Donald Trump Vs Kamala Harris Debate Analysis LIVE | Race For White House Heats Up | US President

uh Donald Trump felt very strong on the foreign policy because he truly had no war he truly met with all of the leaders and they publicly some of them publicly as for example the Hungarian prime minister Victor Orban they publicly admire him so he has a strong guard card on this note on the other hand Harris uh you know she has been sort of hidden under Biden so for her it's way easier to sort of shine because no one really knows what she was doing the past four years no one has any track record except that she was doing what Biden told her and what he was doing um also Linka stay on with you because I just want to go across to Rohit if he continues to be with us Rohit do you also think that the the whole range of the issues where the confidence came from both of these candidates that for kamla Harris it was about on abortion issues specifically how the administration previously had taken a decision and via the court and on taxes while for Donald Trump it came on I will stop the War I will bring peace why should Americans be involved do you think that was a kind of kind of a distinguished uh rhetoric that they had chosen to speak about well yeah government has always spoken pretty well about abortion I think that's that's one of the areas she's very comfortable with she she knows what policy is going to be uh and the other one you know on on foreign foreign policy and I prob she in the Ws I think Trump wanted to Conor Harris because you know as as said there were no Wars when he was the president the war started only after he left the White House and he wanted to cor them saying that America is involved indirectly in these two Wars and he could probably end these two Wars so yes I think your your ass is correct on that but also I also think that KLA wanted to sort of distance herself from Biden's policy and she was not able to do it I'll come back to you in just a short while Linka I I'll take that question to you and also to gaita do you think where do you think kamla possibly scored a point and where do you think Donald Trump perhaps kept his confidence in this debate on on many counts I think that uh Harris did quite well uh he she did manage to Corner uh um Donald Trump when it comes to Performance and economy itself she had numbers to show for uh when it comes to abortion uh we know that you know it's a it's a really divided house and she tried to put Trump on the map but it is when the IVF conversation that she brought in uh maybe on hindsight she could have done without because abortion itself was a big Reproductive Rights itself is a big big uh win for uh for the Democrats uh but the moment she brought that in he actually turned it around and in his uh in his rebuttal spoke of how he's been an advocate of IVF so on and so forth as well and that uh almost fact checked her immigration another very important area where uh where uh a strong point for Trump but I think kamla Harris also made her points quite uh clearly so in terms of what the policies are and uh the entire thing about gun control and taking guns of the shelves is not going to happen much to the dismay maybe of many people who are actually wanting that uh but uh but a clear policy decision there again you know Republicans and those fencers would be listening to what what kamla Harris as the Democratic presidential candidate is saying um the race issue dictators uh Medicare and climate change all of them I think have climate change he also said that you know he had earlier said it's it was a hoax it's not it's a reality yes so gaita stay on with you because Lena also continues to be with us Lena um it was very interesting when he tried to also pin her down with that blatant uh the the word that he used and if I'm correct he said she hates Israel and he realized what he was saying because that clearly has a certain support base in America or as a policy has been as history has been with regard to America's decision to support Israel that he said she doesn't want Israel to exist if they continue Israel will blow up in fact in fact if I could just add Lena she actually goes on he actually went on to say that in uh Harris did not attend the joint session of the Congress when Netanyahu was there and that she refused to meet Netanyahu so she he was he was backing it with the with what happened during neto's visit to the United States of America that I felt was a direct charge because that is one big polarizing issue in USA isn't it uh definitely it's a huge issue and I have friends who are Democrats and don't like Kamala Harris just because of this topic because of Gaza and Palestine and Israel they told me they don't want to vote for Harris because they think she's not doing enough to achieve peace and that she's let the people in Gaza to get massacred on the other hand uh Donald Trump uh he pointed out that of course she was not present at the speech of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu which is which is a big deal and he as you also said uh he predicted that Israel could disappear within the two years if she would uh become the president so she's having tough time of balancing this sort of position of first of all making happy the Arab Americans and also making happy the Jewish population which is quite large in the United States and she's sometimes not making happy any of those two groups because she's somewhere in the middle one time saying this another time saying that I would like also to mention that uh the ABC reporters uh they rather teamed up against Donald Trump they were factchecking him on the spot they were almost uh going back towards him with all the questions and some of the questions also felt like they were opinionated against him I personally didn't enjoy it I I I felt frustrated and it was painful to watch their moderation stay on with me and I just want to also uh just let the viewer know that remember we were the only Channel we ensured that because there is a certain guideline that the full minute in fact I think GA it was over 90 minute of the discussion was played in full uh we do not intend to anyway right now put out any edited so to say excerpts but we'll constantly be analyzing it India today was completely from beginning to end was on that discussion so you have it in full gaita I just want to bring it in here that at this point the fact that even India is watching it discussing this discussion and debate because it is not just USA's presidential debate it is going to be about world issues why do you think that this debate has been crucial and is being wased worldwide well it is because at the end of the day the United States of America does set the tone and tenor for how the world looks like it is it shapes World policies not just foreign policy of particular country by dealing bilaterally with the United States of America and the debate right now is over but we will show clips of those important uh uh uh bits in in a while from now there are massive restrictions that we have worked uh with the fact that that that that we're only allowed to show the debate or once and then we have to wait for the clips to come in so in unlike how uh we've had in the past where there have been there has been space of using uh the clips from the inter uh from from the debate through uh the first 3 hours of uh of the debate getting over that's not the case this time around so be patient it'll come to you uh coming back to the question on why is the debate so important uh or why is a presidential election in the United States of America itself so important Pua look at the subjects that they covered apart from economy which uh and and domestic policies such as uh abortion immigration fracking Jan 6th there was a massive conversation on what uh happened uh on the 6th of January the Insurrection yes and uh and it was not kamla Harris factchecking trump it was it the the anchors were factchecking Trump on many counts you saw that there were certain areas where maybe Harris was not checked as many times as Trump was checked by the ABC anchors uh that certainly happened but look at the other areas and issues that were discussed they should uh they discussed the Israel Hamas War correct affects everyone particularly the region uh they discussed uh the Russia Ukraine war uh where he actually named Victor Oran and uh spoke of how and why this war was actually not what I do like about Donald Trump in a light-hearted note he constantly claims that people around the world credit him and that people believe that the world is scared of him they would not go to war they would not go to war because of Donald Trump but but do you think there's a certain the certain pattern that he's quoting that he believes because he constantly quoted Iran and he said when I had put sanctions look how weak Iran had become there was not going to be a war but this Administration appears to have taken back the sanctions and look how rich Iran has become so do you think there is certain tenure that he's also quoting you know uh the the discussion over how America has failed in its economic War across the world is for another day but yes uh he did mention Iran and and there is a there is a pattern to what he's done during his presidency he did not take America to war it's a fact he did not he really did try to engage those who they might call dictators but what has what has how has it helped America in calling Putin a dictator or Kim Jong-un and not engaging and uh and and now we're seeing tensions in so many parts of the world that maybe could have been averted or avoided here we're not saying that you know what Trump does is right or wrong because he stepped out of the Paris agreement he stepped out of jcpa making the entire West Asia a little unstable with Iran he did all of that but none of the wars that America is right now uh a part of were his doing or his making so he does when he says that I don't take my country to war he does mean it and yes uh when it comes to the uh weapons that are being sent abroad the aid that is going abroad uh the economy over here according to him in a shambles and that could that all this money could have helped America rather than going abroad is certainly are certainly areas that's that uh that Trump uh focused on I think I suppose in their preparation they were very clear what are the areas that they're going to focus on and how they're going to put it and and what they say on those issues can actually make a break the kind of audience that's watching it worldwide but also remember Puja this is the first time they're actually meeting in person they've never met Harris and Trump have never never met in person before are you saying never met in any of the official Gatherings never ever this is the first time that the two sides were meeting they must have prepped uh themselves for what the counter could look like but I do think that um Harris did land some very strong ones there when it comes to those punches where she said you're not talking to Biden you're talking to kamla Harris so on and so forth so uh and and gaita I just want to because I understand this was such an early morning discussion that we put out debate that was full from beginning to end that was on air on India today but while we in just a short while put out the excerpts of those of that discussion the courts are already on your screen take a look this is what Trump said on different issues this is what Kamala Harris said they clearly came prepared but remember in a situation of debate it's as much about Expressions it's about the pauses as much it as it is about full sentences that are spoken by these candidates remember they could decide not just the future of the United States of America but also possibly on global issues as well so now the first excerpt the first chunk so to say has come remember there are full guidelines and restrictions on it India today has ensured that for you for the viewer of our channel that we put out not only of course the full debate but as in when more and more excerpts are coming in will play out first on economy because this is remember one of the biggest issues for USA for the people in America it's about inflation economy where is it heading what the future looks like let's listen in now to that first except let's talk about what Donald Trump left us Donald Trump left us the worst unemployment since the Great Depression Donald Trump left us the worst Public Health epidemic in a century Donald Trump left us the worst attack on our democracy since the Civil War and what we have done is clean up Donald Trump's mess look we've had a terrible economy because inflation has which is really known as a country Buster it breaks up countries we have inflation like very few people have ever seen before probably the worst in our nation's history so G what is your assessment while I was listening to the debate I did think that Donald Trump at some point was surprised because maybe he did not expect kamla Harris to come this prepared but do you think that that she performed better than usual and without saying that I think she did perform better than Joe Biden oh of course she performed better than Joe Biden but uh over here I think she stood her ground and while we talking about standing uh a very um uh interesting snippet over here Puja if you look at the podiums and you will not be able to make out because there's just those two uh window frame right uh but uh zooming out and we'll get those visuals in as well you will see that Trump's Podium is way higher bigger than uh kamla Harris's Podium which is very small shot because uh in in a two window you would not want to show the disproportionate size of a Podium given the size difference between kamla Harris and Trump so they actually made a Podium to her size in fact a fun trivia here uh this is the uh the biggest height difference so to say between two presidential candidates ever in the history of US presidential elections 6.4 ft to 5.4 ft so that's the difference and to manage that difference the podiums have been made uh were made different well there is smart camera work at play and I must say there smart camera work at play here as well we may be covering uh the the presidential debate gaita from uh from Delhi so to say but for the viewer we are fully in Washington DC right outside the White House and maybe you wouldn't have noticed if I wouldn't have told you because our extremely brilliant team have ensured that they they prepare this beautiful set for us as well but we looking at these visuals coming in where we are at is basically the Rose Garden in the white house and we are looking at these quotes constantly coming in and as in when the the exerts the chunks start to come in from that almost 2H hour long debate remember as per guidelines it it's a very specific uh about 2 to 3 minutes uh there are those guidelines that will have to be followed and India today's Ur was important everybody before the uh debate Puja was talking about how she's coming with an Administration baggage the anti-incumbency the fact that people are questioning and are tired but I think there were a few important takeaways when it comes to the economy that I think was very important because both sides needed to put uh what they think they're going to do uh while she said that we have these plans he said I don't don't have an exact plan I can spell out right now but when when I'm President we will have that I do have ideas for what things should look like and how they should go there was a lot of fact checking also that was happening along the way uh when it comes to um uh jobs unemployment because Trump did hit out I think one part where he did come back and where he appeared to be more confident consistently was the war situation the regional conflict because kamla Harris was where Donald Trump tried to p her down or the Biden Administration down saying look what Iran has become it's richer than it was or the I the the conflict I I like how he constantly rate to rated saying if I'm president-elect even before I take oath I will ensure that the war is over now of course there's a certain confident rhetoric to it more than whether it can happen or not but do you think that's one of the planks because the regional Wars have bothered Americans that they are sort of part of a conflict which is not direct do you think polarized also and polarized and it has really made a huge uh impact on how these elections are going to look like because a lot of a lot of uh Democrats uh and fenet who might not be very happy with the situation in Gaza have questioned the Harris Administration she really needed convincing them that uh that she will you know chart her own path when it comes to these wars but also talking about and putting him on the mat on how he's friends with uh with all these dictators and strong men like strong men and dictators and that's why you know things were different when he and they they take cues from him uh to which he actually said that it's actually not that they're scared of me is the reason why there were no Wars and the fact that you are incompetent one very important thing over here Puja was also the fact that they were mute buttons but both of them were constantly on air you know with being seen so while there was no cross talk happening you saw a lot of expressions from kamla Harris every time Trump spoke she would shake her head say no he's lying and she would mime he's lying all the time he's lying that's not true that's not correct and the usual Trump expression to and fromp expression was a SM or or a little irritated she used that space that space of quiet on a window when he's speaking to shake her head or say it's it's a lie I think that also made well I I could say fact silent fact this is confirmed that mute buttons are not only for Indian news channels but also as in America GA but like you mentioned I think it was as much about local issues but Regional issues that impact local views as well uh within America stay on with me let's go across now to Washington DC remember India Today is the only Indian news Channel right now that's been live since morning from the ground zero as well that's where Rohit Sharma a journalist is joining me right now Rohit so a mark difference like we have been discussing uh not many memes possibly this time over the debate but a lot of talk over the the issues what is the sentiment on the ground what are you picking up about the chatter in America well first things first Kuja this is not Washington DC where I'm standing right now is the debate Center here in Del more everybody know that we at and I think you know very interesting debate very stark contrast from what we saw in June uh very different opponent uh you know first things first I mean J Harris goes and shakes hands with President uh president Trump s off a little bit he wasn't expecting that I don't think he was uh very different competitor uh she was forceful she had prepared well she was in Pennsylvania for five days and I think it came across that she was very well prepared I think was trying to Wing some of his answers and he's always done that this was his seventh presidential debate where he just came and you know he thought he could just get away by saying things and he was corrected at least five times I counted at least five times by the moderators I mean and obviously uh multiple like Harris so I think the prim of face I think it's a good night for KLA Harris you know the expectations were low she didn't have to you know nobody expected her to do as well as she did and nobody expected Donald Trump to lose this debate I think you know at the end of the day both the campaigns will have will'll take a lot of talking points for this but I think kamla Harris you know I mean we've seen her debate before uh and I think she was able to show her skills as a debater I think other other thing that a lot of people observed here and we were all talk talking and chatting during the commercial breaks but the fact that Donald Trump did not expect a lot of zingers you know these onliners from Kamala Harris and she delivered them with punch there's one Zinger that Trump trump also delivered that landed it was about you know don't disturb me while I'm talking and you know kind of reminds you of or heard that before so I mean at the end of the day I think KLA has gone through this debate uh you know unharmed uh and then you know the the the campaign that person I was speak speaking with earlier today said that was the goal to make sure that she she come across is presentable uh one journalist that I was speaking with noted that she did better than Hill Clinton 2016 uh and this gives her campaign the Boost that they needed because she was her bump was Tattooing in polls she was she was going down in some of the key Battleground States I think her campaign will use this and take it Forward I mean this is not going to me a lot of people said this could be the end of the of the election you know from does well and she does not do well the election is sealed and I think we'll see a very very competitive race from here Ona very interesting Rohit stay on with me because we're also joined by journalist Lena white and about the the discussion that's happening currently in the USA and gaita and I constantly analyzing on this Lena good morning Indian Standard Time Of course heading to midnight for you tell me this about how what was your key takeaway from this debate do you think that Kamala Harris relied more on domestic ISS issues while Donald Trump relied for his votes coming in primarily on the regional or the global conflict issues as as confidence would that be correct to say here the anchors were biased what are you picking up about how Kamala Harris spoke what did Donald Trump say and really the conclusion of the discussion and the debate well first things first you know I was listening to your commentary with G's comment with like that and you know it's just amazing how how we all have different perspective you know and yes is you know is is a very simple thing to do if if your candidate doesn't do well it kind of tells you that your candidate did not do well so what you do you go attack the moderator and you say this was biased and this and that I mean why didn't they attack the moderator last time around you know Trump had said the exact same things about those moderators before that debate in June the fact of the matter is I mean I think Trump was you know sort of underestimated uh Kamala Harris she did pretty well uh people over here that we've been talking to you know we I think everybody agrees that K haris had a great mind uh yes you know she she wasn't uh you know as strong on some of things but look at the things that uh you know Trump said I mean he's like I will end the war but how how do you end the war I mean I'll just give a call to Putin and end the war I mean see these are all hypotheticals with no policy backing so it's not like he has a plan is just that he has his words uh he did make a good point about kamla Harris yous to the ending the closing statements when he said hey you know just go to Washington DC go to Capital and get the things done no you don't need to get elected to do these things done you already are in power I think that was a very to me I think you know that that was trying to tell her that you have failed I want to bring you bring another question to you this is a huge news coming in one of the biggest pop superstars who has millions of especially young followers Taylor Swift has endorsed Kamala Harris in fact Gita just informed me about that it's big news remember because she had been she' been so to say silent all this while uh Rohit a quick word from you on this that Taylor Swift endorsing Kamala Harris do you think something like this makes a huge difference possibly to the younger audience to the younger firsttime voters absolutely all the SS are going to V for Kam Harris she' Endor Joe Biden in 2020 and look at the things Kam haris talked about she talked about abortion uh you know females having Reproductive Rights she talked about you know how she has made it in her own story as a female and at the end of the day we've all talked about breaking that glass ceiling one day eventually so this is a very very big deal okay well can I just come in of course very big deal Rohit the fact that Taylor whipped and I remember we were discussing this earlier as well and we've done stories on this and how Taylor Swift stood uh did not really endorse Biden and there was so much pressure on uh Taylor Swift whether she's going to endorse not endorsed then the debate happened uh a singular disaster for the Democratic team and uh there was no endorsement there then kamla Harris was nominated presidential candidate no endorsement from Taylor Swift Rohit and finally I suppose she waited to see how kamla Harris will do to really then endorse her is is is the reading right and and Rohit also tell us about the swifties army that she has do you think there are like literally thousands if not Millions of swifties in her support who could listen to what Taylor Swift is saying I think I think they do Puja you know You' be surpris the pop culture falling in the US and look you know I think G made an excellent point here you know she was waiting you know she did not endorse Biden she was waiting and waiting and waiting and this kind of tells you that even she believes and people around Kam Harris believe that she had a strong night to come out and support her right after debate tells you that kamla haris had a good night uh you know I was just talking to somebody in the spin room right now and I think the general mood is that look Trump was being trumped you know we are all surprised by how well kamah Harris did but B sorry Trump did not have a bad night per se I mean he he's always had these kinds of nights and he still gets away with that he he'll go on the campaign Trail and talk about some other stuff he'll probably make up some more stuff but I think this the news is that kamla you know did really well and I think that's why we're all talking about kamla Harris right now but Trump did not have a bad mind I mean he you know he did TST some facts you know he tried to bring him imigration to most of the stuff that he was talking about they talked about January 6 and he brought in Immigration they talk about economy he bring in Immigration he was trying to H those talking points given by his campaign which are pulling really well in those Battleground States so I think he did not have a that bad of a night but it's just happens to be that kamla did well and again do you think according to your assessment and what are the journalists around you who have all gathered there in Philadelphia what are they saying is the reason that Kamala Harris appears to have also become the talking point what did she do well if Trump was as usual what is it that she surprised the audience with that Taylor Swift immediately endorsing her other possibly other celebrities could come forth too Rohit well look you know I think everybody I mean I think kudos to the Democrats everybody made made sure before the debate that you know she came across as Underdog we had a lot of you know campaign people tell us that you know Trump is so powerful he's his amazing debater and and you know kamla is this that so I think they set the expectation bar so low that even if she was to do okay she'd appear as good and actually I think she did good so now everybody's raving about you know how she performed in this debate also the fact that you know she she has been a good deat in the past I mean some clips of you know her are doing grounds down how she was able to have a great debate against Pence she had cornered Joe Biden in 2019 primary debate so she had that quality but to be able to contain herself and delivered on big stage I think that is the big big story tonight going back to Taylor Swift Rohit just before you know I toss it back to uh was important everybody before the uh debate Puja was talking about how she's coming with an Administration baggage the anti-incumbency the fact that people are questioning and are tired but I think there were a few important takeaways when it comes to the economy that I think was very important because both sides needed to put uh what they think are they're going to do uh while she said that we have these plans he said I don't have an exact plan I can spell out right now but when when I'm President we will have that I do have ideas for what things should look like and how they should go there was a lot of fact checking also that was happening along the way uh when it comes to um uh jobs unemployment because Trump did hit out at part where she did come back where he appeared to be more confident consistently was the war situation the regional conflict because kamla Harris was where Donald Trump tried to pin her down or the Biden Administration down saying look what Iran has become it's richer than it was or the I the conflict I I like how he constantly rate to rated saying if I'm President elect even before I take oath I will ensure that the war is over now of course there's a certain confident rhetoric to it more than whether it can happen or not but do you think that's one of the planks because the regional Wars have bothered Americans that they are sort of part of a conflict which is not direct do you think polarized and polarized correct really made a huge uh impact on how these elections are going to look like because a lot of a lot of uh Democrats uh and fenor who might not be very happy with the situation in Gaza have questioned the Harris Administration she really needed convincing them that uh that she will you know chart her own path when it comes to these wars but also talking about and putting him on the mat on how he's friends with uh with all these dictators and strong men strong men and dictators and that's why you know things were different when he and they they take cues from him to which he actually said that it's actually not that they're