How global media is reacting to the Harris-Trump debate

The future of US support for Ukraine was an area of “prolonged and fervent back and forth” in the debate, indicating the importance of the war in Washington, said the Kyiv Independent. Trump stuck to his “standard talking points,” claiming that his good relationships with Moscow and Kyiv would “settle” the conflict, while refusing to state that he wanted a Ukrainian victory, as Harris pledged continued American support. The Ukraine-based outlet noted that the war was highly unlikely to be a deciding issue for US voters but Trump’s relationship with Russia provided decisive blows for Harris: “Putin would eat you for lunch,” she quipped. Following the debate, former US Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul said there were “huge wins” for Harris.

Harris presented herself as “the more serious candidate,” not only performing well compared to President Joe Biden, who dropped out of the race following a disastrous presidential debate in June, but performing well full-stop, German newspaper Der Spiegel wrote. It noted Harris’ “stately” demeanor as well as her ability to argue compellingly. Meanwhile, Trump “behaved exactly how his team had feared,” the outlet said, frequently unnerved by Harris and making angry false claims, including one about immigrants in Ohio eating pets and another about failed German policy on renewables. The German Foreign Office swiftly corrected him on X: “We are shutting down — not building — coal and nuclear plants. PS: We also don’t eat cats and dogs.”

Both Harris and Trump followed oft-repeated talking points about the Israel-Hamas war and evaded concrete policy, according to the Israeli newspaper Haaretz. The US vice president insisted that Israel has a right to self-defense as well as advocating for a two-state solution, while Trump claimed that under his presidency the Oct. 7 attack and subsequent war “would never have happened.” Jewish-American voters overwhelmingly prefer Harris to Trump, according to polls, noted Haaretz. Meanwhile, the Jewish Democratic Council of America said that Trump’s comments were “backward-looking, devoid of substance, and detached from reality,” whereas Harris affirmed that she would “always give Israel the ability to defend itself.”