When the Harris-Trump presidential debate mentioned the DMV
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Shaw's Tavern hosted a debate watch party last night. Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images
Vice President Kamala Harris Tuesday night set traps designed to provoke, rattle and enrage former President Donald Trump. And over and over, Trump stepped right into them.
Why it matters: With just eight weeks until the election, Harris delivered for Democrats at the presidential debate — the type of national stage that ended President Biden's political career less than three months ago.
- She did so by being "exquisitely prepared," as former Trump debate coach Chris Christie described her, and by exploiting her opponent's well-documented triggers.
- The result was a firehose of angry rants and bizarre claims by Trump that will fuel headlines and Democratic ads for weeks.
Zoom in: The DMV may not decide the presidential election, but there were some local mentions during the debate.
Catch up quick: Trump declined to express any regrets for his actions on Jan. 6, 2021, when his supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol. He instead blamed then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Mayor Muriel Bowser for not handling the rioters.
- Bowser hit back on X: "Trump never offered DC 10,000 troops, and the President — not the DC Mayor — controls the DC National Guard."
Trump misrepresented statements about abortion made by former Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam in 2019, and falsely claimed that Democrats favor the "execution" of babies after they're born.
- "It's not legal to kill a baby after it's born in any state," ABC's co-moderator Linsey Davis replied.
Flashback: Some Democrats were beginning to sweat over keeping Virginia in the blue column right before President Biden dropped out of the race.
Now, Harris has an eight-point lead over Trump among likely Virginia voters, per a Post-Schar School poll.
- And Trump is scaling down in Virginia, after trying to put the state back in play (and even paying a campaign stop to Eden Center in Falls Church).
What's ahead: Harris' campaign called for a second presidential debate late Tuesday night.
- Trump, talking live to Fox News' Sean Hannity in the post-debate spin room, didn't give a direct answer about accepting the challenge.
Go deeper: Trump takes the bait: Takeaways from Harris' big night