scared of me is the reason why there were no Wars and the fact that you are incompetent one very important thing over here Puja was also the fact that they were mute buttons but both of them were constantly on air you know with being seen so while there was no cross talk happening you saw a lot of expressions from Harris every time Trump spoke she would shake her head say no he's lying and she would mime he's lying all the time he's lying that's not true that's not correct and the usual Trump expression too and Trump's expression was a SM or or a little irritated she used that space that space of quiet on a window when he's speaking to shake her head or say it's it's a lie I think that also made well I I could say fact silent fact this is confirmed that mute buttons are not only for Indian news channels but also as much in America gaita but uh like you mentioned I think it was as much about local issues but Regional issues that impact local views as well uh within America stay on with me let's go across now to Washington DC remember India Today is the only Indian news Channel right now that's been live since morning from the ground zero as well that's where Rohit Sharma a journalist is joining me right now Rohit so a marked difference like we have been discussing uh not many memes possibly this time over the debate but a lot of talk over the issues what is the sentiment on the ground what are you picking up about the chatter in America first things first this is not Washington DC where I'm standing right now is the debate Center here Del it's more everybody know that we at yeah and I think you know very interesting debate very stark contrast from what we saw in June uh very different opponent uh you know first things first I mean J Harris goes and shakes hands with President uh president the Trump s off a little bit he wasn't expecting that I don't think he was uh very different competitor she was forceful she had prepared well she was in Pennsylvania for five days and she I think it came across that she was very well prepared I think was trying to Wing some of his answers and he's always done that this was his seventh presidential debate he just came and you know he thought he could just get away by saying things and he was corrected at least five times I counted at least five times by the greater I mean and obviously multiple times like Harris so I think Prim of face I think it's a good night for k Harris you know the expectations were low she didn't have to you know nobody expected her to do as well as she did and nobody expected Donald Trump to lose this debate I think you know at the end of the day both the campaigns will have will take a lot of talking points for this but I think kamla Harris you know I mean we've seen her debate before uh and I think she was able to show her skills as a debater I think other other thing that a lot of people observed here and we were all talk talking and chatting during the commercial breaks but the fact that Donald Trump did not expect a lot of zingers you know these on liners from Kamala Harris and she delivered them with punch there's one Zinger that Trump trump also delivered that landed it was about you know don't disturb me while I'm talking and you know kind of reminds you of or heard that before so I mean at the end of the day I think K has gone through the debate uh you know unharmed uh and then you know the the the campaign that person I was speaking with earlier today said that was the goal to make sure that she she come across is presentable uh one journalist that I was speaking with noted that she did better than Hill Clinton 2016 uh and this gives her campaign the Boost that they need it because she was her bump was Tattooing in Poles she was she was going down in some of the key Battleground States I think her campaign will use this and take it Forward I mean this is not going to me a lot of people said this could be the end of the of the election you know from does well and she does not do well the election is sealed and I think we'll see a very very competitive race from here on who just very interesting Rohit stay on with me because we're also joined by journalist Linka white and about the the discussion that's happening currently in the USA and GA and I constantly analyzing on this Lena good morning Indian Standard Time Of course heading to midnight for you tell me this about how what was your key takeaway from this debate do you think that U Harris relied more on domestic issues while Donald Trump relied for his votes coming in primarily on the regional or the global conflict issues as as confidence would that be correct to say here good morning Puja and good morning everyone thank you for having me yes it was definitely a surprising debate to me personally uh Harris did better than expected you know I was expecting this awkward uh laugh she's having every time she speaking somewhere and she managed to keep it together almost until the end of this on the other hand Donald Trump he's usually very vocal he loves to attack people when they're against him sort of to you know correct them but he was very quiet he was sort of reserved waiting let letting her finish even though she was for example attacking him so both of them they sort of switch their standard talking Style and as you said uh Donald Trump felt very strong on the foreign policy because he truly had no war he truly met with all of the leaders and they publicly some of them publicly as for example the Hungarian prime minister Victor Orban they publicly admire him so he has a strong guard card on this note on the other hand Harris uh you know she has been sort of hidden under Biden so for her it's way easier to sort of shine because no one really knows what she was doing the past four years no one has any track record except that she was doing what Biden told her and what he was doing um also Linka stay on with you because I just want to go across to Rohit if he continues to be with us Rohit do you also think that the the whole range of the issues where the confidence came from both of these candidates that for kamla Harris it was about on abortion issues specifically how the administration previously had taken a decision and why the court and on taxes while for Donald Trump it came on I will stop the War I will bring peace why should Americans be involved do you think that was a kind of kind of a distinguished uh rhetoric that they had chosen to speak about well the government has always spoken pretty well about abortion I think that's that's one of the areas he's very comfortable with she she knows what her policy is going to be uh and the other one you know on on foreign foreign policy and I probably she the wars I think Trump wanted to Conner Harris because you know as As Trump said there were no Wars when he was the president the war started only after he left the White House and he wanted to Corner them saying that America is involved indirectly in these two Wars and he could probably end these two Wars so yes I think your your s is correct on that but also I also think that KLA wanted to sort of distance herself from Biden's policy and she was not able to do it I'll come back to in just a short while Linka I'll I'll take that question to you and also to gaita do you think where do you think kamla possibly scored a point and where do you think Donald Trump perhaps kept his confidence in this debate on on many counts I think that uh Harris did quite well uh he she did manage to Corner uh um Donald Trump when it comes to Performance and economy itself she had numbers to show for uh when it comes to abortion uh we know that you know it's a it's a really divided house and she tried to put uh Trump on the mat but it is when the IVF conversation that she brought in uh maybe uh on hindsight she could have done without because abortion itself was a big Reproductive Rights itself is a big big uh win for uh for the Democrats uh but the moment she brought that in he actually turned it around and in his uh in his rebuttal spoke of how he's been an advocate of IVF so on and so forth as well and that uh almost fact checked her immigration another very important area where uh where uh a strong point for Trump but I think kamla Harris also made her points quite uh clearly so in terms of what the policies are and uh the entire thing about gun control and taking guns off the shelves is not going to happen much to the dismay maybe of many people who are actually wanting that uh but uh but a clear policy decision there again you know Republicans and those fencers would be listening to what uh kamla Harris as the Democratic presidential candidate is saying um the race issue dictators uh Medicare and climate change all of them I think climate change he also said that you know he had earlier said it's it was a Hox it's not it's a reality yes so gaita stay on with you because Lena also continues to be with us Lena um it was very interesting when he tried to also pin her down with that blatant uh the the word that he used and if I'm correct he said she hates Israel and he realized what he was saying because that clearly has a certain support base in America or as a policy has been as history has been with regard to America's decision to support Israel that he said she doesn't want Israel to exist if they continue Israel will blow up in fact in fact if I could just add Lena she actually goes on he actually went on to say that in uh Harris did not attend the joint session of the Congress when Netanyahu was there and that she refused to meet Netanyahu so she he was he was backing it with the with what happened during Net's visit to the United States of America so that I felt was a direct charge because that is one big polarizing issue in USA isn't it uh definitely it's a huge issue and I have friends who are Democrats and don't like Kamala Harris just because of this topic because of Gaza and Palestine and Israel they told me they don't want to vote for Harris because they think she's not doing enough to achieve peace and that she's letting the people in Gaza to get massacred on the other hand uh Donald Trump uh he pointed out that of course she was not present at the speech of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu which is which is a big deal and he as you also said uh he predicted that Israel could disappear within two years if she would uh become the president so she's having tough time of balancing this sort of position of first of all making happy the Arab Americans and also making happy the Jewish population which is quite large in the United States and she's sometimes not making happy any of those two groups because she's somewhere in the middle one time saying this another time saying that I would like also to mention that uh the ABC reporters uh they rather teamed up against Donald Trump they were factchecking him on the spot SP they were almost uh going back towards him with all the questions and some of the questions also felt like they were opinionated against him I personally didn't enjoy it I I I felt frustrated and it was painful to watch their moderation stay on with me and I just want to also uh just let the viewer know that remember we were the only Channel we ensured that because there is a certain guideline that the full 90 minute in fact I think GA it was over 90 minute of the discussion was played in full uh we do not intend to anyway right now put out any edited so to say excerpts but we'll constantly be analyzing it India today was completely from beginning to end was on that discussion so you have it in full gaita I just want to bring it in here that at this point the fact that even India is watching it discussing this discussion and debate because it is not just USA's presidential debate it is going to be about world issues why do you think that this debate has been crucial and is being wased worldwide well it is because at the end of the day the United States of America does set the tone and tenor for how the world looks like it is it shapes World policies not just foreign policy of particular country by dealing bilaterally with the United States of America and the debate right now is over but we will show clips of those important uh uh uh bits in in a while from now there are massive restrictions that we have worked uh with the fact that that that that we're only allowed to show the debate once and then we have to wait for the clips to come in so in unlike how uh we've had in the past where there have been there has been space of using uh the clips from the uh from from the debate through uh the first 3 hours of uh of the debate getting over that's not the case this time around so be patient it'll come to you uh coming back to the question on why is the debate so important uh or why is a presidential election in the United States of America it's so important Pua look at the subjects that they covered apart from economy which uh and and domestic policies such as uh abortion immigration fracking Jan 6th there was a massive conversation on what uh happened uh on the 6th of January the insurrection yes and uh and it was not kamla Harris factchecking trump it was it was the the anchors were factchecking Trump on many counts you saw that there were certain areas where maybe Harris was not checked as many times as Trump was checked by the ABC anchors uh that certainly happened but look at the other areas and issues that were discussed they should uh they discussed the Israel Hamas War correct affects everyone particularly the region uh they discussed uh UK the the Russia Ukraine War uh where he actually named Victor Oban and uh spoke of how and why this war was actually not what I do like about Donald Trump in a light-hearted note he constantly claims that people around the world credit him and that people believe that the world is scared of him they would not go to war they would not go to war because of Donald Trump but but do you think there's a certain the certain pattern that he's quoting that he believes because he constantly quoted Iran and he said when I had put sanctions look how weak Iran had become there was not going to be a war but this Administration appears to have taken back the sanctions and look how rich Iran has become so do you think there is certain tenure that he's also quoting you know uh the the discussion over how America has failed in its economic War across the world is for another day but yes uh he did mention Iran and and there is a there is a pattern to what he's done during his presidency he did not take America to war it's a fact he did not he really did try to engage those who they might call dictators but what has what has how has it helped America in calling Putin a dictator or Kim Jong-un and not engaging and uh and and now we're seeing tensions in so many parts of the world that maybe could have been averted or avoided yeah we're not saying that you know what Trump does is right or wrong because he stepped out of the Paris agreement he stepped out of jcpa making the entire West Asia a little unstable with Iran he did all of that but none of the uh Wars that America is right now uh a part of were his doing or his making so he does when he says that I don't take my country to war he does mean it and yes uh when it comes to the uh weapons that are being sent abroad the aid that is going abroad uh the economy over here according to him in a shambles and that could that all this money could have helped America rather than going abroad is certainly are certainly areas that that uh that Trump uh focused on I think I suppose in their preparation they were very clear what are the areas that they're going to focus on and how they're going to put it and and what they say on those issues can actually make a break the kind of audience that's watching it worldwide but also remember Puja this is the first time they're actually meeting in person they've never met har and Trump have never met in person before are you saying never met in any of the official Gatherings never ever that's this is the first time that the two sides were meeting they must have prepped uh themselves for what the counter could look like but I do think that um Harris did land some very strong ones there when it comes to those punches where she said you're not talking to Biden you're talking to kamla Harris so on and so forth so uh and and GA I just want to because I understand this was such an early morning discussion that we put out debate that was full from beginning to end that was on air on India today but while we'll in just a short while put out the excerpts of those of that discussion the quotes are already on your screen take a look this is what Trump said on different issues this is what Kamala Harris said they clearly came prepared but remember in a situation of debate it's as much about Expressions it's about the pauses as much as it is about full sentences that are spoken by these candidates remember they could decide not just the future of the United States of America but also possibly on global issues as well so now the first except the first chunk so to say has come remember there are full guidelines and restrictions on it India today has ensured that for you for the viewer of our channel that we put out not only of course the full debate but as in when more and more excerpts are coming in will play out first on economy because this is remember one of the biggest issues for USA for the people in America it's about inflation economy where is it heading what the future looks like let's listen in now to that first except let's talk about what Donald Trump left us Donald Trump left us the worst unemployment since the Great Depression Donald Trump left us the worst Public Health epidemic in a century Donald Trump left us the worst attack on our democracy since the Civil War and what we have done is clean up Donald Trump's mess look we've had a terrible economy because inflation has which is really known as a country Buster it breaks up countries we have inflation like very few people have ever seen before probably the worst in our nation's history so G what is your assessment while I was listening to the debate I did think that Donald Trump at some point was surprised because maybe he did not expect kamla harrris to come this prepared but do you think that she performed better than usual and without saying that I think she did perform better than Joe Biden oh of course she performed better than Joe Biden but uh over here I think she stood her ground and while we talking about standing uh a very um uh interesting snippet over here Puja if you look at the podiums and you will not be able to make out because there's just the two uh window frame right uh but uh zooming out and we'll get those visuals in as well you will see that Trump's Podium is way higher bigger than uh kamla Harris's Podium which is very small short because uh in in a two window you would not want to show the disproportionate size of a Podium given the size difference between kamla Harris and Trump so they actually made a Podium to her size in fact uh fun trivia here uh this is the uh the biggest height difference so to say between two presidential candidates ever in the history of US presidential elections 6.4 ft to 5.4 ft so that's the difference and to manage that difference the podiums have been made uh were made different well there is smart camera work at play and I must say there's smart camera work at play here as well we may be covering uh the the presidential debate gaita from uh from Delhi so to say but for the viewer we are fully in Washington DC right outside the White House and maybe you wouldn't have noticed if uh I wouldn't have told you because our extremely brilliant team have ensured that was important everybody before the uh debate Puja was talking about how she's coming with an Administration baggage the anti-incumbency the fact that people are questioning and are tired but I think there were a few important takeaways when it comes to the economy that I think was very important because both sides needed to put uh what they think are they're going to do uh while she said that we have these plans he said I don't have an exact plan I can spell out right now but when when I'm President we will have that I do have ideas for what things should look like and how they should go there was a lot of fact checking also that was happening along the way uh when it comes to um uh jobs unemployment because Trump did hit out at but where he did come back and where he appeared to be more confident consistently was the war situation the regional conflict because kamla Harris was where Donald Trump tried to pin her down or the Biden Administration down saying look what Iran has become it's richer than it was or the I the the conflict I I like how he constantly rated saying if I'm president-elect even before I take oath I will ensure that the war is over now of course there's a certain confident rhetoric to it more than whether it can happen or not but do you think that's one of the planks because the regional Wars have bothered Americans that they are sort of part of a conflict which is not Direct and polarized also poed and it has really made a huge uh impact on how these elections are going to look like because a lot of a lot of uh Democrats uh and fencers who might not be very happy with the situation in Gaza have question the Harris Administration she really needed convincing them that uh that she will you know chart her own path when it comes to these wars but also talking about and putting him on the mat on how he's friends with uh with all these dictators and strong men like strong men and dictators and that's why you know things were different when he and they they take cues from him uh to which he actually said that it's actually not that they're scared of me is the reason why there were no Wars and the fact that you are incompetent one very important thing over here Puja was also the fact that they mute buttons but both of them were constantly on air you know with being seen so while there was no cross talk happening you saw a lot of expressions from kamla Harris every time Trump spoke she would shake her head say no he's lying and she would mime he's lying all the time he's lying that's not true that's not correct and the usual Trump expression too and Trump's expression was a SM littleit she used that space that space of quiet on a window when he's speaking to shake her head or say it's it's a lie I think that also made well I I could say that is fact silent fact confirmed that mute buttons are not only for Indian news channels but also as much in America gaita but like you mentioned I think it was as much about local issues but Regional issues that impact local views as well uh within America stay on with me let's go across now to Washington DC remember India Today is the only Indian news Channel right now that's been live since morning from the ground zero as well that's where Rohit Sharma a journalist is joining me right now Rohit so a mark difference like we have been discussing uh not many memes possibly this time over the debate but a lot of talk over the issues what is the sentiment on the ground what are you picking up about the chatter in America well first things first Kuja this is not Washington DC where I'm standing right now is the debate Center here in Philadelphia it's more everybody know that we at yeah I think you know very interesting debate very St contrast from what we saw in June uh very different opponent uh you know first things first I mean J Harris goes and Shakes hands with President uh president Trump s a little bit he wasn't expecting that I don't think he was uh very different competitor uh she was forceful she had prepared well she was in Pennsylvania for five days and she I think it came across that she was very well prepared I think was trying to Wing some of his answers and he's always done that this was his seventh presidential debate he just came and you know he thought he could just know get away by saying things and he was corrected at least five times I counted at least five times by the moderators I mean and obviously multiple times I haris so I think uh Primal face I think it's a good night for k Harris you know the expectations were low she didn't have to you know nobody expected her to do as well as she did and nobody expected Donald Trump to lose this debate I think you know at the end of the day both the campaigns will have will take a lot of talking points for this but I think kamla Harris you know I mean we've seen her debate before uh and I think she was able to show her skills as a debat I think other other thing that a lot of people observed here and we were all talk talking and chatting during the commercial breaks was the fact that Donald Trump did not expect a lot of zingers you know these on liners from Kamala Harris and she delivered them with punch there's one Zinger that Trump trump also delivered that landed it was about you know don't disturb me while I'm talking and it you know kind of reminds you of or heard that before so I mean at the end of the day I think K has gone through this debate uh you know home uh and then you know the the the campaign that person I was speaking with earlier today said that was the goal to make sure that she shim she come across as presentable uh one journalist that I was speaking with noted that she did better than H Clinton in 2016 uh and this gives her campaign the Boost that they needed because she was her bump was Tattooing in polls she was she was going down in some of the key bleg ground States I think her campaign will use this and take it Forward I mean this is not going to people said this could be the end of the of the election you know from does well and she does not do well the the election is sealed and I think we'll see a very very competitive race from here on who just very interesting Rohit stay on with me because we're also joined by journalist Linka white and about the the the discussion that's happening currently in the USA and gaita and I constantly analyzing on this Lena good morning Indian Standard Time Of course heading to midnight for you tell me this about how what was your key takeaway from from this debate do you think that Kamala Harris relied more on domestic issues while Donald Trump relied for his votes coming in primarily on the regional or the global conflict issues as as confidence would that be correct to say here good morning Puja and good morning everyone thank you for having me yes it was definitely a surprising debate to me personally uh Harris did better than expected you know I was expecting this awkward uh laugh she's having every time she's speaking somewhere and she managed to keep it together almost until the end of this on the other hand Donald Trump he's usually very vocal he loves to attack people when they're against him sort of to you know correct them but he was very quiet he was sort of reserved waiting let letting her finish even though she was for example attacking him so both of them they sort of Switched their standard St talking style and as you said uh Donald Trump felt very strong on the foreign policy because he truly had no war he truly met with all of the leaders and they publicly some of them publicly as for example the Hungarian prime minister Victor Orban they publicly admire him so he has a strong guard card on this note on the other hand Harris uh you know she has been sort of hidden under Biden so for her it's way easier to sort of shine because no one really knows what she was doing the past four years no one has any track record except that she was doing what Biden told her and what he was doing um also Linka stay on with me because I just want to go across to Rohit if he continues to be with us Rohit do you also think that the the whole range of the issues where the confidence came from both of these candidates that for for kamla Harris it was about on abortion issues specifically how the administration previously had taken a decision and why the court and on taxes while for Donald Trump it came on I will stop the War I will bring peace why should Americans be involved do you think that was a kind of kind of a distinguished uh rhetoric that they had chosen to speak about well govern has always spoken pretty well about abortion I think that's that's one of the areas she's very comfortable with she she knows what her policy is going to be uh and the other one you know on on foreign foreign policy and I probably she in the wars I think Trump wanted to Conor Harris because you know as As Trump said there were no Wars when he was the president the war started only after he left the White House and he wanted to Corner them saying that America is involved indirectly in these two Wars and he could probably end these two Wars so yes I think your your s is correct on that but also I also think that KLA wanted to sort of distance herself from Biden's policy and she was not able to do it I'll come back to inj a short while Lena I'll I'll take that question to you and also to gaita do you think where do you think kamla possibly scored a point and where do you think uh Donald Trump perhaps kept his confidence in this debate on on many counts I think that uh Harris did quite well uh he she did manage to Corner uh um Donald Trump when it comes to Performance and economy itself she had numbers to show for uh when it comes to abortion uh we know that you know it's a it's a really divided house and she tried to put uh Trump on the mat but it is when the IVF conversation that she brought in uh maybe uh on hind sight she could have done without because abortion itself was a big Reproductive Rights itself is a big big uh win for uh for the Democrats uh but the moment she brought that in he actually turned it around and in his uh in his rebuttal spoke of how he's been an advocate of IVF so on and so forth as well and that uh almost fact checked her immigration another very important area where uh where uh a strong point for Trump but I think kamla Harris also made her points quite uh clearly so in terms of what the policies are and uh the entire