Vice President Kamala Harris joined President Joe Biden Wednesday morning at a remembrance ceremony in New York City on the 23rd anniversary of the 9/11 terror attack. The president and vice president are also set to visit Shanksville, Pennsylvania, and the Pentagon to mourn the victims of the attacks at those sites on September 11, 2001.
Former President Donald Trump was also at the New York ceremony and plans to visit a fire station in the city today. In a rare moment of putting politics aside Harris, Bide, Trump and JD Vance all joined together at the 9/11 memorial in NYC this morning.
Wednesday’s subdued schedule comes in the wake of a combative debate between Harris and Trump last night, which was widely seen as a victory of the vice president. “The View” co-host Whoopi Goldberg described the debate in two words: “booty whoopin’.”
Follow Newsweek‘s live blog for updates throughout the day.
Walz on Trump’s debate performance
Following the first presidential debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump, Democratic vice presidential nominee Gov. Tim Walz told MSNBC Trump showed a “nearly 80-year-old angry narcissist” who continued “to veer off.”
“That’s who this guy is, and let’s be very clear, this is a threat to the democracy. It is the most treasonous thing you can do undermine what was fair and free election,” Walz said. “The campaign, we’re ready for this. We know it’s going to be a tough race. We know that he’s not going to probably concede. That’s why I’ll say once again, to Americans, get out there, get engaged, make sure that we’re doing everything necessary.”
–Monica Sager
Debate Puts Trump’s Abortion Problem in the Spotlight
Donald Trump’s “abortion problem” is back in the spotlight after he refused to say outright during his debate with Kamala Harris whether he would veto an abortion ban, and experts have told Newsweek he is in a no-win position on the issue.
Abortion has turned out to be a major issue in this election, with the Democrats pushing themselves as the party of reproductive freedom and warning that Trump plans to bring in a national ban on abortion, something he has denied multiple times.
But the former President was not willing to say whether he would veto a national ban if it landed on his desk, when asked about it during the presidential candidates’ first debate in the key battleground state of Pennsylvania, on Tuesday night.
When moderator Linsey Davis asked him this directly, he said: “Well I won’t have to because it won’t happen.”
When she pressed Trump, citing the fact that his running mate JD Vance has previously said the former President would veto it, Trump answered: “Well I didn’t discuss it with JD, in all fairness.”
‘Venezuela on Steroids’ and Other Immigration Claims from Debate
It took former president Donald Trump six minutes into Tuesday night’s presidential debate before he mentioned immigration.
Trump said Vice President Kamala Harris’ immigration policies will lead the United States to becoming “Venezuela on steroids” after claiming towns were being “overrun” following a surge in gang activity.
According to a poll by The New York Times/Sienna College, respondents trust Trump over Harris on matters concerning immigration policy by 53% to 43%.
Newsweek has fact-checked the claims made by Trump and Harris during the clash between political heavyweights.
Election Officials Warn Mailing Issues Could Disrupt Voting
State and local election officials across the country are stating problems with the mail delivery system that could threaten to disenfranchise voters in the upcoming election.
The letter to U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy came from two groups, the National Association of Secretaries of State and the National Association of State Election Directors, which represent the election administrators in all states across the country.
“We have not seen improvement or concerted efforts to remediate our concerns,” the letter reads. “We implore you to take immediate and tangible corrective action to address the ongoing performance issues with USPS election mail service.”
The officials told the head of the U.S. Postal Service in a letter that it hasn’t fixed any deficiencies. They said these were “not one-off mistakes or a problem with specific facilities. Instead, it demonstrates a pervasive lack of understanding and enforcement of USPS policies among its employees.”
–Monica Sager
Trump on Taylor Swift Endorsement: ‘I Like Mrs. Mahomes Much Better’
Former President Donald Trump weighed in on Taylor Swift’s endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris, saying it was “just a question of time.”
“She [Swift] couldn’t possibly endorse Biden. You look at Biden, you couldn’t possibly endorse him,” Trump said on Fox & Friends Wednesday morning. “But she’s a very liberal person. She seems to always endorse a Democrat. And she’ll probably pay a price for it in the marketplace.”
