The Introspective

Examining the Fallout from the Trump-Harris Debate: Anti-Immigrant Sentiments, Stance on Palestine, and Political Fallout.

Sep 17, 2024

The first presidential debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump was widely viewed, reaching more than 67 million viewers as the two clashed in Philadelphia over pressing issues such as abortion, immigration, the 2020 election, and Palestine.

However, this election season comes at a high-stakes period. Following incumbent President Biden’s withdrawal from the race and amid rising global tensions and financial insecurity, the debate further exacerbated the rising domestic tensions that accumulated in threats against Haitian immigrants in Ohio and Trump facing a second assassination attempt Sunday.

As the debate unfolded, Trump’s remarks on immigration, particularly targeting Haitian communities, and Harris’ stance on Palestine, including her support for continued military aid to Israel, have sparked controversy. The public and political reactions have been swift, reflecting the deep divisions and heightened sensitivities of the current political climate.

Trump’s Statements

During the debate, Trump spread conspiracy theories regarding Haitian immigrants.

“In Springfield, they’re eating the dogs. The people that came in. They’re eating the cats. They’re eating — they’re eating the pets of the people that live there. And this is what’s happening in our country. And it’s a shame,” Trump said on the stage.

David Muir, the ABC News anchor that co-moderated the debate, fact-checked Trump’s claims and said that there were no reports of pets being harmed or abused by Springfield, Ohio’s immigrant community.

Following the debate, Trump’s running mate Sen. JD Vance told NBC News that his claims were legitimate.

“Clearly, these rumors are out there because constituents are seeing it with their own eyes,” Vance said.

The disinformation surrounding Springfield’s Haitian immigrants has thrown the city into the national spotlight, following threats at City Hall, K-12 schools, and University and college campuses.

Wittenberg University cancelled all sporting events on Sunday and made classes remote on Monday. Clark State College closed its campus and will make classes remote for the entire week.

Ohio state officials have since condemned Trump’s remarks, with Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine denouncing the claims in an interview with ABC News.

“There’s a lot of garbage on the internet and this is a piece of garbage that was simply not true, there’s no evidence of this at all, what we know is that the Haitians in Springfield are legal, they came to Springfield to work, Ohio is on the move and Springfield has really made a great resurgence with a lot of companies coming in,” said DeWine.

President Joe Biden criticized Trump for his remarks at a White House event on Friday, saying that the narrative is “simply wrong.”

“This has to stop, what he’s doing. It has to stop,” he said, regarding former President Donald Trump.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, who herself is of Haitian descent, emphasized Biden’s message condemning the attacks on Haitian communities in Springfield, Ohio, during a press briefing.

“It is extremely sad and concerning, that a community is facing this type of danger and vitriol, and as the president said today, I think very forcefully, this needs to stop. And there is absolutely no place – absolutely no place, in this country, you know, certainly in our political discourse for this type of vitriolic, smearing hateful language,” said Jean-Pierre.

Following the threats and statements made by Trump and Sen. Vance, Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, spoke out in an interview with USA Today regarding now feeling unsafe in their communities.

“I take my kids to the park usually, I cannot do that anymore. You know, I have to just stay home and just don’t go out. We used to just go for a walk in the neighborhood, but we cannot do that anymore,” said Jims Denis, a Haitian immigrant in Springfield.

Immigration is an important issue to voters this election season, with an NBC poll revealing that 22% of people find immigration and the border to be the most important topic of this election season. Further polling revealed that 20% of voters felt so strongly towards immigration that it influences their choice while 69% of voters said they disapprove of Biden’s handling of border security.

Harris’ Remarks

Since the debate, Harris’ continued stance on Palestine has continued to draw controversy for many Arab and Muslim American voters. During the debate when asked about Palestine she said “I will assure you always, I will always give Israel the ability to defend itself, in particular as it relates to Iran and any threat that Iran and its proxies pose to Israel. But we must have a two-state solution where we can rebuild Gaza, where the Palestinians have security, self-determination and the dignity they so rightly deserve,” said Harris.

This response brought disappointment among many voters, as her continued stance on Palestine rules out an arms embargo, a demand of many supporters of Palestinian liberation and Palestinian-Americans, as more than 41,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces since the events of Oct. 7, 2023.