thing about gun control and taking guns off the shelves is not going to happen much to the dismay maybe of many people who are actually wanting that uh but uh but a clear policy decision there again you know Republicans and those fencers would be listening to what kamla Harris as the Democratic presidential candidate is saying um the race issue dictators uh Medicare and climate change all of them I think have climate change she also said that you know he had earlier said it's it was a hoax it's not it's a reality so gaita stay on with you because Lena also continues to be with us Lena um it was very interesting when he tried to also pin her down with that blatant uh the the word that he used and if if I'm correct he said she hates Israel and he realized what he was saying because that clearly has a certain support base in America or as a policy uh has been as history has been with regard to America's decision to support Israel that he said she doesn't want Israel to exist if they continue Israel will blow up in fact in fact if I could just add Lena she actually goes on he actually went on to say that in uh Harris did not attend the joint session of the Congress when Netanyahu was there and that she refused to meet Netanyahu so he was he was backing it with the with what happened during netanyahu's visit to the United States of America I felt was a direct charge because that is one big polarizing issue in USA isn't it uh definitely it's a huge issue and I have friends who are Democrats and don't like Kamala Harris just because of this topic because of Gaza and Palestine and Israel they told me they don't want to vote for Harris because they think she's not doing enough to achieve peace and that she's letting the people in Gaza to get massacred on the other hand uh Donald Trump uh he pointed out that of course she was not present at the speech of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu which is which is a big deal and he as you also said uh he predicted that Israel could disappear within two years if she would uh become the president so she's having tough time of balancing this sort of position of first of all making happy the Arab Americans and also making happy the Jewish population which is quite large in the United States and she's sometimes not making happy any of those two groups because she's somewhere in the middle one time saying this another time saying that I would like also to mention that uh the ABC reporters uh they rather teamed up against Donald Trump they were factchecking him on the spot they were almost uh going back towards him with all the questions uh and some of the questions also felt like they were opinionated against him I personally didn't enjoy it I I felt frustrated and it was painful to watch their moderation on with me and I just want to also uh just let the viewer know that remember we were the only Channel we ensured because there is a certain guideline that the full 90 minute in fact I think GA it was over 90 minute of the discussion was played in full uh we do not intend to anyway right now put out any edited so to say excerpts but we'll constantly be analyzing it India today was completely from beginning to end was on that discussion so you have it in full gaita I just want to bring it in here that at this point the fact that even India is watching it discussing this discussion and debate because it is not not just USA's presidential debate it is going to be about world issues why do you think that this debate has been crucial and is being watched worldwide well it is because at the end of the day the United States of America does set the tone and tenner for how the world looks like it is it shapes World policies not just foreign policy of particular country by dealing bilaterally with the United States of America and the debate right now is over but we will show clips of the important uh uh uh bits in in a while from now there are massive restrictions that we have worked uh with the fact that that that that we're only allowed to show the debate once and then we have to wait for the clips to come in so it unlike how uh we've had in the past where there have been there has been space of using uh the clips from the inter from from the debate through uh the first 3 hours of uh of the debate getting over that's not the case this time around so be patient it'll come to you uh coming back to the question on why is the debate so important uh or why is a presidential election in the United States of America itself so important Pua look at the subjects that they covered apart from economy which uh and and domestic policies such as uh abortion immigration fracking chance 6th there was a massive conversation on what uh happened uh on on the 6th of January the Insurrection yes and uh and it was not kamla Harris fact checking trump it was it was the the anchors were factchecking Trump on many counts you saw that there were certain areas where maybe Harris was not checked as many times as Trump was checked by the ABC anchors uh that certainly happened but look at the other areas and issues that were discussed they should uh they discussed the Israel Hamas War correct affects everyone particularly the region uh they discussed uh the Russia Ukraine War uh where he actually named Victor auan and uh spoke of how and why this war was actually not what I do like about Donald Trump in a light-hearted not he constantly claims that people around the world credit him and that people believe that the world is scared of him they would not go to war they would not go to war because of Donald Trump but but do you think there's a certain the certain patter Lear that he's quoting that he believes because he constantly quoted Iran and he said when I had put sanctions look how weak Iran had become there was not going to be a war but this Administration appears to have taken back the sanctions and look how rich Iran has become so do you think there is certain tenure that he's also quot you know uh the the discussion over how America has failed in its economic War across the world is for another day but yes uh he did mention Iran and and there is a there is a pattern to what he's done during his presidency he did not take America to war it's a fact he did not he really did try to engage those who they might call dictators but what has what has how has it helped America in calling Putin a dictator or Kim Jong-un and not engaging and uh and and now we're seeing tensions in so many parts of the world that maybe could have been averted or avoided yeah we're not saying that you know what Trump does is right or wrong because he stepped out of the Paris agreement he stepped out of jcpa making the entire West Asia a little unstable with Iran he did all of that but none of the uh Wars that America is right now uh a part of were his doing or his making so he does when he says that I don't take my country to war he does mean it and yes uh when it comes to the uh weapons that are being sent abroad the aid that is going abroad uh the economy over here according to him in a shambles and that could that all this money could have helped America rather than going abroad is certainly are certainly areas that that uh that Trump uh focused on I think I suppose in their preparation they were very clear what are the areas that they're going to focus on and how they're going to put it and and what they say on those issues can actually make a break the kind of audience that's watching it worldwide but also remember Puja this is the first time they're actually meeting in person they've never met Harris and Trump have never met in person before are you saying never met in any of the official Gatherings never ever this is their first time that the two sides were meeting they must have prepped uh themselves for what the counter could look like but I do think that um Harris did land some very strong ones there when it comes to those punches where she said you're not talking to Biden you're talking to kamla Harris so on and so forth so uh and and gaita I just want to because I understand this was such an early morning discussion that we put out debate that was full from beginning to end that was on a on India today but while we in just a short while put out the excerpts of those of that discussion the courts are already on your screen take a look this is what Trump said on different issues this is what Kamala Harris said they clearly came prepared but remember in a situation of debate it's as much about Expressions it's about the pauses as much as it is about full sentences that are spoken by these candidates remember they could decide not just the future of the United States of America but also possibly on global issues as well so now the first exerp the first chunk so to say has come remember there are full guidelines and restrictions on it India today has ensured that for you for the viewer of our channel that we put out not only of course the full debate but as in when more and more excerpts are coming in we play out first on economy because this is remember one of the biggest issues for USA for the people in America America it's about inflation economy where is it heading what the future looks like let's listen in now to that first Excel let's talk about what Donald Trump left us Donald Trump left us the worst unemployment since the Great Depression Donald Trump left us the worst Public Health epidemic in a century Donald Trump left us the worst attack on our democracy since the Civil War and what we have done is clean up Donald Trump's mess look we've had a terrible economy because inflation has which is really known as a country Buster it breaks up countries we have inflation like very few people have ever seen before probably the worst in our nation's history so G what is your assessment while I was listening to the debate I did think that Donald Trump at some point was surprised because maybe he did not expect Kamala Harris to come this prepared but do you think that she performed better than usual and without saying that I think she did perform better than Joe Biden oh of course she performed better than Joe Biden but uh over here I think she stood her ground and while we talking about standing uh a very um uh interesting snippet over here Puja if you look at the podiums and you will not be able to make out because there's just the two uh window frame right uh but uh zooming out and we'll get those visuals in as well you will see that Trump's Podium is way higher bigger than uh kamla Harris's Podium which is very small short because uh in in a two window you would not want to show the disproportionate size of a Podium given the size difference between kamla Harris and Trump so they actually made a Podium to her size in fact a fun trivia here uh this is the uh the biggest height difference so to say between two presidential candidates ever in the history of US presidential elections 6.4 ft to 5.4 ft so that's the difference and to manage that difference the podiums have been made uh were made different well there is smart camera work at play and I must say there's smart camera work at play here as well we may be covering uh the the presidential debate gaita from uh from Delhi so to say but for the viewer we are fully in Washington DC right outside the White House and maybe you wouldn't have noticed if I wouldn't have told you because our extremely brilliant team have ensured that was important everybody before the uh debate Puja was talking about how she's coming with an Administration baggage the anti-incumbency the fact that people are questioning and are tired but I think there were a few important takeaways when it comes to the economy that I think was very important because both both sides needed to put uh what they think they're going to do uh while she said that we have these plans he said I don't have an exact plan I can spell out right now but when when I'm President we will have that I do have ideas for what things should look like and how they should go there was a lot of fact checking also that was happening along the way uh when it comes to um uh jobs unemployment because Trump did hit out at one part where she did come back where he appeared to be more confident consistently was the war situation the regional conflict because kamla Harris was where Donald Trump tried to pin her down on the Biden Administration down saying look what Iran has become it's richer than it was or the I the the conflict I I like how he constantly rated saying if I'm President elect even before I take oath I will ensure that the war is over now of course there's a certain confident rhetoric to it more than whether it can happen or not but do you think that's one of the planks because the regional Wars have bothered Americans that they are sort of part of a conflict which is not direct do you think and polarized also and polarized and it has really made a huge uh impact on how these elections are going to look like because a lot of a lot of uh Democrats uh and fenor who might not be very happy with the situation in Gaza have questioned the Harris Administration she really needed convincing them that uh that she will you know chart her own path when it comes to these wars but also talking about and putting him on the mat on how he's friends with uh with all these dictators and strong men like strong men and dictators and that's why you know things were different when he and they they take cues from him uh to which he actually said that it's actually not that they're scared of me is the reason why there were no Wars and the fact that you are incompetent one very important thing over here Puja was also the fact that there mute buttons but both of them were constantly on air you know with being seen so while there was no cross talk happening you saw a lot of expressions from kamla Harris every time Trump spoke she would shake her head say no he's lying and she would mime he's lying all the time he's lying that's not true that's not correct and the usual Trump expression too and Trump's expression was a smoke or a little irritated she used that space that space of quiet on a window when he's speaking to shake her head or say it's it's a lie I think that also made well I I could say here fact silent fact this is confirmed that mute buttons are not only for Indian news channels but also as much in America gaita but uh like you mentioned I think it was as much about local issues but Regional issues that impact local views as well uh within America stay on with me let's go across now to Washington DC remember India Today is the only Indian news Channel right now that's been live since morning from the ground zero as well that's where Rohit Sharma a journalist is joining me right now Rohit so a mark difference like we have been discussing uh not many memes possibly this time over the debate but a lot of talk over the issues what is the sentiment on the ground what are you picking up about the chatter in America well first things first Kuja this is not Washington DC where I'm standing right now is the debate Center here in philadel it's more everybody know that we at yeah and I think you know very interesting debate very stark contrast from what we saw in June uh very different opponent uh you know first things first I mean J Harris goes and shakes hands with President uh president Trump s off a little bit he wasn't expecting that I don't think he was a very different competitor uh she was forceful she had prepared well she was in Pennsylvania for five days and I think it came across that she was very well prepared I think BR was trying to Wing some of his answers and he's always done that this was his seventh presidential debate where he just came and know he thought he could just get away by saying then he was corrected at least five times I counted at least five times by the moderators I mean and obviously multiple times like Harris so I think Primal face I think it's a good night for G Harris you know the expectations were low she didn't have to you know nobody expected her to do as well as she did and nobody expected Donald Trump to lose this debate I think you know at the end of the day both the campaigns will have will take a lot of talking points for this but I think kamla Harris you know I mean we've seen her debate before uh and I think she was able to to show her skills as a debater I think other other thing that a lot of people observed here and we were all talking and chatting during the commercial breaks but the fact that Donald Trump did not expect a lot of zingers you know these onliners from kamla Harris and she delivered them with punch there's one Zinger that Trump trump also delivered that landed it was about you know don't disturb me while I'm talking and you know kind of reminds you of or heard that before so I mean at the end of the day I think K has gone to the debate uh you know unharmed uh and then you know the the the campaign that person I was speaking with earlier today said that was the goal to make sure that she shim she come across is presentable uh one journalist that I was speaking with noted that she did better than Hill Clinton 2016 uh and this gives her campaign the Boost that they needed because she was her bump was Tattooing in polls she was she was going down in some of the key Battleground States I think her campaign will use this and Take It Forward I mean this is not going to me a lot of people said this could be the end of the of the election you know Trump does well and she does not do well uh the election is sealed and I think we'll see a very very competitive race from here on very interesting Rohit stay on with me because we're also joined by journalist Lena white and about the the the discussion that's happening currently in the USA and gaita and I constantly analyzing on this Lena good morning Indian Standard Time Of course heading to midnight for you tell me this about how what was your key takeaway from this debate do you think that Kamala Harris relied more on domestic issues while Donald Trump relied for his votes coming in primarily on the regional or the global conflict issues as as confidence would that be correct to say here good morning Puja and good morning everyone thank you for having me yes it was definitely a surprising debate to me personally uh Harris did better than expected you know I was expecting this awkward uh laugh she's having every time she's speaking somewhere and she managed to keep it together almost until the end of this on the other hand Donald Trump he's usually very vocal he loves to attack people when they're against him sort of to you know correct them but he was very quiet he was sort of reserved waiting let letting her finish even though she was for example attacking him so both of them they sort of switch their standard talking style and as you said uh Donald Trump felt very strong on the foreign policy because he truly had no war he truly met with all of the leaders and they publicly some of them publicly as for example the Hungarian prime minister Victor Orban they publicly admire him so he has a strong guard card on this note on the other hand Harris uh you know she has been sort of hidden under Biden so for her it's way easier to sort of shine because no one really knows what she was doing the past four years no one has any track record except that she was doing what Biden told her and what he was doing um also Linka stay on with me because I just want to go across to Rohit if he continues to be with us Rohit do you also think that the the whole range of the issues where the confidence came from both of these candidates that for kamla Harris it was about on abortion issues specifically how the administration previously had taken a decision and via the court and on taxes while for Donald Trump it came on I will stop the War I will bring peace why should Americans be involved do you think that was a kind of kind of a distinguished uh rhetoric that they had chosen to speak about well government has always spoken pretty well about abortion I think that's that's one of the areas she's very comfortable with she she knows what policy is going to be uh and the other one you know on on foreign foreign policy and how probably she in the Ws I think Trump wanted to Corner D Harris because you know as As Trump said there were no Wars when he was the president the war started only after he left the White House and he wanted to partner them saying that America is involved indirectly in these two Wars and he could probably end these two Wars so yes I think your your assment is correct on that but also I also think that KLA wanted to sort of distance herself from Biden's policy and she was not able to do it I'll come back to in just a short while Linka I I'll take that question to you and also to Gita do you think where do you think kamla possibly scored a point and where do you think Donald Trump perhaps kept his confidence in this debate on on many counts I think that uh Harris did quite well uh he she did manage to Corner uh um Donald Trump when it comes to Performance and economy itself she had numbers to show for uh when it comes to abortion uh we know that you know it's a it's a really divided house and she tried to put Trump on the mat but it is when the IVF conversation that she brought in uh maybe uh on hindsight she could have done without because abortion itself was a big Reproductive Rights itself is a big big uh win for uh for the Democrats uh but the moment she brought that in he actually turned it around and in his uh in his rebuttal spoke of how he's been an advocate of IVF so on and so forth as well and that uh almost fact checked her immigration another very important area where uh where uh a strong point for Trump but I think kamla Harris also made her points quite uh clearly so in terms of what the policies are and uh the entire thing about gun control and taking guns off the shelves is not going to happen much to the dismay maybe of many people who are actually wanting that uh but uh but clear policy decision there again you know Republicans and those fencers would be listening to what kamla Harris as the Democratic presidential candidate is saying um the race issue dictators uh Medicare and climate change all of them I think climate change he also said that you know he had earlier said it's it was a Hox it's not it's a reality yes so gaita stay on with you because Lena also continues to be with us Linka um it was very interesting when he tried to also pin her down with that blatant uh the the word that he used and if I'm correct he said she hates Israel and he realized what he was saying because that clearly has a certain support base in America or as a policy uh has been as history has been with regard to America's decision to support Israel that he said she doesn't want Israel to exist if they continue Israel will blow up in fact in fact if I could just add Lena she actually goes on he actually went on to say that in uh Harris did not attend the joint session of the Congress when net who was there and that she refused to meet Netanyahu so he was he was backing it with the with what happened during netanyahu's visit to the United States of America so that I felt was a direct charge because that is one big polarizing issue in USA isn't it uh definitely it's a huge issue and I have friends who are Democrats and don't like Kamala Harris just because of this topic because of Gaza and Palestine and Israel they told me they don't want to vote for Harris because they think she's not doing enough to achieve peace and that she's letting the people in Gaza to get Massac on the other hand uh Donald Trump uh he pointed out that of course she was not present at the speech of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu which is which is a big deal and he as you also said uh he predicted that Israel could disappear within the two years if she would uh become the president so she's having tough time of balancing this sort of position of first of all making happy the Arab Americans and also making happy the Jewish population which is quite large in the United States and she's sometimes not making happy any of those two groups because she's somewhere in the middle one time saying this another time saying that I would like also to mention that uh the ABC reporters uh they rather teamed up against Donald Trump they were factchecking him on the spot they were almost uh going back towards him with all the questions and some of the questions also felt like they were opinionated against him I personally didn't enjoy it I I I felt frustrated and it was painful to watch their moderation stay on with me and I just want to also uh just let the viewer know that remember we were the only Channel we ensured that because there is a certain guideline that the full 90 minute in fact I think gaita it was over 90 minute of the discussion was played in full uh we do not intend to anyway right now put out any edited so to say excerpts but we'll constantly be analyzing it India today was completely from beginning to end was on that discussion so you have it in full Gita I just want to bring it in here that at this point the fact that even India is watching it discussing this discussion and debate because it is not just USA's presidential debate it is going to be about world issues why do you think that this debate has been crucial and is being wased worldwide well it is because at the end of the day the United States of America does set the tone and tenor for how the world looks like it is it shapes World policies not just foreign policy of particular country by dealing bilaterally with the United States of America and the debate right now is over over but we will show clips of those important uh uh uh bits in in a while from now there are massive restrictions that we have worked uh with the fact that that that that we're only allowed to show the debate once and then we have to wait for the clips to come in so in unlike how uh we've had in the past where there have been there has been space of using uh clips from the inter uh from from the debate through uh the first 3 hours on of uh of the debate getting over that's not the case this time around so be patient it'll come to you uh coming back to the question on why is the debate so important uh or why is a presidential election in the United States of America itself so important P I look at the subjects that they covered apart from economy which uh and and domestic policies such as uh abortion immigration fracking Jan 6th there was a massive conversation on what uh happened uh on the 6th of January the Insurrection yes and uh and it was not kamla Harris factchecking trump it was it was the the anchors were factchecking Trump on many counts you saw that there were certain areas where maybe Harris was not checked as many times as Trump was checked by the ABC anchors uh that certainly happened but look at the other areas and issues that were discussed they should uh did they discussed the Israel Hamas War correct everyone particularly the region uh they discussed uh the Russia Ukraine War uh where he actually named Victor Oran and uh spoke of how and why this war was actually not what I do like about Donald Trump in a lighthearted note he constantly claims that people around the world credit him and that people believe that the world is scared of him they would not go to war they would not go to war because of Donald Trump do you think there's a certain the certain pattern that he's quoting that he believes because he constantly quoted Iran and he said when I had put sanctions look how weak Iran had become there was not going to be a war but this Administration appears to have taken back the sanctions and look how rich Iran has become so do you think there is certain tenure that he's also quoting you know uh the the discussion over how America has failed in its economic War across the world is for another day but yes uh he did mention Iran and there is a there is a pattern to what he's done during his presidency he did not take America to war it's a fact he did not he really did try to engage those who they might call dictators but what has what has how has it helped America in calling Putin a dictator or Kim Jong-un and not engaging and uh and and now we seeing tensions in so many parts of the world that maybe could have been averted or avoided here we're not saying that you know what Trump does is right or wrong because he stepped out of the Paris agreement he stepped out of jcpoa making the entire West Asia a little unstable with Iran he did all of that but none of the uh Wars that America is the right now uh a part of were his doing or his making so he does when he says that I don't take my country to war he does mean it and yes uh when it comes to the uh weapons that are being sent abroad the aid that is going abroad uh the economy over here according to him in a shambles and that could that all this money could have helped America rather than going abroad is certainly are certainly areas that that uh that Trump uh focused on I think I suppose in their preparation they were very clear what are the areas that they're going to focus on and how they're going to put it and and what they say on those issues can actually make a break the kind of audience that's watching it worldwide but also remember Puja this is the first time they're actually meeting in person they've never met Harris and Trump have never met in person before are you saying never met in any of the official Gatherings never ever this is their first time that the two sides were meeting they must have prepped uh themselves for what the counter could look like but I do think that um Harris did land some very strong ones there when it comes to those punches where she said you're not talking to Biden you're talking to kamla Harris on and so forth so uh and and gaita I just want to because I understand this was such an early morning discussion that we put out debate that was full from beginning to end that was on air on India today but while we in just a short while put out the excerpts of those of that discussion the quotes are already on your