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OkaZIT0oVj0
Peter Burgess COMMENTARY

Peter Burgess
How Trump Stumbled Head First Into Kamala’s Traps | James Carville & Al Hunt

Politicon

178K subscribers

Sep 11, 2024

Politics War Room (with James Carville & Al Hunt)

James Carville & Al Hunt discuss the performance of Kamala Harris in the debate and the impact it had on the race. They highlight that Harris did well and Trump walked into all her traps.

They also discuss the importance of the debate in driving voting behavior and mention that early indications suggest a positive response for Harris. They analyze Trump's performance and criticize his lack of policy knowledge. They also discuss the role of the moderators and the selective fact-checking that took place. The conversation ends with speculation about the aftermath of the debate and the potential for another debate.

Chapters:
  • 00:00 Analysis of Harris vs. Trump Debate
  • 03:16 Trump's Lack of Policy and False Claims
  • 07:20 Preparation and Performance of Kamala Harris
  • 11:28 Moderators and Fact-Checking
  • 13:38 Overall Assessment of the Debate
  • 15:25 Speculation on Future Debates
More Politicon videos and podcasts available on our YouTube channel: / @politicon
Visit our website: http://politicon.com Transcript
  • 0:00
  • but it was a good night for kamla Harris
  • don't you
  • agree I I I agree and uh but equally
  • important it was a bad night for him
  • right and you
  • know you can conflate the two I don't
  • know what of of the two is more
  • important but you know one thing I I
  • felt pretty good about and you felt the
  • same way so I could disclose this
  • stuffff I will
  • viewers or listeners we both sh thought
  • she'd do well and were pretty upfront
  • about it uh Fox ran a big story about me
  • saying that I thought Trump was walking
  • into a trap and he he he walked right
  • into a
  • trap he really
  • did well you had said you thought he
  • might cancel uh and uh and perhaps
  • should
  • have yeah it would have been a good
  • idea uh but but you know Al there a

  • 1:02
  • couple of things I I don't want
  • to or clearly by the public stuff we see
  • the Dow groups of instap Poole which
  • affects coverage a lot which
  • 60
  • 6337 for her a direct reversal of what
  • it was on H June 27th right in 37 of
  • just dieh hard party regulars
  • but the question is will it drive voting
  • behavior so when when you know we do
  • polls it we'd say such and such said
  • this do you agree or disagree with that
  • that's not the right question the
  • question is having heard this does this
  • make you more or less likely to vote for
  • someone so we know that people voted
  • that she wanted to debate it it's very
  • preliminary it's not overly scientific
  • but I suspect will hold

  • 2:01
  • up I have
  • heard that they have there were a couple
  • of questions that were asked by some
  • people that that voting behavior and
  • that it did change in her Direction some
  • this is way
  • preliminary but what I would say is what
  • we want to look
  • at today is uh
  • Wednesday probably coming over to
  • weekend polls or early next
  • week see if this has had if if this is
  • driven anything in the vote I I'm I'm
  • pretty confident that she won the debate
  • he lost it and it it matters some it
  • matters a little bit is to did she win
  • more than he lose
  • more and
  • uh uh I I I I thought it was eventful
  • night I mean I felt very good about it
  • obviously uh it and I I was asking a lot
  • of Democrats you included you know what

  • 3:01
  • did you see wrong with it because
  • Democrats always go find something that
  • that they can criticize but boy there
  • was very little that you could criticize
  • in this thing that I from the standpoint
  • of being a Democrat I think yeah one
  • leading indicator James was that
  • immediately afterwards Brian Fallon her
  • Communications person said let's have
  • another debate uh I'm not sure that they
  • really want to have another debate but
  • Trump wants to have three on Fox I think
  • that's a
  • nonstarter um but uh he out he won the
  • debate you didn't you don't understand
  • that James thank God you're here to tell
  • me that because I didn't have any idea
  • well he he was very bullish on his
  • performance I I believe that he talked
  • about 91% or
  • something and and she's already said
  • she'll do another debate and he said he
  • doesn't think he right right of course
  • it doesn't matter what he said

