Debate Post-Mortem: Trump Was Trump, Harris Held Up, And Moderators Played Partisan Tricks

The initial reaction to last night's debate was that Trump was Trump, the moderators became debaters, and Harris, while nervous and rehearsed, didn't crash and burn - leading to an initial kneejerk in the betting markets favoring the Vice President's odds in November.

While some conservative sites have called the debate for Trump, along with speaker Mike Johnson...

...most on the left are celebrating - with Punchbowl News writing that "Tuesday night's debate couldn't have gone better for Harris."

Politico writes: "Trump's Improv Stood No Chance Against Harris' Coached Attacks."

Harris’ strategy in her first debate as a presidential nominee was custom-tailored for one specific moment and one specific opponent. She plainly used her long days of debate prep in a Pittsburgh hotel to compile a rich anthology of taunts, putdowns and derisive one-liners against former President Donald Trump.

Of course, Trump was in a 3-on-1 debate:

And Harris was allowed to get away with murder:

In fact, here are the 'top 5 lies' that ABC News moderators failed to fact-check via Collin Rugg:

1. Mandatory Firearm Buybacks:

Kamala Harris told Trump to "stop lying" about her wanting to confiscate firearms. Harris has previously stated multiple times that she wants to launch a mandatory buyback program.

The ABC moderators said nothing.

2. "Fine People" Hoax:

Kamala Harris claimed Trump called neo-N*zi's "very fine people." This hoax was debunked by Snopes but the ABC moderators let it slide.

The ABC moderators said nothing.

3. Post-Birth Abortion:

Trump claimed babies were 'k*lled' outside the womb in failed abortions. Under Tim Walz, babies born alive in botched abortions are allowed to be left to d*e.

Eight babies who survived abortions in Minnesota were abandoned and sadly perished under Walz.

The ABC moderators simply said Trump was lying and moved on without adding context.

4. Defund the Police:

Kamala Harris laughed when Trump said she wanted to defund the police. During a previous interview, Harris said having more cops on the street is "wrong."

She also supported taking police officers out of schools.

The ABC moderators said nothing.

5. Bloodbath Hoax:

Kamala Harris claimed Trump said there would be a bl**dbath if he is not elected, insinuating that his supporters would start k*lling people.

This is completely false. The comment was made during a rally where Trump said there would be a "bl**dbath" for the American auto industry if he is not elected.

The ABC moderators said nothing.

While Goldman notes that the debate "seems to have gone in favor of Harris judging by betting markets and the reaction in assets overnight.," ING suggest a 'wait and see' approach, writing this AM: "Markets may want to wait on new opinion polls in the coming days to take more decisive positions on the election," adding "For now, indications that Harris won this debate, even if by a small margin, can keep a lid on the dollar."

Meanwhile, the media is already starting to lie and gaslight. For starter's the New Yorker's Susan Glasser has never heard of Harris' plan that would support taxpayer-funded gender care and transition surgeries for detained illegal aliens.

Except it's true, and CNN even covered it:

Many are saying this won't move the needle much in either direction.

Of course Harris wants a 2nd debate...

That said, as ZeroHedge friend and contributor "Quoth the Raven" suggests, the debate will backfire for both Harris and ABC...

After last night, when the average critically thinking, independent or moderate voter begins to emerge from the visceral reaction of who “won” the debate, the picture will start to come into focus. And it’ll be a picture of a news network that constantly tried to fact-check Donald Trump, despite Kamala Harris repeating multiple debunked conspiracy theories, like Trump’s Charlottesville comments, which were already debunked by Snopes, and his “bloodbath” comment, which was used in the context of talking about the auto industry.

...

More people know today that the left-leaning media has a narrative and lies to them than ever before. This debate will be different from other ones because it’ll eventually be looked at in that context. And when people go back and watch how the moderators constantly argued the merits with Trump while leading Harris in her answers to multiple questions, this debate will be revealed for the biased farce that it was. And then — mark my words — it will do more harm than good for Kamala Harris.