screen take a look this is what Trump said on different issues this is what Kamala Harris said they clearly came prepared but remember in a situation of debate it's as much about Expressions it's about the pauses as much much it as it is about full sentences that are spoken by these candidates remember they could decide not just the future of the United States of America but also possibly on global issues as well so now the first excerpt the first chunk so to say has come remember there are full guidelines and restrictions on it India today has ensured that for you for the viewer of our channel that we put out not only of course the full debate but as in when more and more excerpts are coming in will play out first on economy because this is remember one of the biggest issues for USA for the people in America it's about inflation economy where is it heading what the future looks like let's listen in now to that first except let's talk about what Donald Trump left us Donald Trump left us the worst unemployment since the Great Depression Donald Trump left us the worst Public Health epidemic in a century Donald Trump left us the worst attack on our democracy since the Civil War and what we have done is clean up Donald Trump's mess look we've had a terrible economy because inflation has which is really known as a country Buster it breaks up countries we have inflation like very few people have ever seen before probably the worst in our nation's history so G what is your assessment while I was listening to the debate I did think that Donald at some point was surprised because maybe he did not expect Kamala Harris to come this prepared but do you think that she performed better than usual and without saying that I think she did perform better than Joe Biden oh of course she performed better than Joe Biden but uh over here I think she stood her ground and while we talking about standing uh a very um uh interesting snippet over here Puja if you look at the podiums and you will not be able to make out because there's just the two uh window frame right uh but uh zooming out and we'll get those visuals in as well you will see that Trump's Podium is way higher bigger than uh kamla Harris's Podium which is very small short because uh in in a two window you would not want to show the disproportionate size of a Podium given the size difference between kamla Harris and Trump so they actually made a Podium to her size in fact uh fun trivia here uh this is the uh the biggest height difference so to say between two presidential candidates ever in the history of US presidential elections 6.4 ft to 5.4 ft so that's the difference and to manage that difference the podiums have been made uh were made different well there is smart camera work at play and I must say there's smart camera work at play here as well we may be covering uh the the presidential debate gaita from uh from Delhi so to say but for the viewer we are fully in Washington DC right outside the White House and maybe you wouldn't have noticed if uh I wouldn't have told you because our extremely brilliant team have ensured that was important everybody before the uh debate Puja was talking about how she's coming with an Administration baggage the anti-incumbency the fact that people are questioning and are tired but I think there were a few important takeaways when it comes to the economy I think was very important because both sides needed to put what they think they're going to do while she said that we have these plans he said I don't have an exact plan I can spell out right now but when when I'm President we will have that I do have ideas for what things should look like and how they should go there was a lot of fact checking also that was happening along the way uh when it comes to um jobs unemployment because Trump did hit out one part where back and where he appeared to be more confident consistently was the war situation the regional conflict because kamla Harris was where Donald Trump tried to pin her down or the Biden Administration down saying look what Iran has become it's richer than it was or the I the the conflict I I like how he constantly rated saying if I'm president-elect even before I take oath I will ensure that the war is over now of course there's a certain confident rhetoric to it more than whether it can happen or not but do you think that's one of the planks because the Regional Wars have bothered Americans that they are sort of part of a conflict which is not direct you think and polarized also and polarized and it has really made a huge uh impact on how these elections are going to look like because a lot of a lot of uh Democrats uh and fencers who might not be very happy with the situation in Gaza have questioned the haris administration she really needed convincing them that uh that she will you know chart her own path when it comes to these wars but also talking about and putting him on the mat on how he's friends with uh with all these dictators and strong men like strong men and dictators and that's why you know things were different when he and they they take cues from him uh to which he actually said that it's actually not that they're scared of me is the reason why there were no Wars and the fact that you are incompetent one very important thing over here Puja was also the fact that they were mute buttons but both of them were constantly on hair you know with being seen so while there was no cross talk happening you saw a lot of expressions from kamla Harris every time Trump spoke she would shake her head say no he's lying and she would mime he's lying all the time he's lying that's not true that's not true and the usual Trump expression too and Trump's expression was a SM or or a little irritated she used that space that space of quiet on a window when he's speaking to shake her head or say it's it's a lie I think that also made well I I could say fact silent fact this is confirmed that mute buttons are not only for Indian news channels but also as much in America gaita but uh like you mentioned I think it was as much about local issues but Regional issues that impact local views as well uh within America stay on with me let's go across now to Washington DC remember India Today is the only Indian news Channel right now that's been live since morning from the ground zero as well that's where Rohit Sharma a journalist is joining me right now now Rohit so a marked difference like we have been discussing uh not many memes possibly this time over the debate but a lot of talk over the issues what is the sentiment on the ground what are you picking up about the chatter in America well first things first Kuja this is not Washington DC where I'm standing right now is the debate Center here in Philadelphia more everybody know that we at and I think you know very interesting debate very STK contrast from what we saw in June uh different opponent uh you know first things first I mean J Harris goes and shakes hands with President uh president Trump s off a little bit he wasn't expecting that I don't think he was uh very different competitor she was forceful she had prepared well she was in Pennsylvania for five days and she I think it came across that she was very well prepared I think was trying to Wing some of his answers and he's always done that this was his seventh presidential debate where he just came and you know he thought he could just get away by saying things and he was corrected at least five times I counted at least five times by the moderators I mean and obviously multiple times like Harris so I think the prim of face I think it's a good night for KLA Harris you know the expectations were low she didn't have to you know nobody expected her to do as well as she did and nobody expected do to lose this debate I think you know at the end of the day both the campaigns will have will take a lot of points for this but I think kamla Harris you know I mean we've seen her before uh and I think she was able to show her skills as a debater I think other other thing that a lot of people observed here and we were all talking and chatting during the commercial breaks but the fact that Donald Trump did not expect a lot of zingers you know this on liners from Kamala Harris and she delivered them with punch there's one Zinger that Trump trump also delivered that landed it was about you know don't disturb me while I'm talking and you know kind of reminds you of or heard that before so I mean at the end of the day I think K has gone through the debate uh you know unharmed uh and then you know the the the campaign that person I was speaking with earlier today said that was the goal to make sure that she com she come across as presentable uh one journalist that I was speaking with noted that she did better than Hill Clinton in 2016 uh and this gives her campaign the Boost that they needed because she was her bump was Tattooing in polls she was she was going down in some of the key Battleground States I think her campaign to use this and take it Forward I mean this is not going to a lot of people said this could be the end of the of the election you know from does well and she does not do well the the election is sealed and I think we'll see a very very competitive race from here on Pua very interesting Rohit stay on with me because we're also joined by journalist Linka white and about the the the discussion that's happening currently in the USA and gaita and I constantly analyzing on this Lena good morning Indian Standard Time Of course heading to midnight for you tell me this about how what was your key takeaway from this debate do you think that Kamala Harris relied more on domestic issues while Donald Trump relied for his votes coming in primarily on the regional or the global conflict issues as as confidence would that be correct to say here good morning P Puja and good morning everyone thank you for having me yes it was definitely a surprising debate to me personally uh Harris did better than expected you know I was expecting this awkward uh laugh she's having every time she's speaking somewhere and she managed to keep it together almost until the end of this on the other hand Donald Trump he's usually very vocal he loves to attack people when they're against him sort of to you know correct them but he was very quiet he was sort of reserved waiting let letting her finish even though she was for example attacking him so both of them they sort of switch their standards talk Talking style and as you said uh Donald Trump felt very strong on the foreign policy because he truly had no war he truly met with all of the leaders and they publicly some of them publicly as for example the Hungarian prime minister Victor Orban they publicly admire him so he has a strong guard card on this not on the other hand Harris uh you know she has been sort of hidden under Biden so for her it's way easier to sort of shine because no one really knows what she was doing the past four years no one has any track record except that she was doing what Biden told her and what he was doing um also Linka stay on with me because I just want to go across to Rohit if he continues to be with us Rohit do you also think that the the whole range of the issues where the confidence came from both of these candidates that for kamla Harris it was about an abortion issues specifically how the administration previously had taken a decision and via the court and on taxes while for Donald Trump it came on I will stop the War I will bring peace why should Americans be involved do you think that was a kind of kind of a distinguished uh rhetoric that they had chosen to speak about well the government has always spoken pretty well about abortion I think that's that's one of of the areas she's very comfortable with she she knows what her policy is going to be uh and the other one you know on on foreign foreign policy and I probably she's in the Ws I think Trump wanted to Corner Harris because you know as As Trump said there were no Wars when he was the president the war started only after he left the White House and he wanted to partner them saying that America is involved indirectly in these two Wars and he could probably end these two Wars so yes I think your your assment is correct on that but also I also think that KLA wanted to sort of distance herself from Biden's policy and she was not able to do it I'll come back to you in just a short while Linka I I'll take that question to you and also to G do you think where do you think kamla possibly scored a point and where do you think Donald Trump perhaps kept his confidence in this debate on on many counts I think that uh Harris did quite well uh he she did manage to Corner uh um Donald Trump when it comes to Performance and economy itself she had numbers to show for uh when it comes to abortion uh we know that you know it's a it's a really divided house and she tried to put uh Trump on the mat but it is when the IVF conversation that she brought in uh maybe uh on hindsight she could have done without because abortion itself was a big Reproductive Rights itself is a big big uh win for uh for the Democrats uh but the moment she brought that in he actually turned it around and in his uh in his rebutt spoke of how he's been an advocate of IVF so on and so forth as well and that uh almost fact checked her immigration another very important area where uh where uh a strong point for Trump but I think kamla Harris also made her points quite uh clearly so in terms of what the policies are and uh the entire thing about gun control and taking guns of the shells is not going to happen much to the dismay maybe of many people who are actually wanting that uh but uh but a clear policy decision there again you know Republicans and those fencers would be listening to what uh kamla Harris as the Democratic presidential candidate is saying um the race issue dictators uh Medicare and climate change all of them I think climate change he also said that you know he had earlier said it's it was a hoax it's not it's a reality yes so gaita stay on with you because Lena also continues to be with us Lena um it was very interesting when he tried to also pin her down with that blatant uh the the word that he used and if I'm correct he said she hates Israel and he realized what he was saying because that clearly has a certain support base in America or as a policy uh has been as history has been with regard to America's decision to support Israel that he said she doesn't want Israel to exist if they continue Israel will blow up in fact in fact if I could just add Lena she actually goes on he actually went on to say that in uh Harris did not attemp The Joint session of the Congress when Netanyahu was there and that she refused to meet Netanyahu so she he was he was backing it with the with what happened during netanyahu's visit to the United States of America so that I felt was a direct Char because that is one big polarizing issue in US isn't it uh definitely it's a huge issue and I have friends who are Democrats and don't like Kamala haris just because of this topic because of Gaza and Palestine and Israel they told me they don't want to vote for Harris because they think she's not doing enough to achieve peace and that she's letting the people in Gaza to get massacred on the other hand uh Donald Trump uh he pointed out that of course she was not present at the speech of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu which is which is a big deal and he as you also said uh he predicted that Israel could disappear within two years if she would uh become the president so she's having tough time of balancing this sort of position of first of all making happy the Arab Americans and also making happy the Jewish population which is quite large in the United States and she's sometimes not making happy any of those two groups because she's somewhere in the middle one time saying this another time saying that I would like also to mention that uh the ABC reporters uh they rather teamed up against Donald Trump they were factchecking him on the spot they were almost uh going back towards him with all the questions and some of the questions also felt like they were opinionated against him I personally didn't enjoy it I I I felt frustrated and it was painful to watch their moderation stay on with me and I just want to also uh just let the viewer know that remember we were the only Channel we ensured that because there is a certain guideline that the full 90 minute in fact I think GA it was over 90 minutes of the discussion was played in full uh we do not intend to anyway right now put out any edited so to say excerpts but we'll constantly be analyzing it India today was completely from beginning to end was on that discussion so you have it in full gaita I just want to bring it in here that at this point the fact that I think GA it was over 90 minute of the discussion was played in full uh we do not intend to anyway right now put out any edited so to say excerpts but we'll constantly be analyzing it India today was completely from beginning to end was on that discussion so you have it in full gaita I just want to bring it in here that at this point the fact that even India is watching it discussing this discussion and debate because it is not just USA's presidential debate it is going to be about world issues why do you think that this debate has been crucial and is being watched worldwide well it is because at the end of the day the United States of America does set the tone and tener for how the world looks like it is it shapes World policies not just foreign policy of particular country by dealing bilaterally with the United States of America and the debate right now is over but we will show clips of those important uh uh uh bits in in a while from now there are massive restrictions that we have worked uh with the fact that that that that we're only allowed to show the debate once and then we have to wait for the clips to come in so in unlike how uh we've had in the past where there have been there has been space of using uh the clips from the inter uh from from the debate through uh the first 3 hours of uh of the debate getting over that's not the case this time around so be patient it'll come to you uh coming back to the question on why is the debate so important uh or why is a presidential election in the United States of America itself so important Pua look at the subjects that they covered apart from economy which uh and and domestic policies such as uh abortion immigration fracking Jan 6th there was a massive conversation on what uh happened uh on the 6th of January the Insurrection yes and uh and it was not kamla Harris factchecking trump it was it the the anchors were factchecking Trump on many counts you saw that there were certain areas where maybe Harris was not checked as many times as Trump was checked by the ABC anchors uh that certainly happened but look at the other areas and issues that were discussed theyed uh they discussed the Israel Hamas War correct affects everyone particularly the region uh they discussed uh the Russia Ukraine war uh where he actually named Victor Oran and uh spoke of how and why this war was actually not what I do like about Donald Trump in a light-hearted note he constantly claims that people around the world credit him and that people believe that the world is scared of him they would not go to war they would not go to war because of Donald Trump but but do you think there's a certain the certain pattern that he's quoting that he believes because he constantly quoted Iran and he said when I had put sanctions look how weak Iran had become there was not going to be a war but this Administration appears to have taken back the sanctions and look how rich Iran has become so do you think there is certain tenure that he's also quoting you know uh the the discussion over how America has failed in its economic War across the world is for another day but yes uh he did mention Iran and and there is a there is a pattern to what he's done during his presidency he did not take America am to war it's a fact he did not he really did try to engage those who they might call dictators but what has what has how has it helped America in calling Putin a dictator or Kim Jong-un and not engaging and uh and and now we're seeing tensions in so many parts of the world that maybe could have been averted or avoided here we're not saying that you know what Trump does is right or wrong because he stepped out of the Paris agreement he stepped out of JCP making the entire West Asia a little unstable with Iran he did all of that but none of the wars that America is right now uh a part of were his doing or his making so he does when he says that I don't take my country to war he does mean it and yes uh when it comes to the uh weapons that are being sent abroad the aid that is going abroad uh the economy over here according to to him in a shambles and that could that all this money could have helped America rather than going abroad is certainly are certainly areas that's that uh that Trump uh focused on I think I suppose in their preparation they were very clear what are the areas that they're going to focus on and how they're going to put it and and what they say on those issues can actually make a break the kind of audience that's watching it worldwide but also remember Puja this is the first time they're actually meeting in person they've never met Harris and Trump have never never met in person before are you saying never met in any of the official Gatherings never ever this is the first time that the two sides were meeting they must have prepped uh themselves for what the counter could look like but I do think that um Harris did land some very strong ones there when it comes to those punches where she said you're not talking to Biden you're talking to kamla Harris so on and so forth so uh and and gaita I just want to because I understand this was such an early morning discussion that we put out debate that was full from beginning to end that was on air on India today so G what is your assessment while I was listening to the debate I did think that Donald Trump at some point was surprised because maybe he did not expect Kamala Harris to come this prepared but do you think that she performed better than usual and without saying that I think she did perform better than Joe Biden oh of course she performed better than Joe Biden but uh over here I think she stood her ground and while we talking about standing uh a very um uh interesting snippet over here Puja if you look at the podiums and you will not be able to make out because there's just those two uh window frame right uh but uh zooming out and we'll get those visuals in as well you will see that Trump's Podium is way higher bigger than uh kamla Harris's Podium which is very small short because uh in in a window you would not want to show the disproportionate size of a Podium given the size difference between kamla Harris and Trump so they actually made a Podium to her size in fact uh fun trivia here uh this is the uh the biggest height difference so to say between two presidential candidates ever in the history of US presidential elections 6.4 ft to 5.4 ft so that's the difference and to manage that difference the podiums have been made were made different well there is smart camera work at play and I must say there's smart camera work at play here as well we may be covering uh the the presidential debate gaita from uh from Delhi so to say but for the viewer we are fully in Washington DC right outside the White House and maybe you wouldn't have noticed if uh I wouldn't have told you because our extremely brilliant team have ensured that uh they they prepare this beautiful set for us as well but we're looking at these visuals coming in where we are at is basically the Rose Garden in the white house and we are looking at these quotes constantly coming in and as in when the the exerts the chunks start to come in from that almost 2hour long debate remember as per guidelines it it's a very specific uh about 2 to three minutes uh there are those guidelines that will have to be followed and India Today is ensuring that for the viewer watching it anywhere across the world right now will have access to those excerpts as in one that that comes but the focus it started from immigration economy local domestic issues then I think the fireworks really flew into the debate gaita when it came to the regional conflicts do you think that that's when both of them came into their own so these are some of the quotes that we are putting out and we'll constantly discuss what happened what is the chatter like and reactions on it as well remember the world was watching this debate Lena good morning Indian Standard Time Of course to midnight for you tell me this about how what was your key takeaway from this debate do you think that Kamala Harris relied more on domestic issues while Donald Trump relied for his votes coming in primarily on the regional or the global conflict issues as as confidence would that be correct to say here good morning P Puja and good morning everyone thank you for having me yes it was definitely a surprising debate to me personally uh Harris did best better than expected you know I was expecting this awkward uh laugh she's having every time she's speaking somewhere and she managed to keep it together almost until the end of this on the other hand Donald Trump he's usually very wcal he loves to attack people when they're against him sort of to you know correct them but he was very quiet he was sort of reserved waiting let letting her finish even though she was for example attacking him so both of them they sort of switch their standard talking style and as you said uh Donald Trump felt very strong on the foreign policy because he truly had no war he truly met with all of the leaders and they publicly some of them publicly as for example the Hungarian prime minister Victor Orban they publicly admire him so he has a strong guard card on this note on the other hand Harris uh you know she has been sort of hidden under Biden so for her it's way easier to sort of shine because no one really knows what she was doing the past four years no one has any track record except that she was doing what Biden told her and what he was doing um also Linka stay on with you because I just want to go across to Rohit if he continues to be with us Rohit do you also think that the the whole range of the issues where the confidence came from both of these candidates that for kamla Harris it was about on abortion issues specifically how the administration previously had taken a decision and via the court and on taxes while for Donald Trump it came on I will stop the War I will bring peace why should Americans be involved do you think that was a kind of kind of a distinguished uh rhetoric that they had chosen to speak about well the government has always spoken pretty well about abortion I think that's that's one of the areas she's very comfortable with she she knows what her policy is going to be uh and the other one you know on on foreign foreign policy and I probably she's in the boards I think Trump wanted to Corner Harris because you know as As Trump said there were no Wars when he was the president the war started only after he left the White House and he wanted to Corner them saying that America is involved indirectly in these two Wars and he could probably end these two Wars so yes I think your your Su is correct on that but also I also think that KLA wanted to sort of distance herself from Biden's policy and she was able to do it I'll come back to you in just a short while Linka I I'll take that question to you and also to Gita do you think where do you think kamla possibly scored a point and where do you think Donald Trump perhaps kept his confidence in this debate on on many counts I think that uh Harris did quite well uh he she did manage to Corner uh um Donald Trump when it comes to Performance and economy itself she had numbers to show for uh when it comes to abortion uh we know that you know it's a it's a really divided house and she tried to put uh Trump on the mat but it is when the IVF conversation that she brought in uh maybe uh on hindsight she could have done without because abortion itself was a big Reproductive Rights itself is a big big uh win for uh for the Democrats uh but the moment she brought that in he actually turned it around and in his uh in his rebuttal spoke of how he's been an advocate of IVF so on and so forth as well and that uh almost fact checked her immigration another very important area where uh where uh a strong point for Trump but I think kamla Harris also made her points quite uh clearly so in terms of what the policies are and uh the entire thing about gun control and taking guns of the shelves is not going to happen much to the dismay maybe of many people who are actually wanting that uh but uh but a clear policy decision there again you know Republicans and those fencers would be listening to what uh kamla Harris as the Democratic presidential candidate is saying um the race issue dictators uh Medicare and climate change all of them I think climate change he also said that you know he had earlier said it's it was a hoax it's not it's a reality yes so gaita stay on with you because Lena also continues to be with us Lena um it was very interesting when he tried to pin her down with that blatant uh the the word that he used and if I'm correct he said she hates Israel and he realized what he was saying because that clearly has a certain support base in America or as a policy uh has been as history has been with regard to America's decision to support Israel that he said she doesn't want Israel to exist if they continue Israel will blow up in fact in fact in fact could just add Lena she actually goes on he actually went on to say that in uh Harris did not attend the The Joint session of the Congress when Netanyahu was there and that she refused to meet Netanyahu so she he was he was backing it with the with what happened during netanyahu's visit to the United States of America that I