  • 4:00
  • yeah my my
  • favorite little thing about it is CNN
  • that guy Daniel Dale who he was Toronto
  • and they hired him as a fact Checker he
  • lied 33 times and Harris lied once okay
  • 33 to1 baseball game we didn't do too
  • good nick nick nick Sabin would love
  • that record uh James you know is's a
  • point that uh we picked up on in recent
  • weeks the ni n Haley's the world said he
  • needs to talk about policy uh no not
  • just the familiar man well we saw last
  • night why he can't talk much about
  • policy other than railing about
  • undocumented workers he's going to
  • deport 10 million of them be a social
  • and economic disaster and his false
  • claims about Paris he he about tariffs
  • he didn't have anything to say doesn't
  • have a health care policy has after nine
  • years has no idea what it is when they
  • move to his tax policy he immediately

  • 5:00
  • shifted to
  • immigration uh he says on on on
  • Obamacare he said it sucks but I don't
  • know what I would do if I got rid of it
  • uh and on foreign policy his hero his
  • hero is Victor Orban the most autocratic
  • government leader in Europe so uh I'm
  • sorry um Governor Haley and uh Lindsey
  • Graham or squiggly tea biscuit as Chris
  • Buckley calls him he can't talk about
  • policy because he doesn't have any
  • so Paul mcalla text me he says if
  • immigrants are eating lap dog shouldn't
  • shouldn't lindsy Graham be really
  • [Laughter]
  • worried all that was a high point
  • there's you know there's no there's no
  • question you know to some extent his
  • performance reminded me of his 2017
  • inaugural remember uh when he talked
  • about American Carnage and afterwards
  • President George W bush bush said that
  • was some crazy [ __ ] no I said that was
  • some weird [ __ ] we [ __ ]

  • 6:01
  • right but so they were talking you I
  • love the issues Co see he just talked
  • about the issues right we don't like the
  • tweets but we like the issues okay and
  • so of the big issue was the southern
  • border she more
  • than acquitted herself last night I
  • thought she was pretty good on that and
  • so they go to him and he she's B him
  • he's talking about crowd SI so he's got
  • the number one issue that he should have
  • that the the the issue chorus is saying
  • talk just talk about the issues okay you
  • had a chance to talk about the issues
  • and you talked about crowds
  • sign uh it it was the more that I think
  • about it you know I went to bed last
  • night at United Texas back and forth and
  • I was feeling pretty good and then when
  • I thought about it and I looked at the
  • clips and looked at some of the coverage
  • and looked at some of the conservative
  • coverage I mean they will
  • kind of mean to him yeah yeah uh how

  • 7:03
  • dare you disappoint us Wall Street
  • Journal editorial page R Al expect
  • something else yeah all right really
  • what did you think was GNA happen James
  • I make a go
  • ahead no I I thought she was
  • particularly well prepared I always
  • thought that she would be I I I think
  • when we come out this there a couple in
  • MVPs they all did a good job don't get
  • me wrong but two people you may heard it
  • less of I know Philip Reigns was great
  • that's what I heard he was Trump he
  • played Trump he played Trump and and he
  • dressed in like Trump clothes I don't he
  • might have put a wig on right it but but
  • he really really took his role very
  • seriously and I'm pretty sure that
  • Michael Shen was in there and you could
  • see Michael at work and I mean the one
  • of the killer lines was me she said I'm

  • 8:02
  • not Joe Biden right and and and they you
  • know they rehearse that seven times but
  • I'm not I'm not you either you know
  • thinking of Michael Sheen I I I agree
  • with you totally on him and I I well I
  • have to verify Michael kill kill us for
  • saying mentioning his name but if and I
  • suspect he was in that prep and I
  • suspected he made a a huge difference
  • but uh you know they've spent four days
  • that's great who cares spent a week
  • doing practice every
  • lie James the other point about if I
  • think Michael Sheen was there and if he
  • was his signature was over her cutaways
  • where what she was doing while he was
  • going and she was looking serious she
  • she didn't um she didn't Grimace or
  • anything at one point she put her hand
  • on her chin in amusement and look looked
  • at him and I was with George Stevens The