In an interview with Teen Vouge, Asma Nizami, co-chair of the Uncommitted Minnesota delegation spoke on this key election issue, “Muslims have always been tokenized to the point where we’re really just brought in at the last moment and told, ‘Well, do this, because otherwise you’re gonna get deported,’ or ‘Do this, otherwise you’re gonna get Trump.’ The community is feeling like they’ve been truly left out because they don’t want to let their brothers and sisters in Gaza down right now and, simultaneously, don’t want to be Muslim-banned in January if Trump [is] elected. So we’re feeling like, What will happen if I do and what will happen if I don’t vote for Kamala Harris in November?” said Nizami.

In that same interview Nada Al-Hanooti, a national deputy organizing director at Muslim civic engagement group Emgage, spoke on how many Arab and Muslim American voters became disillusioned with Harris, referring to a Detroit rally where she silenced Pro-Palestinian protesters,

“I think she kind of shot herself in the foot when she silenced the pro-Palestinian protesters, They don’t want Trump to win. They’re here to advocate for the people who cannot advocate for themselves. They’re here to advocate for the kids being pulled out of rubble, for the parents who are losing all their children. The Democratic Party keeps pushing this ‘but Trump is worse’ narrative on us, but to those people, to my community, what’s worse than losing 80, 100 family members all at once?” said Al-Hanooti.

While the current Vice President and Presidential nominee has repeatedly called for a ceasefire in Palestine and has repeatedly said she was “working around the clock” for one. The Biden-Harris administration has faced scrutiny for continuing to provide Israel with weapons, with the most recent sale being announced Thursday.

Trump’s Second Assassination Attempt

Following the events and the controversy surrounding his claims at the debate, Donald Trump faced a second assassination attempt at his golf course in Florida Sunday, this comes after a prior assassination attempt on the former President as a rally in July.

According to the FBI and Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw, Trump was playing golf at his Mar-a-Lago home when a Secret Service agent spotted a rifle barrel with a scope sticking out of a fence. The agent immediately opened fire on the suspect, and he fled in a black Nissan, before he was later spotted by a witness and arrested by the Martin County Sheriff’s office. The suspect was identified as 58-year-old Ryan Wesley Routh.

Trump later thanked Secret Service and law enforcement in a Truth Social post Sunday night,

“I would like to thank everyone for your concern and well wishes – It was certainly an interesting day! Most importantly, I want to thank the U.S. Secret Service, Sheriff Ric Bradshaw and his Office of brave and dedicated Patriots, and, all of Law Enforcement, for the incredible job done today at Trump International in keeping me, as the 45th President of the United States, and the Republican Nominee in the upcoming Presidential Election, SAFE. THE JOB DONE WAS ABSOLUTELY OUTSTANDING. I AM VERY PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN!” Trump said.

Routh is facing two charges, including possession of a firearm while a convicted felon and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number, and made his first court appearance on Monday in West Palm Beach, Florida. Authorities suspect Routh, who is an affordable housing builder in Hawaii, was planning to attack the former President as he played golf. Routh had also criticized Trump on social media and is a supporter of Ukraine.  

Donald Trump later blamed the Biden-Harris administration for the second assassination attempt, saying in an interview with Fox News that they had caused Routh to act.

“He believed the rhetoric of Biden and Harris, and he acted on it, their rhetoric is causing me to be shot at, when I am the one who is going to save the country, and they are the ones that are destroying the country — both from the inside and out,” Trump said.

President Biden spoke out following the second assassination attempt, saying that “One thing I want to make clear . . . the Secret Service needs more help,” said Biden as he boarded Marine One on Monday morning. Biden and Trump later spoke on the phone that same day with the former President remarking “We had a very nice call. It was about Secret Service protection,” in a statement.

Debate Results: Evaluating the Impact

According to polling by ABC News, 58% of Americans say that Harris won the debate – a flip from the Biden-Trump debate in June in which 66% of those saw Trump as the winner. The poll, which was conducted by a pool of more than 3,276 voters, found that 37% of voters feel more favorably towards her compared to 23% less favorably.

However, voter preferences haven’t moved significantly, as the results found that the race is at 51-46% Harris-Trump among all adults; 51-47% among registered voters; and 52-46% among likely voters. Results from the poll were identical when including third-party and Independent candidates such as Jill Stein and Chase Oliver.

When grouped by political party, 95% of Democrats say that Harris won, while 75% of Republicans say that Trump won. Among independents, 61% say Harris won.

The close polling numbers highlight just how deeply divided the electorate remains as the 2024 election approaches. While Harris may have gained ground with certain voter groups following the debate, Trump’s core base remains resolute, underscoring the polarized nature of the current political climate. Each election cycle seems to bring increasingly intense rhetoric, sharpening divisions throughout the nation.