USA, TV duel pushes Harris. Trump: no to a new debate

Not even time to assess the weight that the more than 67 million viewers of the first clash between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump may have on their respective campaigns, and the two candidates are once again on the road to conquer swing states and undecided voters, while a new poll gives the Democratic candidate a five-point lead over her Republican rival thanks to the good performance in the duel. The Harris campaign also raised $47 million in the 24 hours following the TV duel against Trump.

Harris flew to North Carolina for two rallies, in Charlotte and Greensboro, the first two stops of the 'New Way Forward' tour, which, as the vice president's staff explained, opens a more 'aggressive' phase of the campaign. The aim, people close to Harris have revealed, is to capitalise on the good performance at the TV debate by hitting the Republican opponent with campaign ads that highlight his 'inadequacy'.

According to the latest Reuters-Ipsos poll, the vice-president is ahead of the tycoon with 47% of the vote against 42%. The five-point increase is higher than the four-point increase recorded in the last survey of 21-28 August. For 53% of respondents, Harris won the debate, while for 24% the winner is Trump. The vice-president will then travel to Pennsylvania on Friday, another crucial state for winning the White House, while Tim Waltz will hold a rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Trump also has a busy schedule, first a rally in Tucson, Arizona and then a fundraising event in California. The tycoon announced on his social media site Truth that he will not hold a second debate against his opponent, claiming he won Tuesday's. "When a boxer loses a fight, the first words out of his mouth are, 'I want a rematch' . The polls clearly show that on Tuesday night I won the debate against Comrade Kamala Harris, the candidate of the radical left,' he attacked. But Harris doesn't stand for that and retorts narrowly by saying that 'American voters deserve a second debate'.

While publicly the tycoon and his people continue to claim victory in the televised challenge against Harris, privately key advisors have admitted that it is unlikely he could convince undecided voters to back him after a poor performance. Meanwhile, the Department of Homeland Security has decided to declare 6 January 2025, the day the presidential winner will be certified and the anniversary of the uprising against Capitol Hill, a 'special event' so that security can be tightened to the levels of extraordinary occasions such as presidential inaugurations, the UN General Assembly and party conventions. The plan for that day will be overseen by the Secret Service and will involve federal, state and local agents.