felt was a direct charge because that is one big polarizing issue in USA isn't it uh definitely it's a huge issue and I have friends who are Democrats and don't like Kamala haris just because of this topic because of Gaza and Palestine and Israel they told me they don't want to vote for Harris because they think she's not doing enough to achieve peace and that she's letting the people in Gaza to get massacred on the other hand uh Donald Trump uh he pointed out that of course she was not present at the speech of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu which is which is a big deal and he as you also said uh he predicted that Israel could disappear within two years if she would uh become the president so she's having tough time of balancing this sort of position of first of all making happy the Arab Americans and also making happy the Jewish population which is quite large in the United States and she's sometimes not making happy any of those two groups because she's somewhere in the middle one time saying this another time saying that I would like also to mention that uh the ABC reporters uh they rather teamed up against Donald Trump they were factchecking him on the spot they were almost uh going back towards him with all the questions and some of the questions also felt like they were opinionated against him I personally didn't enjoy it I I I felt frustrated and it was painful to watch their moderation so it was not a walkover yeah okay for Trump that's that's that goes without saying uh the Biden Trump uh debate was an absolute disaster and if you look at that and you look at this uh Harris knew exactly what she was coming in with she had a plan uh the questions both sides must have prepared and prepped up but I do think that she landed a few good punches and she definitely I think compared to Biden came across as someone who could also challenge Trump a lot rather than like you give a walk over like it did happen sort of previously between Biden and Trump let's talk about issues and we'll of course over the course of next 1 hour constantly play out excerpts for you because I understand it was early morning India Today Was live earlier than usual this morning gaita and I constantly listening bit to bit but gaita what do you think perhaps was the highlight of this debate do you think it was immigration it was the global Regional conflicts Ukraine Russia Israel Hamas or do you think it was the local issues of America that Americans are listening and then taking a view on it I think everything was uh in a way localized because they were catering to the domestic audience and the voters so everything was how it impacts you and how it is going to look uh for you uh the the one of the key things that I saw where she actually made a huge difference in the Biden Harris Administration to haris the vice presidential candidate was when she told him that this is you're not speaking to B you're speaking to kamla Harris here so she made that distinction because that distinction was important everybody before the debate Puja was talking about how she's coming with an Administration baggage the anti-incumbency the fact that people are questioning and are tired but I think there were a few important takeaways when it comes to the economy that I think was very important because both sides needed to put uh what they think are they're going to do uh while she said that we have these plans he said I don't have an exact plan I can spell out right now but when when I'm President we will have that I do have ideas for what things should look like and how they should go there was a lot of fact checking also that was happening along the way uh when it comes to um jobs unemployment because Trump did hit out at one part where he did come back and where he appeared to be more confident consistently was the war situation the regional conflict because kamla Harris was where Donald Trump tried to pin her down or the Biden Administration down saying look what Iran has become it's richer than it was or the I the the conflict I I like how he constantly rated saying if I'm President elect even before I take oath I will ensure that the war is over now of course there's a certain confident rhetoric to it more than whether it can happen or not but do you think that's one of the planks because the regional Wars have bothered Americans that they are sort of part of a conflict which is not direct do you think polarized also and polarized and it has really made a huge uh impact on how these elections are going to look like because a lot of a lot of uh Democrats uh and fiters who might not be very happy with the situation in Gaza have questioned the Harris Administration she really needed convincing them that uh that she will you know chart her own path when it comes to these wars but also talking about and putting him on the mat on how he's friends with uh with all these dictators and strong men like strong men and dictators and that's why you know things were different when he and they they take cues from him uh to which he actually said that it's actually not that they're scared of me is the reason why there were no Wars and the fact that you are incompetent one very important thing over here Puja was also the fact that they were mute buttons but both of them were constantly on air you know with being seen so while there was no cross talk happening you saw a lot of expressions from kamla Harris every time Trump spoke she would shake her head say no he's lying and she would mime he's lying all the time he's lying that's not true that's not correct and the usual Trump expression too and Trump's expression was a smug or or a little irritated she used that space that space of quiet on a window when he's speaking to shake her head or say it's it's a lie I think that also made well I I could see fact silent fact this is confirmed that mute buttons are not only for Indian news channels but as much in America gaita but like you mentioned I think it was as much about local issues but Regional issues that impact local views as well uh within America stay on with me let's go across now to Washington DC remember India Today is the only Indian news Channel right now that's been live since morning from the ground zero as well that's where Rohit Sharma a journalist is joining me right now Rohit so a mark difference like we have been discussing uh not many memes possibly this time over the debate but a lot of talk over the issues what is the sentiment on the ground what are you picking up about the chatter in America well first things firsta this is not Washington DC where I'm standing right now is the debate Center here inad Del more everybody know that we at I think you know very interesting debate very stark contrast from what we saw in June uh very different opponent uh you know first things first I mean Harris goes and shakes hands with President uh president Trump s off a little bit he wasn't expecting that I don't think he was a very different competitor uh she was forceful she had prepared well she was in Pennsylvania for five days and she I think it came across that she was very well prepared I think was trying to Wing some of his answers and he's always done that this was his seventh presidential debate where he just came and he thought he could just get away by saying things and he was corrected at least five times I counted at least five times by the moderators I mean and obviously multiple times like K Harris so I think Prim of face I think it's a good night for KLA Harris you know the expectations were low she didn't have to you know nobody expected her to do as well as she did and nobody expected Donald Trump to lose this debate I think you know at the end of the day both the campaigns will have will take a lot of talking points for this but I think kamla Harris you know I mean we've seen her debate before uh and I think she was able to show her skills as a debater I think other other thing that a lot of people observed here and we were all talking and chatting during the commercial breaks but the fact that Donald Trump did not expect a lot of zingers you know these onliners from Kamala Harris and she delivered them with punch there's one Zinger that Trump trump also delivered that landed it was about you know don't disturb me while I'm talking and you know kind of reminds you of or heard that before so I mean at the end of the day I think K has gone through the debate uh you know unhal uh and then you know the the the campaign that person I was speaking with earlier today said that was the goal to make sure that she she come across as presentable uh one journalist that I was speaking noted that she did better than Hill Clinton in 2016 uh and this gives her campaign the Boost that they needed because she was her bump was Tattooing in polls she was she was going down in some of the key Battleground States I think her campaign will use this and take it Forward I mean this is not going to me a lot of people said this could be the end of the of the election you know from does well and she does do well the election is sealed and I think we'll see a very very competitive race from here on Puja very interesting Rohit stay on with me because we're also joined by journalist Linka white and about the the discussion that's happening currently in the USA and gaita and I constantly analyzing on this Taylor Swift who has literally a swifties army of young admirers of the work of Taylor Swift were listening when she shared a social media post right after the debate concluded Taylor Swift announced that she endorses Kamala Harris this was a powerful statement remember and it was a long post where Taylor Swift praised Kamala Harris as a leader who fights for the rights and causes that will make America better she also emphasized that haris has a calm demeanor that she has a steady leadership quality and that's what the country needs calm not cures and then she also contrasted it with how there have been videos and misinformation about her that she allegedly surrounded and supported Trump that is not true so along with this remember when she shared the post she also featured herself with a cat it wasn't just a coincidental image it was a dig at Republican vice president Pig JD W captioning it the childless cat lady a clear Jive at the past comments made by the running mate of Donald Trump it was in 2021 when once had made a certain comment that there are these childless cat ladies during an interview with Tua Carlson so this remember is also now a question can this change the course because when Taylor Swift or someone of that stature makes an endorsement about a politician ahead of Elections and especially hitting at first time voters young voters 18 19 year old she's also mentioned that they need to register early land up early at the polling Booth can that change the course specifically on lacks of those younger audience that are huge fans of Taylor Swift when she recently held a concert it was fully packed there was also some controversy about it when it came to a worldwide tour with a possible Terror attack Gita Mona a foreign affairs editor joining me on the latest on that Gita how significant how big of a highlight do you think is Taylor Swift endorsing Kamala haris well it is a massive massive endorsement it comes after a lot of uh speculation so to say not that she would have endorsed Trump in anyway uh but the fact is that when Biden Trump uh presidential debate was to take place there was a lot of question as to whether Taylor Swift will come out and endorse uh Biden or not of the democratic party and even after he stepped down and kamla Harris was nominated as the candidate again there were a lot of questions as to why is it that Taylor Swift is taking so long will she endorse kamla Harris or not and uh one thought that after the DNC it would have happened it did not happen after the Democratic National Convention where she was formally announced the uh nomy for the Democratic uh uh uh party uh and and right now after immediately after the first presidential debate between uh Harris and Trump we see her come out and endorse and not just endorse she is not just any Superstar she's not just any pop star uh Puja she is an influencer she's very influential in fact she's one of the most powerful women in the world not just in the United States of America with a massive following so everybody was waiting to see what she's really going to do and she's made a rather political statement look at the statement that has been put out it very specifically speaks of why she chose to why this time uh the AI generated a video of hers and uh and Donald Trump using that uh on his uh handle which she has now put to rest saying that this is all false you can only beat uh lies with truth this is her truth her truth is that she's going to vote for uh kamla Harris but she also says that it is for you to choose make your choices do your research and you based on your research you should go ahead and vote she also then goes ahead and says for those who are voting appealing to voters to come out and vote so she's done it all and she signed off uh as uh the uh what did she call herself um the child cat lady that stess cat lady the D and and also if if there's any doubt about why politicians Bank on possibly an endorsement like this according to the Forbes annual list in 2023 Taylor Swift was marked as the fifth most powerful woman in the world not just in the USA in the world and possibly that's why such an endorsement can it change the course of the elections and kamla Harris thereby could get more votes it'll be interesting to watch thank you very much for now Gita Mohan tracking all the latest on the US presidential debate the biggest pop superstars who has millions of especially young followers Taylor Swift has endorsed Kamala Harris in fact Gita just informed me about that it's big news remember because she'd been she' been so to say silent all this while uh Rohit a quick word from you on this that Taylor Swift endorsing Kamala Harris do you think something like this makes a huge difference possibly to the younger audience to the younger firsttime voters absolutely all the sfts are going to vot for k Harris she Joe Biden in 2020 and look at the things Kam talked about she talked about abortion uh you know females having Reproductive Rights she talked about you know how she has made it and her own story as a female and at the end of the day you've all talked about breaking that glass ceiling one day eventually so this is a very very big deal F okay well can I just come in of course very big deal Rohit the fact that Taylor Swift and I remember we were discussing this earlier as well and we've done stories on this on how Taylor Swift stood uh did not really endorse Biden and there was so much pressure on uh Taylor Swift whether she's going to endorse not endorse then the debate happened uh a singular disaster for the Democratic team and uh there was no endorsement there then kamla Harris was nominated presidential candidate no endorsement from Taylor Swift Rohit and Fin finally I suppose she waited to see how kamla Harris will do to really then endorse her is is is the reading right and and Rohit also tell us about the swifties army that she has do you think there are like literally thousands if not millions of swifties in her support who could listen to what Taylor Swift is saying I think I think they do Puja you know you'd be surprised the pop CL are falling in the US and look you know I think G made an excellent point here you know she was waiting you know she did not endorse Biden she was waiting and waiting and waiting and this kind of tells you that even she believed and people around Kam Harris believe that she had a strong mind to come out and support her right after debate tells you that kamla Harris had a good night uh you know I was just talking to somebody in the spin room right now and I think the general mood is that look Trump was being trumped you know we are all surprised by how well Kamala Harris did but by sorry Trump did not have a bad night per se I mean he he's always had these kinds of nights and he still gets away with that he he'll go on the campaign Trail and talk about some of the stuff he'll probably make up some more stuff but I think this the news is that kamla you know did really well and I think that's why we're all talking about kamla Harris right now but Trump did not have a bad mind I mean he you know he did twist some facts you know he tried to bring immigration to most of the stuff that was talking about they talked about January 6 and he brought in Immigration they talk about economy he bring in Immigration he was trying to hit those talking points given by his campaign which are pulling really well in those Battleground States so I think he did not have a that bad of a but it just happens to be that KLA did well and again do you think according to your assessment and what other the journalists around you who have all gathered there in Philadelphia what are they saying is the reason that Kamala Harris appears to have also become the talking point what did she do well if Trump was as usual what is it that she surprised the audience with that Taylor Swift immediately endorsing her other possibly other celebrities could come forth too Rohit well look you know I think think everybody I mean I think AR kudos to the Democrats everybody made made sure before the debate that you she came across as Underdog we had a lot of you know campaign people tell us that you know Trump is so powerful he's he amazing debater and you know kamla is this that so I think they set the expectation bar so low that even if she was to do okay she'd appear as good and actually I think she did good so now everybody's raving about you know how she performed in this debate also the fact that you know she she has been good debat in the past I mean some clips of you know her are doing grounds down how she was able to have a great debate against Pence she had cornered Joe Biden in 2019 primary debate so she had that quality but to be able to contain herself and delivered on big stage I think that is a big story tonight going back to Taylor Swift Rohit just before you know I toss it back to uh Puja the fact that the photo is telling it's it's telling because she is a political creature in many ways Rohit Taylor Swift is no not just any pop star she's political she has a mind she knows exactly what she's doing and she's absolutely powerful the photograph also powerful because she signs off as the childless cat lady now that's a real dick that's really laying it down for Donald Trump and jie vans that you cannot make fun of a woman and get away with it so a massive political message not just in the endorsement but also in her sign off I think GA it was over 90 minute of the discussion was played in full uh we do not intend to anyway right now put out any edited so to say excerpts but we'll constantly be analyzing it India today was completely from beginning to end was on that discussion so you have it in full gaita I just want to bring it in here that at this point the fact that even India is watching it discussing this discussion and debate because it is not just USA's presidential debate it is going to be about world isues why do you think that this debate has been crucial and is being watched worldwide well it is because at the end of the day the United States of America does set the tone and tenner for how the world looks like it is it shapes World policies not just foreign policy of particular country by dealing bilaterally with the United States of America and the debate right now is over but we will show clips of those important uh uh uh bits in in a while from now there are massive restrictions that we have worked uh with the fact that that that we're only allowed to show the debate once and then we have to wait for the clips to come in so in unlike how uh we've had in the past where there have been there has been space of using uh the clips from the inter uh from from the debate through uh the first 3 hours of uh of the debate getting over that's not the case this time around so be patient it'll come to you uh coming back to the question on why is the debate so important uh or why is a presidential election in the United States of America itself so important Pua look at the subjects that they covered apart from economy which uh and and domestic policies such as uh abortion immigration fracking Jan 6th there was a massive conversation on what uh happened uh on the 6th of January the Insurrection yes and uh and it was not kamla Harris factchecking trump it was it was the the anchors were factchecking Trump on many counts you saw that there were certain areas where maybe Harris was not checked as many times as Trump was checked by the ABC anchors uh that certainly happened but look at the other areas and issues that were discussed they uh they discussed the Israel Hamas War correct affects everyone particularly the region uh they discussed uh the Russia Ukraine war War uh where he actually named Victor Oran and uh spoke of how and why this war was actually not what I do like about Donald Trump in a light-hearted note he constantly claims that people around the world credit him and that people believe that the world is scared of him they would not go to war they would not go to war because of Donald Trump but but do you think there's a certain the certain pattern that he's quoting that he believes because he constantly quoted Iran and he said when I had put sanctions look how weak Iran had become there was not going to be a war but this Administration appears to have taken back the sanctions and look how rich Iran has become so do you think there is certain tenure that he's also quoting you know uh the the discussion over how America has failed in its economic War across the world is for another day but yes uh he did mention Iran and and there is a there is a pattern to what he's done during his presidency he did not take America to war it's a fact he did not he really did try to engage those who they might call dictators but what has what has how has it helped America in calling Putin a dictator or Kim Jong-un and not engaging and uh and and now we're seeing tensions in so many parts of the world that maybe could have been averted or avoided yeah we're not saying that you know what Trump does is right or wrong because he stepped out of the Paris agreement he stepped out of JCP UA making the entire West Asia a little unstable with Iran he did all of that but none of the wars that America is right now uh a part of were his doing or his making so he does when he says that I don't take my country to war he does mean it and yes uh when it comes to the uh weapons that are being sent abroad the aid that is going abroad uh the economy over here according to to him in a shambles and that could that all this money could have helped America rather than going abroad is certainly are certainly areas that's that uh that Trump uh focused on I think I suppose in their preparation they were very clear what are the areas that they're going to focus on and how they're going to put it and and what they say on those issues can actually make a break the kind of audience that's watching it worldwide but also remember Puja this is the first time they're actually meeting in person they've never met Harris and Trump have never met in person before are you saying never met in any of the official Gatherings never ever this is the first time that the two sides were meeting they must have prepped uh themselves for what the counter could look like but I do think that um Harris did land some very strong ones there when it comes to those punches where she said you're not talking to Biden you're talking to kamla Harris so on and so forth so uh and and gaita I just want to because I understand this was such an early morning discussion that we put out debate that was full from beginning to end that was on air on India today so GAA what is your assessment while I was listening to the debate I did think that Donald Trump at some point was surprised because maybe he did not expect Kamala Harris to come this prepared but do you think that she performed better than usual and without saying that I think she did perform better than Joe Biden oh of course she performed better than Joe Biden but uh over here I think she stood her ground and while we talking about standing uh a very um uh interesting snippet over here Puja if you look at the podiums and you will not be able to make out because there's just those two uh window frame right uh but uh zooming out and we'll get those visuals in as well you will see that Trump's Podium is way higher bigger than uh kamla Harris's Podium which is very small short because uh in in a to window you would not want to show the disproportionate size of a Podium given the size difference between kamla Harris and Trump so they actually made a Podium to her size in fact uh fun trivia here uh this is the uh the biggest height difference so to say between two presidential candidates ever in the history of US presidential elections 6.4 ft to 5.4 ft so that's the difference and to manage that difference the podiums have been made were made different well there is smart camera work at play and I must say there's smart camera work at play here as well we may be covering uh the the presidential debate gaita from uh from Delhi so to say but for the viewer we are fully in Washington DC right outside the White House and maybe you wouldn't have noticed if uh I wouldn't have told you because our extremely brilliant team have ensured that uh they they prepare this beautiful set for us as well but we looking at these visuals coming in where we are at is basically the Rose Garden in the white house and we are looking at these quotes constantly coming in and as in when the the exerts the chunks start to come in from that almost 2 hour long debate remember as per guidelines it it's a very specific uh about 2 to three minutes uh there are those guidelines that will have to be followed and India Today is ensuring that for the viewer watching it anywhere across the world right now will have access to those excerpts as in one that comes but the focus it started from immigration economy local domestic issues then I think the fireworks really flew into the debate gaita when it came to the regional conflicts do you think that that's when both of them came into their own so these are some of the quotes that we are putting out and we'll constantly discuss what happened what is the chatter like and reactions on it as well remember the world was watching this debate Lena good morning Indian Standard Time Of course uh heading to midnight for you tell me this about how what was your key takeaway from this debate do you think that Kamala Harris relied more on domestic issues while Donald Trump relied for his votes coming in primarily on the regional or the global conflict issues as as confidence would that be correct to say here good morning Puja and good morning everyone thank you for having me yes it was definitely a surprising debate to me personally uh Harris did better than expected you know I was expecting this awkward uh laugh she's having every time she's speaking somewhere and she managed to keep it together almost until the end of this on the other hand Donald Trump he's usually very wcal he loves to attack people when they're against him sort of to you know correct them but he was very quiet he was sort of reserved waiting let letting her finish even though she was for example attacking him so both of them they sort of switch their standard talking style and as you said uh Donald Trump felt very strong on the foreign policy because he truly had no war he truly met with all of the leaders and they publicly some of them publicly as for example the Hungarian prime minister Victor Orban they publicly admire him so he has a strong guard card on this note on the other hand Harris uh you know she has been sort of hidden under Biden so for her it's way easier to sort of shine because no one really knows what she was doing the past four years no one has any track record except that she was doing what Biden told her and what he was doing um also Linka stay on with me because I just want to go across to Rohit if he continues to be with us Rohit do you also think that the the whole range of the issues where the confidence came from both of these candidates that for kamla Harris it was about an abortion issues specifically how the administration previously had taken a decision and why the court and on taxes while for Donald Trump it came on I will stop the War I will bring peace why should Americans be involved do you think that was a kind of kind of a distinguished uh rhetoric that they had chosen to speak about well govern has always spoken pretty well about abortion I think that's that's one of the areas she's very comfortable with she she knows what her policy is going to be uh and the other one you know on foreign foreign policy and I probably she in the boards I think Trump wanted to Conner Harris because you know as As Trump said there were no Wars when he was the president the war started only after he left the White House and he wanted to Conner them saying that America is involved indirectly in these two Wars and he could probably end these two Wars so yes I think your your s is correct on that but also I also think that K wanted to sort of distance herself from Biden's policy and she was not able to do it I'll come back to you in just a short while Lena I I'll take that question to you and also to G do you think where do you think kamla possibly scored a point and where do you think Donald Trump perhaps kept his confidence in this debate on on many counts I think that uh Harris did quite well uh he she did manage to Corner uh um Donald Trump when it comes to Performance and economy itself she had numbers to show for uh when it comes to abortion uh we know that you know it's a it's a really divided house and she tried to put uh Trump on the mat but it is when the IVF conversation