The former president said he likes “Mrs. Mahomes much better,” referring to Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ wife, Brittany. “She’s a big Trump fan,” he said.
In 2020, Swift accused Trump of “stoking the fires of white supremacy and racism” and putting “millions of Americans’ lives at risk in an effort to hold on to power.”
Before then, the pop star was famously apolitical but has become more vocal about her positions in recent years, endorsing President Joe Biden in 2020.
Earlier in the campaign cycle, Trump posted to Truth Social images of the pop singer dressed like Uncle Sam, similar to a World War I recruitment poster, with the words: “Taylor Swift Wants You To Vote For Donald Trump.”
Trump captioned the post on his Truth Social account with the words: “I accept! Trump later told Fox Business that he didn’t know anything about the images.
–Monica Sager
Read more: Looking Back at Taylor Swift’s Political History as She Endorses Kamala Harris
Megyn Kelly: ‘Disgusted,’ ‘Ashamed’ by ABC Moderators
Megyn Kelly said on The Megyn Kelly Show that she is “disgusted” and “ashamed” of how ABC moderators David Muir and Linsey Davis handled Tuesday night’s debate, indicating it was three against one.
“I don’t remember a single fact check of anything she [Kamala Harris] said and she lied, repeatedly. She just got away with it,” Kelly said. “In the moderator’s eyes, it was Donald Trump’s job to fact check her, that’s correct, except you didn’t employ that same tactic when it came to Trump.”
Kelly also said the moderators expressed their opinions rather than remaining neutral, unlike the CNN moderators during the Trump-Biden debate in June.
Muir asked Trump about his remark on “losing the 2020 election by a whisker” and whether he now accepts his loss. Trump replied that his comment was intended as sarcasm.
“David Muir actually interjected, saying ‘I didn’t hear sarcasm.’ Who cares what you heard? Who died and left you political analyst in chief? You’re supposed to be the objective news anchor of World News Tonight,” Kelly said. “That’s a comment you make to your significant other, not on the debate stage.”
Kelly also criticized Davis for inserting the statement, “There’s not a state in this union that allows a baby to be killed after being born,” suggesting that Davis failed to fact-check the issue properly and did not give Trump a chance to clarify his point.
–Courtney McGinley
Hip hop icon Usher is voting for Kamala Harris
During his appearance on “The View” today, hip hop icon Usher told the co-hosts he’s voting for Kamala Harris.
Usher wasn’t able to watch the debate on Tuesday because he had a concert.
“I don’t get too deep into politics … but I obviously have been watching like everybody else. I think voting is an individual choice. You have to look at the reality of the country we are and the country that we want to be, and find the candidate that you feel both fits the category of where we want to be.
“That’s it and that’s what you vote based off. Who you highlight and how you choose to highlight it on whatever platform you have is your prerogative.”
–Erin Keller
Chris Christie’s Advice for Kamala Harris if There is Second Debate
During Chris Christie’s appearance on “The View” this morning he had this to say about Trump not answering questions:
“When you don’t answer a question that’s really direct, that means you’ve answered it. So what that means is he doesn’t care if Ukraine wins or not, and his plan is to let Russia take over Ukraine. He says, ‘I want the war to end.’ That means everything’s going to get pulled back out and they leave Ukrainians their own devices.”
Christie’s advice for Harris if there’s a second debate.
“The American people are forgiving people, and they’re understanding people. So there were some mistakes made in the Biden administration. She should admit to them and say she’s going to do better. So like, ‘the pullout in Afghanistan that was fluffed, it was blown right?'”
“She could become more credible with people by saying, ‘Look, that was a mistake, yeah, and I learned from it, and I’m going to do better when I’m President.'”
“When they talk about they’re changing positions on certain issues, the way I would hope she would address it would be to say, ‘You know what, I will change some of my positions. If that helps me bring the country together. But make it about uniting the country together, and saying, ‘Look, I’m not going to get everything I want, and so I will change. I won’t violate my principles, but what I will do is change my position a bit if I think that can bring the country together. I think that’s what undecided voters want to hear, is they want to stop the fighting.”
–Erin Keller
Chris Christie’s Answer When Asked if He’ll Vote for Harris
“The View” co-host Sunny Hostin said during this morning’s episode Trump became “unhinged” after Harris talked about his rallies.
