Harris wins first debate with Trump, but fight still close

She got under Trump's skin and made him look like a candidate from the past

- Bhagyashree Garekar

The tightest presidential race in decades is likely to remain so - no matter if the pundits say Ms Kamala Harris knocked Donald Trump off his feet in their first and perhaps only debate before the election.

The Sept 10 debate was for Ms Harris the best chance to show voters that she is "presidential" and can carry the expectations stoked by her sudden ascension as the Democratic candidate, capping a largely unremarkable stint as vice-president.

For Trump, the encounter offered a means to decisively regain the upper hand he has lost since Ms Harris replaced the unpopular President Joe Biden as the party candidate less than two months ago. His job was to define her as too liberal and too tied to an unpopular administration to be electable.

Most US media commentators pronounced Ms Harris the winner, who managed to make Trump look like a candidate from the past in his third attempt to win the White House.

The difference in style between them was evident from the moment the debate began.

Trump answered questions with his eyes facing forward, rarely looking at Ms Harris.

The Vice-President, on the other hand, addressed Trump throughout the debate, couching her answers as admonishments of him.

She strode across the stage seizing the initiative to shake Trump's hand before their personas and policies clashed in the 90 minutes of verbal warfare at the National Constitution Centre in Philadelphia.

With most opinion polls showing the two in a dead heat, both vied to add to their side the all-important independent voters who are unaffiliated with either the Republican or the Democratic Party.

Both candidates made their pitches to this vital part of the electorate. At key moments in the debate, each looked straight into the camera to address voters rather than the opponent.