House Republicans lamented former President Trump's performance in his first and likely only debate with Vice President Harris, acknowledging that the Democratic candidate successfully angered his Republican opponent.
During the 90-plus minute debate in Philadelphia, Ms. Harris repeatedly appeared to try to tempt Mr. Trump into a more composed manner by attacking issues close to home – the size of his rallies, the size of his family fortune and world leaders “laughing at” him. Some House Republicans said her attacks were successful.
“It's just sad,” one House Republican who supports Trump told The Hill, “She knew exactly where to cut to get on his nerves. It's just a shame overall that he's not more composed like he was in the first debate.”
“The road has become very narrow,” they added. “This is not good.”
A second House Republican, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitivity of the issue, said “many” in the GOP conference were “disappointed” that Trump had failed to get his message across through the debate.
“She talks to us like a toddler, but she stimulates him well. [is] “The policy is right, but the message is not there,” the lawmaker said. “A lot of people are disappointed that we didn't stay focused and roll with the punches. I don't think it's changed much, but it wasn't a good performance.”
“There have been a lot of missed opportunities,” a third House Republican told The Hill in a text message during the debate. “It's not catastrophic, but it's not good.”
Thursday night's debate was a pivotal moment in the 2024 election cycle, marking the first time Trump and Harris have met in person and the first time the candidates have faced off head-to-head.
Trump, meanwhile, said he thought he gave a strong performance. “I enjoyed it. I think it was the best debate we've ever had,” he told Fox News' Sean Hannity after the debate, before blasting the moderators, David Muir and Lindsey Davis of ABC News.
“We were three to one,” Trump said.
Many supporters in Congress echoed similar sentiments, including Rep. Nicole Malliotakis of New York: I wrote to X“Trump is doing a great job and getting the policies right, but this debate is biased!” said House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik of New York. His performance “strong.”
But in a sign of underlying concerns within the campaign, Trump appeared at a press conference after the debate and delivered the same positive message to reporters — an unusual move for a major-party candidate — and has now voiced reservations about holding a second debate.
Harris' campaign called for another presidential debate with Trump immediately after the first, but Trump said his campaign would explore the possibility of a debate.
“It seems like she wants to do another debate because she lost tonight. I don't know if we'll do it again,” Trump said in the Spin Room. “It seems like she wants to do a second debate because she lost badly tonight… We'll look into it.”
While Trump has maintained a positive public stance, some House Republicans privately acknowledge that the former president could have performed stronger.
A fourth Republican in the House of Representatives slammed ABC News and Harris' performance on Tuesday night, criticizing the host for not fact-checking Harris' remarks and saying the Democratic candidate's remarks were “highly scripted.” But he also said Trump's comments were a “missed opportunity.”
“I think he's picked apart her policies and missed an opportunity to undermine her record,” a House Republican said. “She's made some strong points on the economy, immigration and foreign policy, but she's been inconsistent at times.”
“It's a tough start,” said the fifth House Republican. “The moderators can do better.”
Harris' attempt to provoke Trump during the debate became one of the most memorable moments of the evening's event, with Trump appearing shaken by her comments.
At one point, Harris urged viewers to attend Trump rallies, claiming that attendees leave early “because of fatigue and boredom,” a comment that got on Trump's nerves. Trump responded, “We're having the biggest rally in political history, the greatest rally,” referencing a conspiracy theory about Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, eating pets.
The false allegation gained national attention when Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio), the former president's running mate, spread the false claim about X. Trump's deviation prompted Muir's fact-check.
“There was no need for a rally,” a fifth House Republican told The Hill.
Six House Republicans told The Hill they were unable to watch the debate because they had fundraising events, but that commentary on the debate was not positive.
“I haven't seen it, but I haven't heard anything good,” the Republican said.
Meanwhile, House Democrats have been eager to praise their nominee, seeing Harris' performance as a positive in the party's tumultuous months since Biden left office and Harris rose to the top, but they also weren't slow to criticize Trump.
“This is probably the most one-sided debate victory I've ever seen,” one House Democrat told The Hill. “Trump is way more insane and incoherent than I expected, and she's calm, strong and flawless.”
“I'm proud of her. I support her,” a second House Democrat chimed in. “She makes sense. And he's crazy.”
