Kamala Harris sought to rattle Trump — and flip a gender dynamic on its head.
When Vice President Kamala Harris said that former President Donald Trump had been fired, his stony face broke into a scoff. When she said that world leaders had called him a disgrace, his eyes revealed a flash of anger. And then, as she cast doubt upon his “temperament,” he became the show to her tell.
“Let me just tell you about world leaders,” Trump responded. With his voice rising, he insisted that the “strongman” leader of Hungary, Viktor Orban, admired him, and he criticized President Biden before pointing his finger at Harris.
“He hates her, he can’t stand her,” Trump declared, as Harris kept a cool half-smile on her lips.
It was just one skirmish in a long 105-minute debate on Tuesday night. Harris needled Trump over everything from his election loss to the size and devotion of the crowds at his campaign rallies, leaving the former president visibly rattled and struggling to defend himself.
In pushing him there, Harris seemed to be inviting viewers to ask themselves a new question about Trump:
Might he be a little too emotional to be president?
“Donald Trump was, through his tone of voice, the loudness of his voice, the words that he was choosing to use, sharing too much of his emotions,” said Mollie West Duffy, the co-author, with Liz Fosslien, of a book called “No Hard Feelings: The Secret Power of Embracing Emotions at Work.”
“I think we would advise, in addition to many other things, trying to stay on topic,” Fosslien said. “And also kind of looking at her more.”
Upside-down gender dynamic
Trump has long made a point of projecting strength and dominance on television and in public, particularly when facing female opponents, and Harris had every reason to try to make him look weak onstage.
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