Foreign media outlets are spinning hard for Kamala Harris following her debate against Donald Trump on Tuesday, feeding a narrative that she “got under his skin” and rubbishing his remarks about Haitian migrants killing pets in Ohio—an emphasis that could come back to haunt them if the allegations are substantiated. However, many conceded ABC News skewed the debate and that Harris did not outline a clear vision. There are also signs her pro-Israel remarks alienated Muslim voters key to winning swing states such as Michigan.
MOTHER COUNTRY.
Britain’s Telegraph, a notionally right-wing broadsheet, damned Harris with faint praise, with U.S. editor Tony Diver claiming she “made [Trump] look ridiculous” but “gave woolly and unclear answers on questions about the economy, and could not convincingly shrug off accusations from both Trump and the moderator that she has abandoned many of her beliefs in favour of the pursuit of power.”
Telegraph columnist Tim Stanley, who has long advocated for censoring Trump online, described the debate as a case of “he was crazy and she was insufferable,” giving a “narrow win” to the former president overall.
Telegraph readers gave Harris a slight edge, at 56 percent, but—like Stanley—suggested the ABC moderators tipped the scales in favor of the Vice President. “[T]he moderators were doing the debating for Harris,” said one.
The Daily Mail commissioned a poll of 800 independents, with 49 percent saying Harris won the debate against 43 percent who gave the nod to Trump. However, Harris only gained two points in terms of voting intention, rising from 36 percent to 38 percent. Trump also rose, from 44 percent to 45 percent.
‘SUPPORTING GENOCIDE.’
Qatar-owned Al Jazeera interviewed a number of “experts” post-debate. Predictably, none of the mostly left-leaning observers gave a clear advantage to Trump, but support for Harris was not effusive. Barbara Perry of the University of Virginia merely said, “At the very least, she didn’t put [undecided, moderate] voters off or make any disqualifying gaffes.”
However, in a sign of trouble for Harris in swing states, she received criticism for her stance on the Israel-Hamas war. “Vice President Harris has been pretty clear in previous statements, as she was tonight, that she will continue Biden’s policy of unconditional military and financial support for Israel’s war on Gaza,” said Reem Abuelhaj, of the No Ceasefire No Vote organization, referencing voters who feel “unable to cast their ballot for a candidate who is actively supporting genocide.”
Oh man they’re gonna pump Michigan with that clip of her saying she loves Israel 4eva https://t.co/QSEA78VLP1
— Raheem. (@RaheemKassam) September 11, 2024
DOWN UNDER.
SBS News, owned by the Australian state, said Harris won the debate—citing a CNN poll—and insisted, like many media outlets, that the Vice President got “under Trump’s skin.” However, the state media organ could not help but betray its clear bias, asserting Trump has “spent weeks insulting [Harris] with racist and sexist attacks.”
Sky News Australia, which leans right, stressed the bias of the ABC moderators. “I didn’t know whether I was watching Trump versus Kamala Harris or if I was watching Trump versus the ABC and Kamala Harris,” said one host. “Every single time they could, they gave her an assist.”
DO-OVER.
While many foreign media outlets claim the Harris camp expressing its willingness to do a second debate in October shows they are confident she won on Tuesday, Raheem Kassam, Editor-in-Chief of The National Pulse, believes it shows they want a do-over.
Previously, ABC—which has a 100 percent positive spin score for Harris—was the only venue the Vice President’s team was willing to accept for a debate, with Fox News and even NBC rejected.