that she brought in uh maybe uh on hindsight she could have done without because abortion itself was a big Reproductive Rights itself is a big big uh win for uh for the Democrats uh but the moment she brought that in he actually turned it around and in his uh in his rebutt spoke of how he's been an advocate of IVF so on and so forth as well and that uh almost fact checked her immigration and another very important area where uh where uh a strong point for Trump but I think kamla Harris also made her points quite uh clearly so in terms of what the policies are and uh the entire thing about gun control and taking guns of the shells is not going to happen much to the dismay maybe of many people who are actually wanting that uh but uh but a clear policy decision there again you know Republicans and those fenses would be listening to what uh kamla Harris as the Democratic presidential candidate is saying um the race issue dictators uh Medicare and climate change all of them I think climate change he also said that you know he had earlier said it's it was a HX it's not it's a reality yes so gaita stay on with you because Lena also continues to be with us Lena um it was very interesting when he tried to also pin her down with that blatant uh the the word that he used and if I'm correct he said she hates Israel and he realized what he was saying because that clearly has a certain support base in America or as a policy uh has been as history has been with regard to America's decision to support Israel that he said she doesn't want Israel to exist if they continue Israel will blow up in fact in fact if I could just add Lena she actually goes on he actually went on to say that in uh Harris did not attempt The Joint session of the Congress when Netanyahu was there and that she refused to meet Netanyahu so she he was he was backing it with the with what happened during nany's visit to the United States of America that I felt was a direct charge because that is one big polarizing issue in US isn't it uh definitely it's a huge issue and I have friends who are Democrats and don't like Kamala haris just because of this topic because of Gaza and Palestine and Israel they told me they don't want to vote for Harris because they think she's not doing enough to achieve peace and that she's letting the people in Gaza to get massacred on the other hand uh Donald Trump uh he pointed out that of course she was not present at the speech of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu which is which is a big deal and he as you also said uh he predicted that Israel could disappear within two years if she would uh become the president so she's having tough time of balancing this sort of position of first of all making happy the Arab Americans and also making happy the Jewish population which is quite large in the United States and she's sometimes not making happy any of those two groups because she's somewhere in the middle one time saying this another time saying that I would like also to mention that uh the ABC reporters uh they rather teamed up against Donald Trump they were factchecking him on the spot they were almost uh going back towards him with all the questions and some of the questions also felt like they were opinionated against him I personally didn't enjoy it I I I felt frustrated and it was painful to watch their moderation so it was not a walkover yeah okay for Trump that's that's that goes without saying uh the Biden Trump uh debate was an absolute disaster and if you look at that and you look at this uh Harris knew exactly what she was coming in with she had a plan uh the questions both sides must have prepared and prepped up but I do think that she landed a few good punches and she definitely I think compared to Biden came across as someone who could also challenge Trump a lot rather than like you you said give a walk over like it did happen sort of previously between Biden and Trump let's talk about issues and we'll of course uh over the course of next 1 hour constantly play out excerpts for you because I understand it was early morning India Today Was live earlier than usual this morning Gita and I constantly listening bit to bit but gaita what do you think perhaps was the highlight of this debate do you think it was immigration it was the global Regional conflicts Ukraine Russia Israel Hamas or do you think it was the local issues of America that Americans are listening and then taking a view on it I think everything was uh in a way localized because they were catering to the domestic audience yes and their voters so everything was how it impacts you and how it is going to look uh for you uh the the one of the key things that I saw where she actually made a huge difference in the Biden Harris Administration to haris the vice presidential candidate was when she told him that this is you're not speaking to you're speaking to kamla Harris here so she made that distinction because that distinction was important everybody before the debate Puja was talking about how she's coming with an Administration baggage the anti-incumbency the fact that people are questioning and are tired but I think there were a few important takeaways when it comes to the economy that I think was very important because both sides needed to put uh what they think are they're going to do uh while she said that we have these plans he said said I don't have an exact plan I can spell out right now but when when I'm President we will have that I do have ideas for what things should look like and how they should go there was a lot of factchecking also that was happening along the way uh when it comes to um jobs unemployment because Trump did hit out at one part where he did come back where he appeared to be more confident consistently was the war situation the regional conflict because kamla Harris was where Donald Trump Tri to pin her down or the Biden Administration down saying look what Iran has become it's richer than it was or the I the the conflict I I like how he constantly rated saying if I'm president-elect even before I take oath I will ensure that the war is over now of course there's a certain confident rhetoric to it more than whether it can happen or not but do you think that's one of the planks because the regional Wars have bothered Americans that they are sort of part of a conflict which is not direct do you think polarized also and polarized and it has really made a huge uh impact on how these elections are going to look like because a lot of a lot of uh Democrats uh and fiters who might not be very happy with the situation in Gaza have questioned the Harris Administration she really needed convincing them that uh that she will you know chart her own path when it comes to these wars but also talking about and putting him on the mat on how he's friends with uh with all these dictators and strong men like strong men and dictators and that's why you know things were different when he and they they take cues from him uh to which he actually said that it's actually not that they're scared of me is the reason why there were no Wars and the fact that you are incompetent one very important thing over here Puja was also the fact that they were mute buttons but both of them were constantly on air you know with being seen so while there was no cross talk happening you saw a lot of expressions from kamla Harris every time Trump spoke she would shake her head say no he's lying and she would mime he's lying all the time he's lying that's not true that's not correct and the usual Trump expression too and Trump's expression was a smug or or a little irritated she used that space that space of quiet on a window when he's speaking to shake her head or say it's it's a lie I think that also made well I I could say fact silent fact this is confirmed that mute buttons are not only for Indian news channels but as much in America GA but like you mentioned I think it was as much about local issues but Regional issues that impact local views as well uh within America stay on with me let's go across now to Washington DC remember India Today is the only Indian news Channel right now that's been live since morning from the ground zero as well that's where Rohit Sharma a journalist is joining me right now Rohit so a mark difference like we have been discussing uh not many memes possibly this time over the debate but a lot of talk over the issues what is the sentiment on the ground what are you picking up about the chatter in America well first things first Kuja this is not Washington DC where I'm standing right now is the debate Center here inad Del more everybody know that we at and I think you know very interesting debate very St contrast from what we saw in June uh very different opponent uh you know first thing first I mean J Harris goes and shakes hands with President uh president Trump uh off a little bit he wasn't expecting that I don't think he was a very different competitor uh she was forceful she had prepared well she was in Pennsylvania for five days and she I think it came across that she was very well prepared I think was trying to Wing some of his answers and he's always done that this was his seventh presidential debate where he just came and he thought he could just get away by saying things and he was corrected at least five times I counted at least five times by the moderators I mean and obviously multiple times like Harris so I think Prim of face I think it's a good night for KLA Harris you know the expectations were low she didn't have to you know nobody expected her to do as well as she did and nobody expected Donald Trump to lose this debate I think you know at the end of the day both the campaigns will have will take a lot of talking points for this but I think kamla Harris you know I mean we've seen her debate before uh and I think she was able to show her skills as a debater I think other other thing that a lot of people observed here and we were all talk talking and chatting during the commercial breaks but the fact that Donald Trump did not expect a lot of zingers you know these onliners from Kamala Harris and she delivered them with punch there's one Zinger that Trump trump also delivered that landed it was about you know don't disturb me while I'm talking and you know kind of reminds you of or heard that before so I mean at the end of the day I think K has gone through the debate uh you know unharmed uh and then you know the the the campaign that I was speaking with earlier today said that was the goal to make sure that she com she come across as presentable uh one journalist that I was speaking noted that she did better than Hill Clinton in 2016 uh and this gives her campign the Boost that they needed because she was her bump was Tattooing in polls she was you she was going down in some of the key Battleground States I think her campaign will use this and take it Forward I mean this is not going to me a lot of people said this could be the end of the of the election you know from does well and she not do well the election is sealed and I think we'll see a very very competitive race from here on Puja very interesting Rohit stay on with me because we're also joined by journalist Linka white and about the the the discussion that's happening currently in the USA and GA and I constantly analyzing on this Taylor Swift who has literally a swifties army of young admirers of the work of Taylor Swift were listening when she shared a social media post right after the debate concluded Taylor Swift announced that she endorses Kamala Harris this was a powerful statement remember and it was a long post where Taylor Swift praised Kamala Harris as a leader who fights for the rights and causes that will make America better she also emphasized that Harris has a calm demeanor that she has a steady leadership quality and that's what the country needs calm not Cs and then she also contrasted it with how there have been videos and misinformation about her that she allegedly surrounded and supported Trump that is not true so along with this remember when she shared the post she also featured herself with a cat it wasn't just a coincidental image it was a dig at Republican vice president Pig JD W captioning it the childless cat lady a clear J at the past comments made by the running mate of Donald Trump it was in 2021 when once had made a certain comment that there are these childless cat ladies during an interview with Tua Carlson so this remember is also now a question can this change the course because when Taylor Swift or someone of that stature makes an endorsement about a politician ahead of Elections and especially hitting at first time voters young voters 18 19 year old she's also mentioned that they need to register early land up early at the polling Booth can that change the course specifically on lacks of those younger audience that are huge fans of Taylor Swift when she recently held a concert it was fully packed there was also some controversy about it when it came to a worldwide tour with a possible Terror attack Gita Mona a foreign affairs editor joining me on the latest on that gaita how significant how big of a highlight do you think is Taylor Swift endorsing kamla haris well it is a massive massive endorsement it comes after a lot of uh speculation so to say not that she would have endorsed Trump in anyway uh but the fact is that when Biden Trump uh presidential debate was to take place there was a lot of question as to whether Taylor Swift will come out and endorse uh Biden or not of the democratic party and even after he stepped down and kamla Harris was nominated as the candidate again there were a lot of questions as to why is it that TL Swift is taking so long will she endorse kamla Harris or not and uh one thought that after the DNC it would have happened it did not happen after the Democratic National Convention where she was formally announced the uh nomy for the Democratic uh uh uh party uh and and right now after immediately after the first presidential debate between uh Harris and Trump we see her come out and endorse and not just endorse she is not just any Superstar she's not just any pop star uh Puja she is an influencer she's very influential in fact she's one of the most powerful women in the world not just in the United States of America with massive following so everybody was waiting to see what she's really going to do and she's made a rather political statement look at the statement that has been put out it very specifically speaks of why she chose to why this time uh the AI generated uh video of hers and uh and Donald Trump using that uh on his uh handle which she has now put to rest saying that this is all false you can only beat uh lies with truth this is her truth her truth is that she's going to vote for uh kamla Harris but she also says that it is for you to choose make your choices do your research and you based on your research you should go ahead and vote she also then goes ahead and says for those who are voting appealing to voters to come out and vote so she's done it all and she signed off uh as uh the uh what did she call herself um the child cat lady cat lady the and and also if if there's any doubt about why politicians Bank on possibly an endorsement like this according to the Forbes annual LT in 2023 Taylor Swift was marked as the fifth most powerful woman in the world not just in the USA in the world and possibly that's why such an endorsement can it change the course of the elections and kamla Harris thereby could get more votes it'll be interesting to watch thank you very much for now Gita Mohan tracking all the latest on the US presidential debate the biggest pop superstars who has millions of especially young followers Taylor Swift has endorsed Kamala Harris in fact Gita just informed me about that it's big news remember because she'd been she'd been so to say silent all this while uh Rohit a quick word from you on this that Taylor Swift endorsing Kamala Harris do you think something like this makes a huge difference possibly to the younger audience to the younger firsttime voters absolutely all the SS are going to work for k Harris she Joe Biden in 2020 and look at the things talked about she talked about abortion uh you know females having Reproductive Rights she talked about you know how she has made it and her own story as a female and at the end of the day you've all talked about breaking that glass ceiling one day eventually so this is a very very big deal fja okay well can I just come in of course very big deal Rohit uh the fact that Taylor Swift and I remember we were discussing this earlier as well and we've done stories on this on how Taylor Swift stood uh did not really endorse Biden and there was so much pressure on uh Taylor Swift whether she's going to endorse not endorse then the debate happened uh a singular disaster for the Democratic team and uh there was no endorsement there then kamla Harris was nominated presidential candidate no endorsement from Taylor Swift Rohit and finally I suppose she waited to see how kamla Harris will do to really then endorse her is is is the reading right and and Rohit also tell us about the swifties army that she has do you think there are like literally thousands if not millions of swifties in her support who could listen to what Taylor Swift is saying I think I think they do Puja you know you'd be surprised the pop CL are falling into the US and look you know I think G made an excellent point here you know she was waiting you know she did not Biden she was waiting and waiting and waiting and this kind of tells you that even she believed and people around Kam haris believe that she had a strong mind to come out and support her right after debate tells you that kamla haris had a good night uh you know I was just talking to somebody in the spin room right now and I think the joural mood is that look Trump was being trumped you know we are all surprised by how well Kamala Harris did but by sorry Trump did not have a bad night first day I mean he's he's always had these kinds of nights and he still gets away with that he he'll go on the campaign Trail and talk about some other stuff he'll probably make up some more stuff but I think this the news is that kamla you know did really well and I think that's why we're all talking about kamla Harris right now but Trump did not have a bad night I mean he you know he did twist some facts you know he tried to bring immigration to most of the stuff that was talking about they talked about January 6 and he brought in Immigration they talk about economy he bring in Immigration he was trying to hit those talking points given by his campaign which are pulling really well in those Battleground States so I think he did not have a that bad of T night but it just happens to be that kamla did well and again do you think according to your assessment and what other the journalists around you who have all gathered there in Philadelphia what are they saying is the reason that Kamala Harris appears to have also become the talking point what did she do well if Trump was as usual what is it that she surprised the audience with that Taylor Swift immediately endorsing her other possibly other celebrities could come forth too Rohit well look you know I think everybody I mean I think are kudos to the Democrats everybody made made sure before the debate that you she came across as Underdog we had a lot of you know campaign people tell us that you know Trump is so powerful he's his amazing debater and you know kamla is is this that so I think they set the expectation bar so low that even if she was to do okay she'd appear as good and actually I think she did good so now everybody's raving about you know how she performed in this debate also the fact that you know she she has a good debat in the past I mean some clips of you know her are doing grounds down how she was able to have a great debate against Pence she had cornered Joe Biden in 2019 primary debate so she had that quality but to be able to contain herself and delivered on big stage I think that is the big story tonight going back to Taylor Swift Rohit just before you know I toss it back to uh Puja the fact that the photo is telling it's it's telling because she is a political creature in many any ways Rohit Taylor Swift is no not just any pop star she's political she has a mind she knows exactly what she's doing and she's absolutely powerful the photograph also powerful because she signs off as the childless cat lady now that's a real dick that's really laying it down for Donald Trump and jie Van that you cannot make fun of a woman and get away with it so a massive political message not just in the endorsement but also in her sign off I think GA it was over 90 minute of the discussion was played in full uh we do not intend to anyway right now put out any edited so to say excerpts but we'll constantly be analyzing it India today was completely from beginning to end was on that discussion so you have it in full Gita I just want to bring it in here that at this point the fact that even India is watching it discussing this discussion and debate because it is not just USA's presidential debate it is going to be about world issues why do you think that this debate has been crucial and is being watched worldwide well it is because at the end of the day the United States of America does set the tone and tener for how the world looks like it is it shapes World policies not just foreign policy of particular country by dealing bilaterally with the United States of America and the debate right now is over but we will show clips of those important uh uh uh bits in in a from now there are massive restrictions that we have worked uh with the fact that that that that we're only allowed to show the debate once and then we have to wait for the clips to come in so in unlike how uh we've had in the past where there have been there has been space of using uh the clips from the inter uh from from the debate through uh the first 3 hours of uh of the debate getting over that's not the case this time around so be patient it'll come to you uh coming back to the question on why is the debate so important uh or why is a presidential election in the United States of America itself so important Pua look at the subjects that they covered apart from economy which uh and and domestic policies such as uh abortion immigration fracking Jan 6th there was a massive conversation on what uh happened uh on the 6th of January the Insurrection yes and uh uh and it was not kamla Harris factchecking trump it was it was the the anchors were factchecking Trump on many counts you saw that there were certain areas where maybe Harris was not checked as many times as Trump was checked by the ABC anchors uh that certainly happened but look at the other areas and issues that were discussed they ISU uh they discussed the Israel Hamas War correct affects everyone particularly the region uh they discussed uh the Russia Ukraine War uh where he actually named Victor Oran and uh spoke of how and why this war was actually not what I do like about Donald Trump in a light-hearted note he constantly claims that people around the world credit him and that people believe that the world is scared of him they would not go to war they would not go to war because of Donald Trump but but do you think there's a certain the certain pattern that he's quoting that he believes because he constantly quoted Anan and he said when I had put sanctions look how weak Iran had become there was not going to be a war but this Administration appears to have taken back the sanctions and look how rich Iran has become so do you think there is certain tenure that he's also quoting you know uh the the discussion over how America has failed in its economic War across the world is for another day but yes uh he did mention Iran and and there is a there is a pattern to what he's done during his presidency he did not take a America to war it's a fact he did not he really did try to engage those who they might call dictators but what has what has how has it helped America in calling Putin a dictator or Kim Jong-un and not engaging and uh and and now we're seeing tensions in so many parts of the world that maybe could have been averted or avoided here we're not saying that you know what Trump does is right or wrong because he stepped out of the Paris agreement he stepped out of JCP Pua making the entire West Asia a little unstable with Iran he did all of that but none of the wars that America is right now uh a part of were his doing or his making so he does when he says that I don't take my country to war he does mean it and yes uh when it comes to the uh weapons that are being sent abroad the aid that is going abroad uh the economy over here according to him in a shambles and that could that all this money could have helped America rather than going abroad is certainly are certainly areas that's that uh that Trump uh focused on I think I suppose in their preparation they were very clear what are the areas that they're going to focus on and how they're going to put it and and what they say on those issues can actually make a break the kind of audience that's watching it worldwide but also remember Puja this is the first time they're actually meeting in person they've never met Harris and Trump have never met in person before are you saying never met in any of the official Gatherings never ever this is the first time that the two sides were meeting they must have prepped uh themselves for what the counter could look like but I do think that uh Harris did land some very strong ones there when it comes to those punches where she said you're not talking to Biden you're talking to kamla Harris so on and so forth so uh and and gaita I just want to because I understand this was such an early morning discussion that we put out debate that was full from beginning to end that was on air on India today so ga what is your assessment while I was listening to the debate I did think that Donald Trump at some point was surprised because maybe he did not expect Kamala Harris to come this prepared but do you think that she performed better than usual and without saying that I think she did perform better than Joe Biden oh of course she performed better than Joe Biden but uh oh over here I think she stood her ground and while we talking about standing uh a very um uh interesting snippet over here Puja if you look at the podiums and you will not be able to make out because there's just those two uh window frame right uh but uh zooming out and we'll get those visuals in as well you will see that Trump's Podium is way higher bigger than uh kamla Harris's Podium which is very small short because uh in in two window you would not want to show the disproportionate size of a Podium given the size difference between kamla Harris and Trump so they actually made a Podium to her size in fact uh fun trivia here uh this is the uh the biggest height difference so to say between two presidential candidates ever in the history of US presidential elections 6.4 ft to 5.4 ft so that's the difference and to manage that difference the podiums have been made uh were made different well there is smart camera work at play and I must say there's smart camera work at play here as well we may be covering uh the the presidential debate gaita from uh from Delhi so to say but for the viewer we are fully in Washington DC right outside the White House and maybe you wouldn't have noticed if uh I wouldn't have told you because our extremely brilliant team have ensured that uh they they prepare this beautiful set for us as well well but we're looking at these visuals coming in where we are at is basically the Rose Garden in the white house and we are looking at these quotes constantly coming in and as in when the the excerts the chunks start to come in from that almost 2 hour long debate remember as per guidelines it it's a very specific uh about 2 to three minutes uh there are those guidelines that will have to be followed and India Today is ensuring that for the viewer watching it anywhere across the world right now will have access to those excerpts as in one that comes but the focus it started from immigration economy local domestic issues then I think the fireworks really flew into the debate gaita when it came to the regional conflicts do you think that that's when both of them came into their own so these are some of the quotes that we are putting out and we'll constantly discuss what happened what is the chatter like and reactions on it as well remember the world was watching this debate Lena good morning Indian Standard Time Of course uh heading to midnight for you tell me this about how what was your key takeaway from this debate do you think that kamla Harris relied more on domestic issues while Donald Trump relied for his votes coming in primarily on the regional or the global conflict issues as as confidence would that be correct to say here good morning Puja and good morning everyone thank you for having me yes it was definitely a surprising debate to me personally uh Harris did better than expected you know I was expecting this awkward uh laugh she's having every time she's speaking somewhere and she managed to keep it together almost until the end of this on the other hand Donald Trump he's usually very vocal he loves to attack people when they're against him sort of to you know correct them but he was very quiet he was sort of reserved waiting let letting her finish even though she was for example attacking him so both of them they sort of switch their standard talking style and as you said uh Donald Trump felt very strong on the foreign policy because he truly had no war he truly met with all of the leaders and they publicly some of them publicly as for example the Hungarian prime minister Victor Orban they publicly admire him so he has a strong guard card on this not not on the other hand Harris uh you know she has been sort of hidden under Biden so for her it's way easier to sort of shine because no one really knows what she was doing the past four years no one has any track record