Guest Chris Christie applauded Harris’ subtle “zingers” during the debate.
“When you try to do it, it comes off fake and stilted. She just kind of went ‘oop,’ and just threw a little bit in there because she had been well prepared. That’s all you have to do with him, you don’t need to do a lot.”
Hostin asked Christie if he’ll vote for Harris.
“Oh, I’m still an undecided voter,” he said to groans from the hosts and the studio audience. “I understand you all want me to make some big announcement but what I will say to you is Donald Trump is not who I’m voting for.”
–Erin Keller
Chris Christie: Trump ‘doesn’t want to work hard’
Chris Christie took a seat at the table with “The View” co-hosts.
On Trump’s lack of preparation, Christie said “He has to want to do it and he doesn’t want to work hard. He just wants to go out there and be him. “
Christie on Harris appearing confident and prepared: “If she threw him off, he’s even stupider than some people think.”
Christie on Harris’ performance, “She did what she had to do. She’s the lesser known person with the lesser profile. She needed to show those undecided voters that she belonged on that stage, and last night, she showed she belongs on the change.”
“I can’t actually believe he went there,” Christie said of Trump’s “eating pets” claims, adding that he and his wife burst into laughter when Trump uttered the now infamous remark on Tuesday.
“He’s following around dopey JD Vance on that issue,” Christie added.
Christie says one of the most “disturbing” parts of the debate was Trump never looking at Harris, claiming it’s not because he was uncomfortable but because Trump doesn’t respect Harris.
“I can tell you that when I was preparing him in 2016, he had enormous respect for Hillary Clinton. He used to say all the time, ‘she’s really smart, she’s really tough. She’s really good.’ He doesn’t think this about Vice President Harris, wrongly, but he doesn’t say that and he displayed that last night.”
–Erin Keller
Whoopi Goldberg calls debate a ‘booty whoopin’
“The View” co-hosts definitely did not hold back on their about last night’s presidential debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump.
Whoopi Goldberg called the debate a “booty whoopin.'”
“Clearly, Vice President Harris, kicked some butt,” Goldberg said. “I guess his strategy was to double down on the crazy.”
Joy Behar joked her dog, Bernie, “hid under the bed” during Trump’s “eating animals” claim.
Behar said of Harris and Trump, “She was so tough on him that was almost like elder abuse.”
Sunny Hostin weighed in on Trump’s Springfield, Ohio, remarks.
“He was talking about Haitian people in particular. As the wife of a Haitian and as the mother of Haitian children, how dare you,” Hostin said.
Alyssa Farah Griffin said, “she laid traps for him and he flopped right into them. If this was a traditional Republican President, or traditional presidential cycle, you had Mitt Romney against Kamala Harris, I’d be saying, listen, she should have talked more about why she was for defund the police and isn’t now, why she’s for Medicare for All and isn’t now but nothing about this is traditional.”
–Erin Keller
Will Taylor Swift endorsement have an impact?
Cayce Myers, a campaign communications and public relations expert from Virginia Tech, said Taylor Swift’s endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris may have an impact by encouraging younger Gen Z fans to vote.
“Celebrity endorsements do not necessarily translate into meaningful turnout,” Myers said. “Swift’s endorsement is different in some ways than a typical endorsement.”
Myers pointed toward Swift’s fan base and her post specifically mentioning of women’s right to choose as well as IVF.
“Swift’s use of her social media platform to amplify these issues has the potential to raise awareness among younger voters who might be paying less attention to the presidential election,” Myers said.
–Monica Sager
Abortion rights leader: Trump was ‘speaking out of both sides of his mouth’
National abortion rights leader, Julie Burkhart, said former President Donald Trump was “speaking out of both sides of his mouth” during the debate Tuesday night.
“As the architect behind the overturning of Roe, aided by his allies on the Supreme Court, it’s clear that if re-elected, he plans to finish what he started by signing a national abortion ban – don’t be fooled by his distractions,” Burkhart said. “Donald Trump has shown complete disdain and disregard for the lives of those in need of critical abortion care, weaponizing health care against both patients and doctors.”
