Harris won the debate by letting Trump be Trump

The MoJo Daily newsletter, Monday through Friday. [View in browser]( [Support our nonprofit journalism]( [Mother Jones Daily Newsletter](     September 11, 2024 If last night's debate proved anything, it's that there is no bottom for former President Trump. He [repeated]( a debunked claim that migrants are eating pets. He said President Biden "doesn't know he's alive." He [praised]( Hungarian autocrat Viktor Orbán. He [refused](—twice—to say whether or not he'd veto a national abortion ban if re-elected. And for a second time in as many months, he [questioned]( Harris's racial identity. Harris, on the other hand, emerged victorious by letting Trump be Trump, as my colleague David Corn [put it](. She baited him—and smirked and laughed every time he took the bait—and fact-checked his lies in real time. And to top it all off, Harris ended the night with an endorsement from possibly the world's most [powerful]( [childless cat lady](. Make sure to check out my colleagues' excellent reporting to get a more in-depth look at the highlights—and many lowlights—of the night. —Julianne McShane Advertisement [Common Trust]( [Top Story] [Top Story]( [How Harris Trapped Trump]( She did exactly what Trump's advisers feared: let him be himself. BY DAVID CORN MOTHER JONES MEMBERSHIP UPDATE   A HUGE OPPORTUNITY A generous board member just chipped in a $50,000 digital matching gift, and we need newsletter readers to help us make the most of it. [Any donation you make online from now until September 30]( will be matched dollar-for-dollar. You know the stakes right now. And with your support going twice as far, Mother Jones can lead the way these next 60 days in showing the corporate media how to cover the unique danger that Trump represents and not make the same mistakes they did in 2016 and 2020. Please help with a donation if you can—even just a few bucks helps. A [monthly gift]( would be incredible. [Donate Now]( [Trending] [Even Fox News admits it: Trump blew the debate]( BY ARIANNA COGHILL   [Harris laid out the devastating consequences of “Trump abortion bans”]( BY JULIANNE MCSHANE   [Trump spent the debate spreading the fever dreams of extremely online racists]( BY NOAH LANARD   [Taylor Swift fills in that blank space for Kamala Harris]( BY INAE OH Advertisement [Common Trust]( [Special Feature] [Special Feature]( [Trump could use the 1873 Comstock Act to ban abortion nationwide. Here's how.]( Legal scholar Mary Ziegler explains how another “zombie law” eviscerating civil liberties is stalking the land. BY JULIANNE MCSHANE Did you enjoy this newsletter? Help us out by [forwarding]( it to a friend or sharing it on [Facebook]( and [Twitter](. [Mother Jones]( [Donate]( [Donate Monthly]( [Subscribe]( This message was sent to {EMAIL}. To change the messages you receive from us, you can [edit your email preferences]( or [unsubscribe from all mailings.]( For advertising opportunities see our online [media kit.]( Were you forwarded this email? [Sign up for Mother Jones' newsletters today.]( [www.MotherJones.com]( PO Box 8539, Big Sandy, TX 75755