except that she was doing what Biden told her and what he was doing um also Linka stay on with you because I just want to go across to Rohit if he continues to be with us Rohit do you also think that the the whole r of the issues where the confidence came from both of these candidates that for kamla Harris it was about an abortion issues specifically how the administration previously had taken a decision and why the court and on taxes while for Donald Trump it came on I will stop the War I will bring peace why should Americans be involved do you think that was a kind of kind of a distinguished uh rhetoric that they had chosen to speak about well has always spoken pretty well about abortion I think that's that's one the areas she's very comfortable with she she knows what her policy is going to be uh and the other one you know on foreign foreign policy and I probably she's in the boards I think Trump wanted to Conner Harris because you know as As Trump said there were no Wars when he was the president the war started only after he left the White House and he wanted to Conner them saying that America is involved indirectly in these two Wars and he could probably end these these two Wars so yes I think your your sment is correct on that but also I also think that KLA wanted to sort of distance herself from Biden's policy and she was not able to do it I'll come back to in just a short while Linka I I'll take that question to you and also to GA do you think where do you think kamla possibly scored a point and where do you think Donald Trump perhaps kept his confidence in this debate on on many counts I think that uh Harris did quite well uh he she did manage to Corner uh um Donald Trump when it comes to Performance and economy itself she had numbers to show for uh when it comes to abortion uh we know that you know it's a it's a really divided house and she tried to put uh Trump on the mat but it is when the IVF conversation that she brought in uh maybe uh on hindsight she could have done without because abortion itself was a big Reproductive Rights itself is a big big uh win for uh for the Democrats uh but the moment she brought that in he actually turned it around and in his uh in his rebut spoke of how he's been an advocate of IVF so on and so forth as well and that uh almost fact checked her immigration another very important area where uh where uh a strong point for Trump but I think kamla Harris also made her points quite uh clearly so in terms of what the policies are and uh the entire thing about gun control and taking guns of the shells is not going to happen much to the dismay maybe of many people who are actually wanting that that uh but uh but a clear policy decision there again you know Republicans and those fenor would be listening to what uh kamla Harris as the Democratic presidential candidate is saying um the race issue dictators uh Medicare and climate change all of them I think climate change he also said that you know he had earlier said it's it was a Hox it's not it's a reality yes so Gita stay on with you because Lena also continues to be with us Lena um it was very interesting when he tried to to also pin her down with that blatant uh the the word that he used and if I'm correct he said she hates Israel and he realized what he was saying because that clearly has a certain support base in America or as a policy uh has been as history has been with regard to America's decision to support Israel that he said she doesn't want Israel to exist if they continue Israel will blow up in fact in fact if I could just add Lena she actually goes on he actually went on to say that in uh Harris did not attemp The Joint session of the Congress when Netanyahu was there and that she refused to meet Netanyahu so she he was he was backing it with the with what happened during Nano's visit to the United States of America that I felt was a direct charge because that is one big polarizing issue in US isn't it uh definitely it's a huge issue and I have friends who are Democrats and don't like Kamala haris just because of this topic because of Gaza and Palestine and Israel they told me they don't want to vote for Harris because they think she's not doing enough to achieve peace and that she's letting the people in Gaza to get massacred on the other hand uh Donald Trump uh he pointed out that of course she was not present at the speech of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu which is which is a big deal and he as you also said uh he predicted that Israel could disappear within two years if she would become the president so she's having tough time of balancing this sort of position of first of all making happy the Arab Americans and also making happy the Jewish population which is quite large in the United States and she's sometimes not making happy any of those two groups because she's somewhere in the middle one time saying this another time saying that I would like also to mention that uh the ABC reporters uh they rather teamed up against Donald Trump they were factchecking him on the spot they were almost uh going back towards him with all the questions and some of the questions also felt like they were opinionated against him I personally didn't enjoy it I I I felt frustrated and it was painful to watch their moderation so it was not a walkover yeah okay for Trump that's that's that goes without saying uh the Biden Trump uh debate was an absolute disaster and if you look at that and you look at this uh Harris knew exactly what she was coming in with she had a plan uh the questions both sides must have prepared and prepped up but I do think that she landed a few good punches and she definitely I think compared to Biden came across as someone who could also challenge Trump a lot rather than like you said give a walk over like it did happen sort of previously between Biden and Trump let's talk about issues and we'll of course over the course of next one hour constantly play out excerpts for you because I understand it was early morning India Today Was live earlier than usual this morning GA and I constantly listening bit to bit but G what do you think perhaps was the highlight of this debate do you think it was immigration it was the global Regional conflicts Ukraine Russia Israel Hamas or do you think it was the local issues of America that Americans are listening and then taking a view on it I think everything was uh in a way localized because they were catering to the domestic audience yes and their voters so everything was how it impacts you and how it is going to look uh for you uh the the one of the key things that I saw where she actually made a huge difference in the Biden Harris Administration to Harris the vice presidential candidate was when she told him that this is you're not speaking you're speaking to kamla Harris here so she made that distinction because that distinction was important everybody before the debate Puja was talking about how she's coming with an Administration baggage the anti-incumbency the fact that people are questioning and are tired but I think there were a few important takeaways when it comes to the economy that I think was very important because both sides needed to put uh what they think are they're going to do uh while she said that we have these plans he said I don't have an exact plan I can spell out right now but when when I'm President we will have that I do have ideas for what things should look like and how they should go there was a lot of factchecking also that was happening along the way uh when it comes to um jobs unemployment because Trump did hit out at I one part where he did come back where he appeared to be more confident consistently was the war situation the regional conflict because Kamala Harris was where Donald Trump tried to pin her down or the Biden Administration down saying look what Iran has become it's richer than it was or the I the the conflict I I like how he constantly rated saying if I'm president-elect even before I take oath I will ensure that the war is over now of course there's a certain confident rhetoric to it more than whether it can happen or not but do you think that's one of the planks because the regional Wars have bothered Americans that they are sort of part of a conflict which is not direct do you think and polarized also and polarized and it has really made a huge uh impact on how these elections are going to look like because a lot of a lot of uh Democrats uh and fenor who might not be very happy with the situation in Gaza have questioned the Harris Administration she really needed convincing them that uh that she will you know chart her own path when it comes to these wars but also talking about and putting him on the mat on how he's friends with uh with all these dictators and strong men like strong men and dictator and that's why you know things were different when he and they they take cues from him uh to which he actually said that it's actually not that they're scared of me is the reason why there were no Wars and the fact that you are incompetent one very important thing over here Puja was also the fact that they were mute buttons but both of them were constantly on air you know with being seen so while there was no cross talk happening you saw a lot of expressions from kamla Harris every time Trump spoke she would shake her head say no he's lying and she would mime he's lying all the time he's lying that's not true that's not for and the usual Trump expression too and Trump's expression was a SM or or a little irritated she used that space that space of quiet on a window when he's speaking to shake her head or say it's it's a lie I think that also made well I I could say fact silent fact this is confirmed that mute buttons are not only for Indian news channels but also as much in America gaita but like you mentioned I think it was as much about local issues but Regional issues that impact local views as well uh within America stay on with me let's go across now to Washington DC remember India Today is the only Indian news Channel right now that's been live since morning from the ground zero as well that's where Rohit Sharma a journalist is joining me right now Rohit so a mark difference like we have been discussing uh not many memes possibly this time over the debate but a lot of talk over the issues what is the sentiment on the ground what are you picking up about the chatter in America first things first this is not Washington DC where I'm standing right now is the debate Center here in Del more everybody know that we at I think you know very interesting debate very star contrast from what we saw in June uh very different opponent uh you know first first I mean J Harris goes and shakes hands with President uh president Trump uh off a little bit he wasn't expecting that I don't think he was uh very different competitor she was forceful she had prepared well she was in Pennsylvania for five days and she I think it came across that she was very well prepared I think was trying to Wing uh some of his answers and he's always done that this was his seventh presidential debate he just came and he thought he could just get away by saying things and he was corrected at least five times I counted at least five times by the moderators I mean and obviously uh multiple times like Harris so I think the prim of face I think it's a good night for KLA Harris you know the expectations were low she didn't have to you know nobody expected her to do as well as she did and nobody expected Donald Trump to lose this debate I think you know at the end of the day both the campaigns will have will take a lot of points for this but I think kamla Harris you know I mean we've seen her debate before uh and I think she was able to show her skills as a debater I think other other thing that a lot of people observed here and we were all talk talking and chatting during the commercial breaks but the fact that Donald Trump did not expect a lot of zingers you know these on liners from Kamala Harris and she delivered them with punch there's one Zinger that Trump trump also delivered that landed it was about you know don't disturb me while I'm talking and you know kind of reminds you of or heard that before so I mean at the end of the day I think GAA has gone through the debate uh you know unharmed uh and then you know the the the campaign that person I was speaking with earlier today said that was the goal to make sure that she comim she come across as presentable uh one journalist that I was speaking with noted that she did better than H Clint in 2016 uh and this gives her campaign the Boost that they needed because she was her bump was Tattooing in polls she was you she was going down in some of the key Battleground States I think her campaign will use this and take it Forward I mean this is not going to me a lot of people said this could be the end of the of the election you know from do well and she does not do well uh the election is sealed and I think we'll see a very very competitive race from here on Puja very interesting Rohit stay on with me because we're also joined by journalist Linka white and about the the discussion that's happening currently in the USA and gaita and I constantly analyzing on this tor Swift who has literally a Swifty Army of young admirers of the work of Taylor Swift were listening when she shared a social media post right after the debate concluded Taylor Swift announced that she endorses Kamala Harris this was a powerful statement remember and it was a long post where Taylor Swift praised Kamala Harris as a leader who fights for the rights and causes that will make America better she also emphasized that Harris has a calm demeanor that she has a steady leadership quality and that's what the country needs calm not Cs and then she also contrasted it with how there have been videos and misinformation about her that she allegedly surrounded and supported Trump that is not true so along with this remember when she shared the post she also featured herself with a cat it wasn't just a coincidental image it was a dig at Republican vice president Pig JD W captioning it the childless cat lady a clear Jive at the past comments made by the running mate of Donald Trump it was in 2021 when once had made a certain comment that there are these childless cat ladies during an interview with Tucker Carlson so this remember is also now a question can this change the course because when Taylor Swift or someone of that stature makes an endorsement about a politician ahead of Elections and especially hitting at first time voters young voters 18 19 year old she's also mentioned that they need to register early land up early at the polling Booth can that change the course specifically on lacks of those younger audience that are huge fans of Taylor Swift when she recently held a concert it was fully packed there was also some controversy about it when it came to a worldwide tour with a possible terror attack Gita Mona a foreign affairs editor joining me on the latest on that Gita how significant how big of a highlight do you think is Taylor Swift endorsing kamla haris well it is a massive massive endorsement it comes after a lot of uh speculation so to say not that she would have endorsed Trump in anyway uh but the fact is that when Biden Trump uh presidential debate was to take place there was a lot of question as to whether Taylor Swift will come out and endorse uh Biden or not of the democratic party and even after he stepped down and kamla Harris was nominated as the candidate again there were a lot of questions as to why is it that Taylor Swift is taking so long will she endorse kamla Harris or not and uh one thought that after the DNC it would have happened it did not happen after the Democratic National Convention where she was formally announced the nomy for the Democratic uh uh uh party uh and and right now after immediately after the first presidential debate between uh Harris and Trump we see her come out and endorse and not just endorse she is not just any Superstar she's not just any pop star uh Puja she is an influencer she's very influential in fact she's one of the most powerful women in the world not just in the United States of America uh with massive following so everybody was waiting to see what she's really going to do and she's made a rather political statement look at the statement that has been put out it very specifically speaks of why she chose to why this time uh the AI generated uh video of hers and and Donald Trump using that uh on his uh handle which she has now put to rest saying that this is all false you can only beat uh lies with truth this is her truth her truth is that she's going to vote for kamla Harris but she also says that is for you to choose make your choices do your research and you based on your research you should go ahead and vote she also then goes ahead and says for those who are voting appealing to voters to come out and vote so she's done it all and she signed off uh as uh the uh what did she call herself um the childless cat lady that's childless cat lady the and and also if if there's any doubt about why politicians Bank on possibly an endorsement like this according to the Forbes annual lift in 2023 Taylor Swift was marked as the fifth most powerful woman in the world not just in the USA in the world and possibly that's why such an endorsement can it change the course of the elections and kamla Harris thereby could get more Wes it'll be interesting to watch thank you very much so now Gita moan tracking all the latest on the US presidential debate the biggest pop superstars who has millions of especially young followers Taylor Swift has endorsed Kamala Harris in fact Gita just informed me about that it's big news remember because she'd been she'd been so to say silent all this while uh Rohit a quick word from you on this that Taylor Swift endorsing Kamala Harris do you think something like this makes a huge difference possibly to the younger audience to the younger firsttime voter absolutely all the SS are going to work for k Harris she Joe Biden in 2020 and look at the things talked about she talked about abortion uh you know females having Reproductive Rights she talked about you know how she has made it and her own story as a female and at the end of the day you've all talked about breaking that glass ceiling one day eventually so this is a very very big deal fja okay well can I just come in of course very big deal Rohit uh the fact that Taylor Swift and I remember we were discussing this earlier as well and we've done stories on this on how Taylor Swift stood uh did not really endorse Biden and there was so much pressure on uh Taylor Swift whether she's going to endorse not endorse then the debate happened uh a singular disaster for the Democratic team and uh there was no endorsement there then kamla Harris was nominated presidential candidate no endorsement from Taylor Swift Rohit and finally I suppose she waited to see how kamla Harris will do to really then endorse her is is is the reading right and and Rohit also tell us about the swifties army that she has do you think there are like literally thousands if not millions of swifties in her support who could listen to what Taylor Swift is saying I think I think they do Puja you know you'd be surprised the pop CL are following in the US and look you know I think G made an excellent point here you know she was waiting you know she did not Biden she was waiting and waiting and waiting and this kind of tells you that even she believes and people around Kam Harris believe that she had a strong mind to come out and support her right after debate tells you that kamla haris had a good night uh you know I was just talking to somebody in the spin room right now and I think the general mood is that look Trump was being Trump you know we are all surprised by how well Kam Harris did but by sorry Trump did not have a bad night first day I mean he's he's always had these kinds of nights and he still gets away with that he he'll go on the campaign Trail and talk about some of the stuff he'll probably make up some more stuff but I think this the news is that kamla you know did really well and I think that's why we're all talking about kamla Harris right now but Trump did not have a bad night I mean he you know he did twist some facts you know he tried to bring immigration to most of the stuff that he was talking about they talked about January 6 and he brought an immigration they talk about economy he bring the immigration he was trying to hit those talking points given by his campaign which are pulling really well in those Battleground States so I think he did not have a that bad night but it just happens to be that kamla did well and again do you think according to your assessment and what other the journalists around you who have all gathered there in Philadelphia what are they saying is the reason that Kamala Harris appears to have also become the talking point what did she do well if Trump was as usual what is it that she surprised the audience with that Taylor Swift immediately endorsing her other possibly other celebrities could come forth too Rohit well look uh you know I think everybody I mean I think are kudos to the Democrats everybody made made sure before the debate that you know she came across as Underdog we had a lot of you know campaign people tell us that you know Trump is so powerful he's his amazing debater and you know kamla is is this that so I think they set the expectation bar so low that even if she was to do okay she'd appear as good and actually I think she did good so now everybody's raving about you know how she performed in this debate also the fact that you know she she has has been a good debat in the past I mean some clips of you know her are doing grounds down how she was able to have a great debate against Pence she had cornered Joe Biden in 2019 primary debate so she had that quality but to be able to contain herself and delivered on big States I think that is a big story tonight going back to Taylor Swift Rohit just before you know I toss it back to uh Puja the fact that the photo is telling it's it's telling because she is a political creature in many ways uh Rohit Taylor Swift is no not just any pop star she's political she has a mind she knows exactly what she's doing and she's absolutely powerful the photograph also powerful because she signs off as the childless cat lady now that's a real dick that's really laying it down for Donald Trump and JD van that you cannot make fun of a woman and get away with it so a massive political message not just in the endorsement but Al in her sign off I think GA it was over 90 minute of the discussion was played in full uh we do not intend to anyway right now put out any edited so to say excerpts but we'll constantly be analyzing it India today was completely from beginning to end was on that discussion so you have it in full Gita I just want to bring it in here that at this point the fact that even India is watching it discussing this discussion and debate because it is not just USA's presidential debate it is going to be about world World issues why do you think that this debate has been crucial and is being wased worldwide well it is because at the end of the day the United States of America does set the tone and tenor for how the world looks like it is it shapes World policies not just foreign policy of particular country by dealing bilaterally with the United States of America and the debate right now is over but we will show clips of those important uh uh uh bits in in a while from now there are massive restrictions that we have worked uh with the fact that that that that we're only allowed to show the debate once and then we have to wait for the clips to come in so in unlike how uh we've had in the past where there have been there has been space of using uh the clips from the inter uh from from the debate through uh the first 3 hours of uh of the debate getting over that's not the case this time around so be patient it'll come to you you uh coming back to the question on why is the debate so important uh or why is a presidential election in the United States of America itself so important f look at the subjects that they covered apart from economy which uh and and domestic policies such as uh abortion immigration fracking Jan 6th there was a massive conversation on what uh happened uh on the 6th of January the Insurrection yes and uh and it was not kamla Harris factchecking trump it was it was the the anchors were factchecking Trump on many counts you saw that there were certain areas where maybe Harris was not checked as many times as Trump was checked by the ABC anchors uh that certainly happened but look at the other areas and issues that were discussed they ISU uh they discussed the Israel Hamas War correct affects everyone particularly the region uh they discussed uhuk the Russia ukra War uh where he actually named Victor Oran and uh spoke of how and why this war was actually not what I do like about Donald Trump in a light-hearted note he constantly claims that people around the world credit him and that people believe that the world is scared of him they would not go to war they would not go to war because of Donald Trump but but do you think there's a certain the certain pattern that he's quoting that he believes because he constantly quoted Iran and he said when I had put sanctions look how weak Iran had become there was not going to be a war but this Administration appears to have taken back the sanctions and look how rich Iran has become so do you think there is certain tenure that he's also quoting you know uh the the discussion over how America has failed in its economic War across the world is for another day but yes uh he did mention Iran and and there is a there is a pattern to what he's done during his presidency he did not take a America to war it's a fact he did not he really did try to engage those who they might call dictators but what has what has how has it helped America in calling Putin a dictator or Kim Jong-un and not engaging and uh and and now we're seeing tensions in so many parts of the world that maybe could have been averted or avoided here we not saying that you know what Trump does is right or wrong because he stepped out of the Paris agreement he stepped out of J CPA making the entire West Asia a little unstable with Iran he did all of that but none of the wars that America is the right now uh a part of were his doing or his making so he does when he says that I don't take my country to war he does mean it and yes uh when it comes to the uh weapons that are being sent abroad the aid that is going abroad uh the economy over here according to him in a shambles and that could that all this money could have helped America rather than going abroad is certainly are certainly areas that's that uh that Trump uh focused on I think I suppose in their preparation they were very clear what are the areas that they're going to focus on and how they're going to put it and and what they say on those issues can actually make a break the kind of audience that's watching it worldwide but also remember Puja this is the first time they're actually meeting in person they've never met Harris and Trump have never met in person before are you saying never met in any of the official Gatherings never ever so this is the first time that the two sides were meeting they must have prepped uh themselves for what the counter could look like but I do think that um Harris did land some very strong ones there when it comes to those punches where she said you're not talking to Biden you're talking to kamla Harris so on and so forth so uh and and gaita I just want to because I understand this was such an early morning discussion that we put out debate that was full from beginning to end that was on air on India today so Gita what is your assessment while I was listening to the debate I did think that Donald Trump at some point was surprised because maybe he did not expect Kamala Harris to come this prepared but do you think that she performed better than usual and without saying that I think she did perform better than Joe Biden oh of course she performed better than Joe Biden but uh over here I think she stood her ground and while we talking about standing uh a very um uh interesting snippet over here Puja if you look at the podiums and you will not be able to make out because there's just those two uh window frame right uh but uh zooming out and we'll get those visuals in as well you will see that Trump's Podium is way higher bigger than uh kamla Harris's Podium which is very small short because uh in a in a two window you would not want to show the disproportionate size of a Podium given the size difference between kamla Harris and Trump so they actually made a Podium to her size in fact uh fun trivia here uh this is the uh the biggest height difference so to say between two presidential candidates ever in the history of US presidential elections 6.4 ft to 5.4 ft so that's the difference and to manage difference the podiums have been made were made different well there is smart camera work at play and I must say there's smart camera work at play here as well we may be covering uh the the presidential debate gaita from uh from Delhi so to say but for the viewer we are fully in Washington DC right outside the White House and maybe you wouldn't have noticed if uh I wouldn't have told you because our extremely brilliant team have ensured that uh they they prepare this beautiful set for us as as well but we looking at these visuals coming in where we are at is basically the Rose Garden in the white house and we are looking at these quotes constantly coming in and as in when the the exerts the chunks start to come in from that almost 2 hour long debate remember as per guidelines it it's a very specific uh about 2 to three minutes uh there are those guidelines that will have to be followed and India Today is ensuring that for the viewer watching it anywhere across the world right now will have access to those excerts as in one that comes but the