New details from the first presidential debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and Donald Trump reveal that Harris was in complete control after the second commercial break, and Trump knew he was screwing up.
As soon as the stagehands announced that the duo was ready for the four-minute commercial, Trump leapt off the stage and away from the former prosecutor, letting a deep sigh escape from his pursed lips, CBS News' Sara Cook reported.
While he was gone, Harris reportedly spent half the break writing non-stop on her piece of paper, pausing only to do her hair.
βShe then revised what she had written for the next minute, making a few minor adjustments, before putting down the pen and looking around with her hands folded in front of her. She took a sip of water from a glass placed under the lectern,β Cook reported.
Trump reappeared behind the podium with 30 seconds left. The candidates did not look at each other, but stared straight ahead until the program resumed.
After the debate, Trump baselessly attempted to claim that every post-debate poll showed him winning the face-off. A CNN flash poll after the debate found that 63 percent of Americans thought Harris performed better than Trump.
Meanwhile, conservatives spent much of the day lamenting Trump's performance, with South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham calling the MAGA leader's performance a “disaster.”