  • 9:01
  • Great Movie producer who said his father
  • the great director said that cutaways if
  • you cut away to Jimmy Stewart you know
  • you have a great scene because he's just
  • that good her cutaways last night while
  • he was speaking were really good Michael
  • teaches
  • that minute after minute you're never
  • off camera right right could never scar
  • never you know V your brow or whatever
  • you you know what do you do when you're
  • under attack you take a pencil you act
  • like you're writing you look down you
  • look up you might smile you might not
  • there's a whole
  • protocol I I I'd love to do a I don't
  • know 15
  • minute special on behind the scenes at
  • debate prep oh wow yeah what what H how
  • do you do it and maybe at a point we can
  • get somebody who was instrumental in
  • this the bague prep on the show to just

  • 10:01
  • talk about it probably better well
  • Michael doesn't like to go public very
  • often but he is terrific and I talk to
  • him as you do periodically so let me uh
  • let me check with him let me make a one
  • final point you may have more
  • observations that's on the moderators my
  • initial Instinct was to be critical for
  • one reason I'm I'm less so now the
  • rightwing is all over them I mean the
  • apologist from bootlickers like Lindsay
  • Graham to the Fallen from Grace supposed
  • journalist Megan Kelly are saying it was
  • three on one it was that's total
  • complete [ __ ] they did fact check
  • Trump a few times two or three as you
  • say the guy Daniel Dale found 33 lies so
  • you know they fact checked five or 10%
  • uh they were things like when he said
  • that spring in Springfield Ohio the
  • migrants were eating cats and dogs and
  • the people in Springfield Ohio the
  • leader said this is not true there's no
  • incident of that at all and when he said
  • the on the other occasion the democ CR
  • favor abortion up to nine months and

  • 11:02
  • even after birth just simply not true
  • it's illegal so I think those were were
  • abely appropriate fact checks on the
  • other side I thought that he did let
  • Trump David mure let Trump run over him
  • a few times he went on when he wasn't
  • supposed to he spoke for five more
  • minutes than Harris did in fact maybe
  • that was a break for Harris and worse
  • Trump spoke the worse it got and so I
  • you know I I would give them at least to
  • B minus and the factchecking they did
  • The Selective factchecking was what CNN
  • should have done last J June and
  • didn't so I I guess this is
  • something we could discuss it at a
  • little more length at a different
  • time how how involved should moderators
  • be or should they just be
  • up but you know if he's going to do the
  • fact check and he said well we should
  • note that Donald Trump went five minutes
  • over Greek to1

  • 12:00
  • I mean could should you do that kind of
  • stuff you should just let people draw
  • their own
  • conclusions I I
  • didn't you know a moderator should I
  • guess should kind of be unremarkable if
  • you go to the baseball game and you
  • didn't notice the umpires then that's
  • the highest compliment you can pay to
  • the umpires yeah James I think I use the
  • term selectively and that's what I think
  • I mean I don't think that you know when
  • Trump said I created the greatest
  • economy in the history of the world you
  • don't fact check that I mean that's an
  • opinion uh but when he does say that
  • basically Democrats are for killing
  • babies after they're born I mean that's
  • just so blatantly untrue that I think
  • it's it's justifiable but very selective
  • at that point is said B pres Harris
  • you're life long Democrat is that true
  • what he just said well that may be yeah
  • yeah I don't know I but but I think it's
  • you I don't I'm not saying that you're
  • wrong or you're right all right