Due to Trump’s work, over 20 states have some form of an abortion ban in place today. Burkhart was cited as the only person in the country to open an abortion clinic in a state that bans abortion. She operates a clinic in Casper, Wyoming and co-owns a clinic in Granite City, Illinois.
“The government has no place in policing bodily autonomy,” Burkhart said. “As an operator of clinics in underserved communities, we see the devastating impact of overturning Roe every single day. America’s women and pregnant people cannot endure another four years of Donald Trump. We must restore the protections Roe offered for over five decades—and there’s only one candidate on tonight’s debate stage who will fight to do that.”
–Monica Sager
Harris and Trump Shake Hands at 9/11 Memorial for Second Time in Two Days
Kamala Harris and Donald Trump shook hands and exchanged a few words with each other at the direction of former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg during a ceremony commemorating the anniversary of 9/11.
Bloomberg, himself a former presidential hopeful, initiated the moment just hours after the two rivals stepped off the debate stage in Pennsylvania, which saw the vice president and former president meet in-person for the first time.
At this, their second meeting, the two candidates stood not far from each other, along with President Joe Biden and other major members of both parties.
Read more from Theo Burman
Trump criticizes possible moderators for October debate
During an appearance on Fox & Friends this morning, Trump criticized Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum, who have been suggested as possible moderators for the October debate.
“I wouldn’t want to have Bret and Martha,” he said, suggesting Sean Hannity, Jesse Watters, or Laura Ingraham instead.
–Jesus Mesa
Massachusetts Dem: Harris is ‘only choice to lead our nation into the future’
Steve Kerrigan, the chair to the Massachusetts Democratic Party, said Vice President Kamala Harris reminded the country last night that “she is not only the right choice but the only choice to lead our nation into the future with confidence and capability.”
“She clearly outlined the values of the Harris/Walz ticket—values that strengthen our democracy, protect reproductive freedoms, and ensure that every person has the opportunity not just to get by, but to get ahead,” Kerrigan said.
Former President Donald Trump was a “stark contrast,” Kerrigan said, commenting on his “glaring example of his inability to adapt and lead like a true statesman.”
–Monica Sager
Trump Bites the Bait
Jonathan Swan, who covers politics and the Trump campaign for The New York Times, explains on The Daily podcast how a night that could have focused on Vice President Kamala Harris’ record shifted to highlight former President Donald Trump’s temperament.
Trump’s team aimed to make Harris take responsibility for her partnership with Joe Biden, highlighting his unpopularity and the controversial parts of his record. They wanted to prevent her from positioning herself as the “change” candidate, instead wanting her to be viewed as the incumbent.
On the other hand, Harris’ team was to present the exact opposite. They wanted her to present herself without undermining Biden, while still looking toward the future with optimism for change, contrasting with the idea of returning to the past with Trump.
“Harris starts out her voice is a little jittery, she sounds nervous and she basically avoids the question. [Are you better off than you were four years ago?] She starts with a canned remark about being a middle class kid, very cliche with political rhetoric,” Times reporter Jonathan Swan said. “She rattles off policies and finally pivots to an attack against Trump.”
Swan said Harris was “tap dancing, trying to shift to offense” until the debate took a turn with the discussion of abortion. At that point, Harris began to find her footing and attempted to rattle Trump.
When asked about the southern border, Harris took jabs at Trump’s rallies and crowd sizes. Instead of seizing the moment to address border challenges, Trump stumbled.
The hosts noted he seemed angry and easily agitated, leaning him into undisciplined territories.
“He’s not a psychologically complicated character,” Swan said. “It takes about two minutes of observing him to know that one of the things he cares most about are his crowd sizes and he just took the bait.”
–Courtney McGinley
Trump Media Stock Hits New Low After Presidential Debate
Trump Media & Technology Group stock fell more than 17 percent shortly after trading began Wednesday, hitting a new low of $15.36 per share at 09:35 a.m. ET.
Shares of the Truth Social parent company had earlier plunged in premarket trading after the presidential debate between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris.
Trump is the majority owner of TMTG, which trades under the ticker symbol DJT, and he can begin selling his shares on September 25, per a lock up period role.
The share price closed at $18.63 on Tuesday.
