Former RNC chair: Trump looked ‘small,’ ‘withered’ and ‘beaten’ during debate
Former Republican National Committee (RNC) Chair Michael Steele ripped into former President Trump’s debate performance, saying he looked “small,” “withered” and “pissed” during Tuesday night’s showdown.
Steele, speaking on an MSNBC panel after the debate, said by 20 to 30 minutes into the debate, Vice President Harris “owned” the stage against Trump.
“He looked small, he looked withered, he looked beaten. But most importantly, he looked pissed,” Steele said. “And there’s nothing worse than a pissed bigot on a stage with a woman he can’t control.”
“And she gave him no quarter for that. She gave him no room,” the former RNC head added.
The two presidential nominees clashed Tuesday night in their first, and possibly only, debate in Philadelphia.
Harris was widely expected to provoke Trump to lose his composure. During the forum, the former president appeared visibly irritated and refused to look at his Democratic rival at many points. He was also visibly angry at various points, suggesting the vice president got under his skin.
Steele pointed to a notable moment from the debate during which Trump invoked a phrase Harris used in her 2020 debate after former Vice President Mike Pence.
“I’m talking now, if you don’t mind, please. Does that sound familiar?” Trump said to Harris.
“He [Trump] was feeling in his oats,” Steele said. “He was clever. And there was nothing. You could hear collective, ‘What did he just do?’ across the country even amongst his own people,” Steele said.
“So, I think tonight was definitive for her. Tonight, Kamala Harris showed that she was not just a vice president, that she was, in fact, ready to be president on foreign policy, on the economy, on domestic social issues, on sensitive issues around abortion and race,” he continued, adding, “And Donald Trump, they only thing he could do is stand there and look at the floor, sulk, pout.”
The Hill reached out to the Trump campaign for further comment.
While Trump appeared rattled during much of the debate, Harris delivered a consistently confident performance in contrast.
She also positioned herself as a new generational leader, stating, “Clearly, I am not Joe Biden, and I am certainly not Donald Trump.”
Most voters in a CNN flash poll, released early Wednesday, said Harris outperformed Trump during the debate — around 63 percent. The performance may have given the Democratic nominee a boost, but did not appear to move the needle on the former president, according to the poll.
Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.