  • 13:00
  • but you know maybe somebody should do a
  • a handbook for debank
  • moderators you know I can get people to
  • agree on everything yeah yeah but but I
  • think for the most part it was a f a
  • fair game was played last night you
  • might arue with one call here and it was
  • a you know it was an interference call
  • it was something like that but for the
  • most
  • part I to the extent that you could I
  • think you got a pretty good idea of who
  • both were and how well they were
  • prepared and what they did and that
  • that's success it was the best actually
  • in many ways it was the best
  • presidential debate in a long time now
  • the competition hasn't been that tough
  • but uh it really was and uh you did the
  • important point is you got a much you
  • got a better feel for kamla Harris and
  • if you were if you thought there was a
  • new Trump last night would have
  • dissuaded you uh it's never going to be

  • 14:01
  • now the question is going to be we we'll
  • have the answer shortly about Friday the
  • latest who who fault was this who's he
  • gonna
  • blame it and I can tell you right now
  • Chris Lita Corey
  • Lewandowski Susie
  • Wows Bannon if if he's out of jail he's
  • in
  • jail huh he's in jail still I think he's
  • getting close to getting out what I mean
  • there is a big there's fur flying in
  • marago or bedm orever they are because
  • we know one person that's not at fault
  • and that's
  • Trump and
  • some faction is going to get you know
  • the the leaks are
  • coming uh you know Fox and Newsmax the
  • whole thing is going to be coming and I
  • I I love the delicious aftermath of the

  • 15:01
  • finger pointing and you know you're
  • going to have it you you want to behind
  • the scenes video of debate prep I want
  • to behind the scenes video of maril Lago
  • or Bedminster the next couple
  • days both of them GNA be fascinating but
  • I I think that we're in fascinating
  • times and
  • again is he going to decide that he
  • wants to do another debate what do you
  • think and what should she
  • do well she's said she'd do one yeah but
  • but which one and where and you know who
  • but if I'm her why wouldn't I would you
  • do a would you do a fox debate but what
  • she has now is a gift she has
  • confidence and uh I I if I her if I her
  • people i' say uh you know go meet him
  • 52% of the way I mean you don't you
  • don't need it like you need it for the
  • the the subtle thing about this thing

  • 16:00
  • Alice race
  • is given the sort of polls that came
  • out three or four days ago
  • right it kind of shifted a little bit to
  • like he was in
  • charge all right today she's more in
  • charge and that's that's you know can't
  • I can't argue how how big
  • the the bump if there's going to be a
  • bump or the change is but there has been
  • a subtle shifting dynamic in this race
  • I'm pretty confident about
  • that would if if if the choice is a fox
  • debate would you do it if you were
  • her I would
  • MH and because Fox would be limited I
  • mean first of all she would have in in
  • Brent Bearer is not the same thing as
  • laa angl right mean there this this

  • 17:00
  • whole thing where Fox
  • becomes a a a whole word that means
  • everything to everybody it e even in Fox
  • there are
  • distinctions and if she agreed to Fox
  • she would have a lot more input on the
  • moderator the forat anything else than
  • if she agreed to CNN or MSN MSNBC
  • something like right right I I mean you
  • got to assess what advantages would I
  • have and I think she has confidence now
  • I I think
  • she feels like I got this guy's number I
  • can do
  • this and
  • uh I would I I I mean I would certainly
  • say I would do
  • it because it's the easiest thing in the
  • world is to get out of a debate and say
  • well it was just unreasonable and a
  • demand could go along with it but I got

  • 18:01
  • a feeling that fox would give her votes
  • anything she asked for to get this
  • debate this is a ratings Bonanza this is
  • a money but
  • ABC they were scared to death this
  • debate wouldn't go
  • on it was a real coup for that and she's
  • got a the dynamic in this race is
  • shifted I don't know how much the PO are
  • shifted but I think the dynamic is
  • clearly shifted
  • well we look forward to it and you know
  • the one thing we did say she was gonna
  • do well and you know what James this is
  • one of those times we were right she did
  • do well I don't want to go I don't want
  • to that we're always right but it in
  • this one I I can feel it coming I think
  • the question you asked about the next
  • one is important and it it but I do
  • think there has been a
  • a appreciable shift in the power Dynamic

  • 19:00
  • here
  • [Music]
  • [Applause]
  • [Music]
  • [Applause]
  • [Music]
  • [Applause]


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