–Daniel Orton
WATCH: Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg Initiates Handshake Between Harris and Trump at 9/11 Ceremony
9/11 Campaigner Waiting to Hear Back from Trump Team About Pausing Political Ads Today
Jay Winuk, the co-founder of the non-profit organization 9/11 Day, said on CNN this morning that the Harris-Walz campaign had confirmed with the awareness group that it had paused its ads today.
Since 2004, 9/11 Day has requested the presidential campaigns to pause any advertising and suspend campaigning on 9/11 out of respect, an ask that has been widely recognized, according to Winuk.
Winuk, whose brother died in the terror attack on the World Trade Center while working as a volunteer firefighter, also said that the organization was waiting to hear back from the Trump campaign.
During the 2020 election, Winuk’s organization criticized Trump’s campaign for continuing to run political ads on 9/11.
–Theo Burman & Daniel Orton
Larry Sabato Says Harris Campaign is Trying to ‘Project confidence’ by Challenging Trump to Second Debate
Top political scientist Larry Sabato said that Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign was confident in the wake of her debate with former President Donald Trump, proven by their immediate demand for another head-to-head in October.
Sabato, who said in an appearance on CNN this morning that the debate “wasn’t even vaguely close,” and that Harris “won easily,” highlighted the move from her campaign as a power play that put the ball in Trump’s court for deciding if the two candidates would meet again.
Sabato said: “We shall see if this performance is amplified in other states, but one indication of projecting confidence moments after the debate was when the Harris campaign said: ‘we want to do another one in October.’
“As of right now, Donald Trump has not yet agreed to do so.”
–Theo Burman
Pennsylvania Republican Says Bad Debate Was Price Paid for Not Moderating on Abortion
Charlie Dent, a former Republican congressman from a key swing state, has said that his party’s inability to moderate its position on abortion opened the door for much more effective attacks from Vice President Kamala Harris.
Dent, who represented Pennsylvania in the House, said that the dismantling of Roe v Wade by Trump’s appointed justices to the Supreme Court meant that Harris was able to brand each state’s ban on abortion as “Trump bans.”
Speaking on CNN Wednesday morning, Dent said: “The party needs to moderate on this issue. Harris effectively hit Trump on what she called the ‘Trump abortion bans.’
“Trump kept saying that everybody wanted Roe v Wade overturned; well that’s simply not the case. He said all the legal scholars wanted to overturn it; again, not the case.
“So she was really able to go after Trump, saying: ‘okay you want the states to have the choice? Well now we have Trump bans!’ and Trump didn’t have a good answer.
“Frankly, we’re all struggling with whiplash from Donald Trump on the issue of abortion. He’s moved back and forth so many times, and he really wasn’t able to articulate a coherent position again.”
–Theo Burman
Ground Zero Is Hallowed Ground. Every Four Years, It’s Also a Political Stage
Mourners will descend on Lower Manhattan Wednesday morning — as they have every September 11 for 23 years — for the annual commemoration and reading of the names of the nearly 3,000 people killed in the 9/11 terror attacks.
This year’s ceremony is taking place against the backdrop of a highly competitive and heated presidential race that has seen Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump spar over issues of national security.
Attending the 9/11 commemoration when it falls during an election year provides opportunities for presidential candidates to show themselves as “visible and statesman like in showing their respect” to those killed during the attack, Robert Y. Shapiro, a professor of political science at Columbia University, told Newsweek.
Read more from Andrew Stanton
Trump Rails Against ABC Debate Moderators in Early Morning Fox News Interview
Donald Trump criticized the moderators of his Tuesday evening debate against Kamala Harris, and called ABC the “most dishonest news organization.”
“It was three to one. It was a rigged deal as I assumed it would be,” Trump said in a phone interview with the hosts of Fox & Friends Wednesday morning.
Several times during the debate, the two moderators – David Muir and Linsey Davis – fact-checked the former president after his statements on crime rates, immigration and abortion.
“This was incredible. So many things I said were debunked, totally debunked,” Trump said. “And she could say anything she wanted.”
The hosts didn’t issue any fact checks on Harris’ remarks, according to The Washington Post.
Trump claimed that CNN, who moderated his June debate against Joe Biden, was “much more honorable,” and that ABC had “lost a lot of credibility” as a result Tuesday’s debate.
