Cats, dogs, and conspiracy theories: the debate, explained

The best takeaways from last night’s debate.   [Kamala Harris holds her hand to her chin as she listens to Trump talk during their presidential debate. ] Doug Mills/New York Times/Bloomberg via Getty Images Hello, Before the debate, the conventional wisdom was that to have a strong night, Donald Trump needed to remain focused on tying Kamala Harris to the Biden administration’s unpopular record on the economy, immigration, and foreign policy, and avoid minefields on his weakest issues — abortion and democracy. And he also needed to avoid getting sidetracked on rants or conspiracy theories. But he mostly failed to do those things, senior correspondent Andrew Prokop writes in an [analysis of the debate’s biggest winners and losers](. Trump repeatedly voiced ludicrous-sounding [conspiracy theories about immigrants eating cats and dogs]( or [states executing babies after they are born](. As Vox senior correspondent Zach Beauchamp explains, Harris further amplified the effect by [successfully goading Trump]( on his biggest sensitivities. Each time, Trump took the bait — losing control of his temper and going off-message, while Harris looked on what must have been glee. Harris brought up world leaders calling him a “disgrace,” pushing him into bragging about [his relationship with Hungarian “strongman” (in Trump’s words) Viktor Orbán](, perhaps not a callout that the swing voters of Michigan, Wisconsin, or Pennsylvania were clamoring for. The vice president, on the other hand, surprised some when she rebutted Trump’s claim that she wanted to take people’s guns away, stating that she and her running mate Tim Walz [are both gun owners themselves](. Some also may have been surprised by her [defense of fracking](. In a time of widespread misinformation, we pride ourselves on bringing clarity and nuance to our election coverage. As this presidential election unfolds, we will continue to create resources that keep you informed in times of chaos. To help us deliver this crucial, independent reporting throughout the election, please consider supporting us today by [becoming a member](. Today, senior reporter Christian Paz and senior correspondent Eric Levitz broke down last night’s debate in a conversation exclusively for Vox Members. [Join today]( to read their biggest takeaways from last night’s event. And don’t forget that Vox Members get more access to our newsroom and conversations like this all year long. [SUPPORT OUR WORK](   Read the latest stories on the presidential debate [How Kamala Harris goaded (and goaded and goaded) Trump into a debate trainwreck]( Zach Beauchamp [Harris found Trump’s biggest weakness: his ego.](   [Donald Trump lost the debate because he’s too online]( Eric Levitz [The GOP nominee spoke to swing voters as though they were his Truth Social followers.](   [Republicans’ racist, cat-eating conspiracy theory, briefly explained]( Ian Millhiser [Apparently, when you are a Republican political candidate you can say literally anything.](   [Will Taylor Swift’s Kamala Harris endorsement actually matter?]( Constance Grady [The highly coveted endorsement comes after a year of paranoid speculation.](   If you enjoyed reading our presidential debate coverage, please consider supporting our journalism and become a member. [Become a Vox Member](   [Vox logo]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [YouTube]( This email was sent to {EMAIL}. [Unsubscribe]( from this email or [manage your email preferences](. View our [Privacy Notice]( and our [Terms of Service](. [View this email in your browser]([.]( Vox Media, 1201 Connecticut Ave. NW, Floor 12, Washington, DC 20036. Copyright © 2024. All rights reserved.