“This is, in my opinion, the most dishonest news organization, and that’s saying a lot because they’re all, essentially really dishonest.”
Despite the perceived network bias, Trump said: “I thought I did a great job.”
–Hugh Cameron
Trump Media Stock Drops Pre-Market
Trump Media & Technology shares were down more than 17 percent in pre-market trading early Wednesday following the first, and potentially only, debate between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris.
The share price fell 17.28 percent to $15.41 at 04:55 a.m. ET. It is still down more than 14 percent.
Trump is the majority owner of TMTG, the parent company of social-media platform Truth Social.
The former president will be free to sell his shares in TMTG in just a few days after a restriction expires and the share price remains above $12.
The stock closed Tuesday at $18.63 per share.
–Theo Burman & Daniel Orton
Top Republican Advisor Says Harris Was “In Control” for Debate With Trump
Mark McKinnon, a former advisor to both George W. Bush and John McCain, said that Kamala Harris appeared “confident and in control” for much of her debate with Donald Trump last night.
The veteran political strategist said that Harris pitched herself well to voters, shortly after a post-debate poll found that the majority of viewers thought that she had performed better in the debate than her Republican counterpart.
McKinnon said on CNN: “Her sense of purpose was clear—she knew what she needed to do. When you look at it objectively, her goal was to introduce herself to parts of the electorate who didn’t know her well.
“They saw a calm, composed, and presidential candidate. If you watched the screen with the sound off, she appeared as if she were standing in the sun on a beach, while [Trump] seemed to be caught in a storm. She looked confident, in control, and presidential.”
–Theo Burman
Kamala Harris’ Chances of Winning Rise With 20 Bookmakers After Debate
Kamala Harris’ chances of winning the presidential election in November have improved with 20 leading bookmakers after Tuesday night’s debate against Donald Trump.
An analysis by Newsweek has found that the odds of a Harris victory have been cut by Bet 365, Sky Bet, Paddy Power, Betfair, BetVictor, Ladbrokes, Unibet, Betfred, Bet MGM, BoyleSports, 10 Bet, Star Sports, Bet UK, LiveScore Bet, QuinnBet, Betway, Coral, Bet Goodman, VBet and BetOnline.
Read more by James Bickerton
ICYMI: Taylor Swift Makes Her Long-Awaited Presidential Endorsement
Taylor Swift officially made her endorsement for president on Tuesday night
Swift posted to Instagram in the immediate aftermath of the debate, announcing that she will be voting for Vice President Kamala Harris.
Read more from Monica Sager
Post Debate Poll Finds Trump Voters More Likely To Be Reconsidering Than Harris Voters
A post-debate poll of voters by CNN has revealed that likely Trump voters are reconsidering their choice more than Harris voters.
While the majority of voters remained unchanged in their choices after the head-to-head on ABC, 10 percent fewer Trump voters were secure in their candidate after his performance, while almost 90 percent of Harris voters remained confident that they would support her in November.
CNN’s David Chalian said: “88 percent of Harris supporters said the debate did not change their minds, while 78 percent of Trump supporters said the same. Meanwhile, 17 percent of debate watchers said they would reconsider their choice for Harris, and 6 percent of Trump supporters said their minds had changed. We don’t know exactly how those minds have changed, but it’s notable that 22 percent of Trump supporters are reconsidering, which is a higher number than for Harris.”
–Theo Burman
JD Vance Defends Trump’s Comments About Immigrants Eating Pets
Republican Vice Presidential candidate JD Vance said that Trump’s comments during the debate on immigrants eating dogs could be true, and that there wasn’t enough evidence to say either way yet.
Speaking to CNN after the debate, the Ohio senator said: “City officials haven’t said it’s not true. They’ve said they don’t have all the evidence, and that there is no evidence yet. We’ve heard from several constituents on the ground, firsthand and secondhand, saying these things are happening.
“The media turned it into a meme about pets, which shows the media’s failure to care about what’s happening in these communities,” he added. “If we have to make it a meme for people to care, we’ll keep doing it, because the media should care.”
As debate host David Muir correctly pointed out, there are no credible reports of animals being injured or abused by immigrants.
–Theo Burman
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