focus it started from immigration economy local domestic issues then I think the fire works really flew into the debate gaita when it came to the regional conflicts do you think that that's when both of them came into their own so these are some of the quotes that we are putting out and we'll constantly discuss what happened what is the chatter like and reactions on it as well remember the world was watching this debate Lena good morning Indian Standard Time Of course heading to midnight for you tell me this about how what was your key takeaway from this debate do you think that Kamala Harris relied more on domestic issues while Donald Trump relied for his vots coming in primarily on the regional or the global conflict issues as as confidence would that be correct to say here good morning Puja and good morning everyone thank you for having me yes it was definitely a surprising debate to me personally uh Harris did better than expected you know I was expecting this awkward uh laugh she's having every time she's speaking somewh and she managed to keep it together almost until the end of this on the other hand Donald Trump he's usually very vocal he loves to attack people when they're against him sort of to you know correct them but he was very quiet he was sort of reserved waiting let letting her finish even though she was was for example attacking him so both of them they sort of Switched their standard talking style and as you said uh Donald Trump felt very strong on the foreign policy because he truly had no war he truly met with all of the leaders and they publicly some of them publicly as for example the Hungarian prime minister Victor Orban they publicly admire him so he has a strong guard card on this note on the other hand Harris uh you know she has been sort of hidden under Biden so for her it's way easier to sort of shine because no one really knows what she was doing the past four years no one has any track record except that she was doing what Biden told her and what he was doing um also Linka stay on with you because I just want to go across to Rohit if he continues to be with us Rohit do you also think that the the whole of the issues where the confidence came from both of these candidates that for kamla Harris it was about an abortion issues specifically how the administration previously had taken a decision and why the court and on taxes while for Donald Trump it came on I will stop the War I will bring peace why should Americans be involved do you think that was a kind of kind of a distinguished uh rhetoric that they had chosen to speak about well govern has always spoken pretty well about abortion I think that's that's one of the areas she's very comfortable with she she knows what her policy is going to be uh and the other one you know on on foreign foreign policy and I probably she's in the wards I think Trump wanted to Conner Harris because you know as As Trump said there were no Wars when he was the president the war started only after he left the White House and he wanted to Conner them saying that America is involved indirectly in these two Wars and he could probably end these two Wars so yes I think your your assment is correct on that but also I also think that KLA wanted to sort of distance herself from Biden's policy and she was not able to do it I'll come back to in just a short while Linka I I'll take that question to you and also to gaita do you think where do you think kamla possibly scored a point and where do you think uh Donald Trump perhaps kept his confidence in this debate on on many counts I think that uh Harris did quite well uh he she did manage to Corner uh um Donald Trump when it comes to Performance and economy itself she had numbers to show for uh when it comes to abortion uh we know that you know it's a it's a really divided house and she tried to put uh Trump on the mat but it is when the IVF conversation that she brought in uh maybe uh on hindsight she could have done without because abortion itself was a big Reproductive Rights itself is a big big uh win for uh for the Democrats uh but the moment she brought that in he actually turned it around and in his uh in his re butle spoke of how he's been an advocate of IVF so on and so forth as well and that uh almost fact checked her immigration another very important area where uh where uh a strong point for Trump but I think kamla Harris also made her points quite uh clearly so in terms of what the policies are and uh the entire thing about gun control and taking guns off the shelves is not going to happen much to the dismay maybe of many people who are actually wanting that uh but uh but a clear policy decision there again you know Republicans and Those sensors would be listening to what uh kamla Harris as the Democratic presidential candidate is saying um the race issue dictators uh Medicare and climate change all of them I think climate change he also said that you know he had earlier said it's it was a Hox it's not it's a reality yes so gaita stay on with you because Lena also continues to be with us Lena um it was very interesting when he tried to also pin her down with that blatant uh the the word that he used and if I'm correct he said she hates Israel and he realized what he was saying because that clearly has a certain support base in America or as a policy uh has been as history has been with regard to America's decision to support Israel that he said she doesn't want Israel to exist if they continue Israel will blow up in fact in fact if I could just add Lena she actually goes on he actually went on to say that in uh Harris did not attend the joint session of the Congress when Netanyahu was there and that she refused to meet Netanyahu so she he was he was backing it with the with what happened during netanyahu's visit to the United States of America so that I felt was a direct charge because that is one big polarizing issue in USA isn't it uh definitely it's a huge issue and I have friends who are Democrats and don't like Kamala Harris just because of this topic because of Gaza and Palestine and Israel they told me they don't want to vote for Harris because they think she's not doing enough to achieve peace and that she's letting the people in Gaza to get massacred on the other hand uh Donald Trump uh he pointed out that of course she was not present at the speech of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu which is which is a big deal and he as you also said uh he predicted that Israel could disappear within two years if she would uh become the president so she's having tough time of balancing this sort of position of first of all making happy the Arab Americans and also making happy the Jewish population which is quite large in the United States and she's sometimes not making happy any of those two groups because she's somewhere in the middle one time saying this another time saying that I would like also to mention that uh the ab reporters uh they rather teamed up against Donald Trump they were factchecking him on the spot they were almost uh going back towards him with all the questions uh and some of the questions also felt like they were opinionated against him I personally didn't enjoy it I I I felt frustrated and it was painful to watch their moderation so it was not a walkover yeah okay for Trump that's that's that goes without saying uh the Biden Trump uh debate was an absolute disaster and if you look at that and you look at this uh Harris knew exactly what she was coming in with she had a plan uh the questions both sides must have prepared and prepped up but I do think that she landed a few good punches and she definitely I think compared to Biden came across as someone who could also challenge Trump a lot rather than like you said give a walk over like it did happen sort of previously between Biden and Trump let's talk about issues and we'll of course over the course of next 1 hour constantly play out excerpts for you because I understand it was early morning India Today Was live earlier than usual this morning GA and I constantly listening bit to bit but GAA what do you think perhaps was the highlight of this debate do you think it was immigration it was the global Regional conflicts Ukraine Russia Israel Hamas or do you think it was the local issues of America that Americans are listening and then taking a view on it I think everything was uh in a way localized because they were catering to the domestic audience yes and their voters so everything was how it impacts you and how it is going to look uh for you uh the the one of the key things that I saw where she actually made a huge difference in the Biden Harris Administration to Harris the vice presidential candidate was when she told him that this is you're not speaking you're speaking to kamla Harris here so she made that distinction because that distinction was important everybody before the debate Puja was talking about how she's coming with an Administration baggage the anti-incumbency the fact that people are questioning and are tired but I think there were a few important takeaways when it comes to the economy that I think was very important because both sides needed to put uh what they think are they're going to do uh while she said that we have these plans he said I don't have an exact plan I can spell out right now but when when I'm President we will have that I do have ideas for what things should look like and how they should go there was a lot of factchecking also that was happening along the way uh when it comes to um jobs unemployment because Trump did hit out one part where he did come back where he appeared to be more confident consistently was the war situation the regional conflict because Kamala Harris was where Donald Trump tried to pin her down or the Biden Administration down saying look what Iran has become it's richer than it was or the I the the conflict I I like how he constantly reiterated saying if I'm president-elect even before I take oath I will ensure that the war is over now of course there's a certain confident rhetoric to it more than whether it can happen or not but do you think that's one of the planks because the regional Wars have bothered Americans that they are sought of part of a conflict which is not direct you think and polarized also and polarized and it has really made a huge impact on how these elections are going to look like because a lot of a lot of uh Democrats uh and fenor who might not be very happy with the situation in Gaza have questioned the haris administration she really needed convincing them that uh that she will you know chart her own path when it comes to these wars but also talking about and putting him on the mat on how he's friends with uh with all these dictators and strong men like strong men and dict is and that's why you know things were different when he and they they take cues from him uh to which he actually said that it's actually not that they're scared of me is the reason why there were no Wars and the fact that you are incompetent one very important thing over here Puja was also the fact that they were mute buttons but both of them were constantly on air you know with being seen so while there was no cross talk happening you saw a lot of expressions from kamla Harris every time Trump spoke spoke she would shake her head say no he's lying and she would mime he's lying all the time he's lying that's not true that's not cor and the usual Trump expression too and Trump's expression was a smug or or a little irritated she used that space that space of quiet on a window when he's speaking to shake her head or say it's it's a lie I think that also made well I I could say fact silent fact this is confirmed that mute buttons are not only for Indian news channels also as much in America gaita but like you mentioned I think it was as much about local issues but Regional issues that impact local views as well uh within America stay on with me let's go across now to Washington DC remember India Today is the only Indian news Channel right now that's been live since morning from the ground zero as well that's where Rohit Sharma a journalist is joining me right now Rohit so a mark difference like we have been discussing uh not many memes possibly this time over the debate but a lot of talk over the issues what is the sentiment on the ground what are you picking up about the chatter in America well first things firsta this is not Washington DC where I'm standing right now is the debate Center here in phad Delia more everybody know that we at ground and I think you know very interesting debate very STK contrast from what we saw in June uh very different opponent uh you know first things first I mean Harris goes and shakes hands with President uh president Trump uh s off a little bit he wasn't expecting that I don't think he was uh very different competitor uh she was forceful she had prepared well she was in Pennsylvania for five days and she I think it came across that she was very well prepared I think was trying to Wing some of his answers and he's obious done that this was his seventh presidential debate he just came and know he thought he could just get away by saying things and he was corrected at least five times I counted at least five times by the moderators I mean and obviously uh multiple times like Harris so I think uh the prime of face I think it's a good night for KLA Harris you know the expectations were low she didn't have to you know nobody expected her to do as well as she did and nobody expected Donald Trump to lose this debate I think you know at the end of the day both the campaigns will have will take a lot of points for this but I think kamla Harris you know I mean we've seen her debate before and I think she was able to show her skills as a debater I think other other thing that a lot of people observed here and we were all talking and chatting during the commercial breaks but the fact that Donald Trump did not expect a lot of zingers you know this on liners from Kamala Harris and she delivered them with punch there's one Zinger that Trump trump also delivered that landed it was about you know don't disturb me while I'm talking and you know kind of reminds you of or heard that before so I mean at the end of the day I think K has gone through the debate uh you know unharmed uh and then you know the the the campaign that person I was speaking with earlier today said that was the goal to make sure that she she come across is presentable uh one journalist that I was speaking with noted that she did better than H Clint in 2016 uh and this gives her campaign the Boost that they needed because she was her bump was Tattooing in polls she was you she was going down in some of the key Battleground States I think her campaign will use this and take it Forward I mean this is not going to me a lot of people said this could be the end of the of the election you know from do well and she does not do well uh the election is sealed and I think we'll see a very very competitive race from here on Puja very interesting Rohit stay on with me because we're also joined by journalist Linka white and about the the the discussion that's happening currently in the USA and gaita and I constantly analyzing on this Taylor Swift who has literally a swifties army of young admirers of the work of Taylor Swift were listening when she shared a social media post right after the debate concluded Taylor Swift announced that she endorses Kamala Harris this was a powerful statement remember and it was a long post where Taylor Swift praised Kamala Harris as a leader who fights for the rights and causes that will make America better she also emphasized that Harris has a calm demeanor that she has a steady leadership quality and that's what the country needs calm not cures and then she also contrasted it with how there have been videos and misinformation about her that she allegedly surrounded and supported Trump that is not true so along with this remember when she shared the post she also featured herself with a cat it wasn't just a coincidental image it was a dig at Republican vice president Pig JD W captioning it the childless cat lady a clear Jive at the past comments made by the running mate of Donald Trump it was in 2021 when once had made a certain comment that there are these childless cat ladies during an interview with Tucker Carlson so this remember is also now a question question can this change the course because when Taylor Swift or someone of that stature makes an endorsement about a politician ahead of Elections and especially hitting at first time voters young voters 18 19 year old she's also mentioned that they need to register early land up early at the polling Booth can that change the cost specifically on lacks of those younger audience that are huge fans of Taylor Swift when she recently held a concert it was fully packed there was also some controversy about it when it came to a worldwide tour with a possible terror attack Gita Mona a foreign affairs editor joining me on the latest on that Gita how significant how big of a highlight do you think is Taylor Swift endorsing kamla haris well it is a massive massive endorsement it comes after a lot of uh speculation so to say not that she would have endorsed Trump in anyway uh but the fact is that when Biden Trump uh presidential debate was to take place there was a lot of question as to whether Taylor Swift will come out and endorse uh Biden or not of the democratic party and even after he stepped down and kamla Harris was nominated as the candidate again there were a lot of questions as to why is it that Taylor Swift is taking so long will she endorse kamla Harris or not and uh one thought that after the DNC it would have happened it did not happen after the Democratic National Convention where she was formally announced the Nomine for the Democratic uh party uh and and right now after immediately after the first presidential debate between uh Harris and Trump we see her come out and endorse and not just endorse she is not just any Superstar she's not just any pop star uh Puja she is an influencer she's very influential in fact she's one of the most powerful women in the world not just in the United States of America uh with massive following so everybody was waiting to see what she's really going to do and she's made a rather political statement look at the statement that has been put out it very specifically speaks of why she chose to why this time uh the AI generated uh video of hers and and Donald Trump using that uh on his uh handle which she has now put to rest saying that this is all false you can only beat uh lies with truth this is her truth her truth is that she's going to vote for kamla Harris but she also says that is for you to choose make your choices do your research and you based on your research you should go ahead and vote she also then goes ahead and says for those who are voting appealing to voters to come out and vote so she's done it all and she signed off uh as uh the uh what did she call herself um the childless cat lady that childless cat lady the and and also if if there's any doubt about why politicians Bank on possibly an endorsement like this according to the Forbes annual LT in 2023 Taylor Swift was marked as the fifth most powerful woman in the world not just in the USA in the world and possibly that's why such an endorsement can it change the course of the elections and kamla Harris thereby could get more votes it'll be interesting to watch thank you very much for now Gita moan tracking all the latest on the US presidential debate the biggest pop superstars who has millions of especially young followers Taylor Swift has endorsed Kamala Harris in fact Gita just informed me about that it's big news remember because she had been she' been so to say silent all this while uh Rohit a quick word from you on this that Taylor Swift endorsing Kamala Harris do you think something like this makes a huge difference possibly to the younger audience to the younger firsttime voters absolutely all the SS are going to work for k Harris she Joe Biden in 2020 and look at the things talked about she talked about abortion uh you know females having Reproductive Rights she talked about you know how she has made it and her own story as a female and at the end of the day we've all talked about breaking that glass ceiling one day eventually so this is a very very big deal F okay well can I just come in of course very big deal Rohit uh the fact that Taylor Swift and I remember we were discussing this earlier as well and we've done stories on this on how Taylor Swift stood did not really endorse Biden and there was so much pressure on uh Taylor Swift whether she's going to endorse not endorse then the debate happened uh a singular disaster for the Democratic team and uh there was no endorsement there then kamla Harris was nominated presidential candidate no endorsement from Taylor Swift Rohit and finally I suppose she waited to see how kamla Harris will do to really then endorse her is is is the reading right and and Rohit also tell us about the swifties army that she has do you think there are like literally thousands if not millions of swifties in her support who could listen to what Taylor Swift is saying I think I think they do Puja you know you'd be surprised the pop clure falling in the US and look you know I think GA made an excellent point here you know she was waiting you know she did not Endor Biden she was waiting and waiting and waiting and this kind of tells you that even she believes and people around Kam Harris believe that she had a strong night to come out and support her right after debate tells you that kamla haris had a good night uh you know I was just talking to somebody in the spin room right now and I think the general mood is that look Trump was being Trump you know we are all surprised by how well Kamala Harris did but by sorry Trump did not have a bad night first day I mean he's he's always had these kinds of nights and he still gets away with that he he'll go on the campaign Trail and talk about some other stuff he'll probably make up some more stuff but I think just the news is that kamla you know did really well and I think that's why we're all talking about kamla Harris right now but Trump did not have a bad night I mean he you know he did twist some facts you know he tried to bring immigration to most of the stuff that he was talking about they talked about January 6 and he brought an immigration they talk about economy he bring the immigration he was trying to hit those talking points given by his campaign which are pulling really well in those Battleground States so I think he did not have a that bad of night but it just happens to be that kamla did well and again do you think according to your assessment and what other the journalists around you who have all gathered there in Philadelphia what are they saying is the reason that Kamala Harris appears to have also become the talking point what did she do well if Trump was as usual what is it that she surprised the audience with that Taylor Swift immediately endorsing her other possibly other celebrities could come forth too Rohit well look you know I think everybody I mean I think kudos to the Democrats everybody made made sure before the debate that you she came across as Underdog we had a lot of you know campaign people tell us that you know Trump is so powerful he's his amazing debater and you know kamla is is this that so I think they set the expectation bar so low that even if she was to do okay she' appear as good and actually I think she did good so now everybody's raving about you know how she performed in this debate also the fact that you know she had she has been a good debat in the past I mean some clips of you know her are doing grounds now how she was able to have a great debate against Pence she had cornered Joe Biden in 2019 primary debate so she had that quality but to be able to contain herself and delivered on big stage I think that is the big story tonight going back to Taylor Swift Rohit just before you know I toss it back to uh Puja the fact that the photo is telling it's it's telling because she is a political creature in many ways uh Rohit Taylor Swift is no not just any pop star she's political she has a mind she knows exactly what she's doing and she's absolutely powerful the photograph also powerful because she signs off as the childless cat lady now that's a real dick that's really laying it down for Donald Trump and jie Van that you cannot make fun of a woman and get away with it so a massive political message not just in the endorsement but R in her sign off I think GA it was over 90 minute of the discussion was played in full uh we do not intend to anyway right now put out any edited so to say excerpts but we'll constantly be analyzing it India today was completely from beginning to end was on that discussion so you have it in full Gita I just want to bring it in here that at this point the fact that even India is watching it discussing this discussion and debate because it is not just USA's presidential debate it is going to be about World issues why do you think that this debate has been crucial and is being watched worldwide well it is because at the end of the day the United States of America does set the tone and tenor for how the world looks like it is it shapes World policies not just foreign policy of particular country by dealing bilaterally with the United States of America and the debate right now is over but we will show clips of those important uh uh uh bits in in a a while from now there are massive restrictions that we have worked uh with the fact that that that that we're only allowed to show the debate or once and then we have to wait for the clips to come in so in unlike how uh we've had in the past where there have been there has been space of using uh the clips from the inter uh from from the debate through uh the first 3 hours of uh of the debate getting over that's not the case this time around so be patient it'll come to to you uh coming back to the question on why is the debate so important uh or why is a presidential election in the United States of America itself so important Pua look at the subjects that they covered apart from economy which uh and and domestic policies such as uh abortion immigration fracking Jan 6th there was a massive conversation on what uh happened uh on the 6th of January the Insurrection yes and uh and it was not kamla Harris factchecking trump it was it the the anchors were factchecking Trump on many counts you saw that there were certain areas where maybe Harris was not checked as many times as Trump was checked by the ABC anchors uh that certainly happened but look at the other areas and issues that were discussed they should uh they discussed the Israel Hamas War correct affects everyone particularly the region uh they discussed uh the Russia UK War uh where he actually named Victor Oban and uh spoke of how and why this war was actually not what I do like about Donald Trump in a light-hearted note he constantly claims that people around the world credit him and that people believe that the world is scared of him they would not go to war they would not go to war because of Donald Trump but but do you think there's a certain the certain pattern that he's quoting that he believes because he constantly quoted Iran and he said when I had put sanctions look how weak Iran had become there was not going to be a war but this Administration appears to have taken back the sanctions and look how rich Iran has become so do you think there is certain tenure that he's also quoting you know uh the the discussion over how America has failed in its economic War across the world is for another day but yes uh he did mention Iran and and there is a there is a pattern to what he's done during his presidency he did not take America to war it's a fact he did not he really did try to engage those who they might call dictators but what has what has how has it helped America in calling Putin a dictator or Kim Jong-un and not engaging and uh and and now we're seeing tensions in so many parts of the world that maybe could have been averted or avoided here we not saying that you know what Trump does is right or wrong because he stepped out of the Paris agreement he stepped out of J CPA making the entire West Asia a little unstable with Iran he did all of that but none of the wars that America is right now uh a part of were his doing or his making so he does even he says that I don't take my country to war he does mean it and yes uh when it comes to the uh weapons that are being sent abroad the aid that is going abroad uh the economy over here according to him in a shambles and that could that all this money could have helped America rather than going abroad is certainly are certainly areas that's that uh that Trump uh focused on I think I suppose in their preparation they were very clear what are the areas that they're going to focus on and how they're going to put it and and what they say on those issues can actually make a break the kind of audience that's watching it worldwide but also remember Puja this is the first time they're actually meeting in person they've never met Harris and Trump have never met in person before are you saying never met in any of the official Gatherings never ever this is the first time that the two sides were meeting they must have prepped uh themselves for what the counter could look like but I do think that um Harris did land some very strong ones there when it comes to those punches where she said you're not talking to Biden you're talking to kamla Harris so on and so forth so uh and and gaita I just want to because I understand this was such an early morning discussion that we put out debate that was full from beginning to end that was on air on India today so Gita what is your assessment while I was listening to the debate I did think that Donald Trump at some point was surprised because maybe he did not expect Kamala Harris to come this prepared but do you think that she performed better than usual and without saying that I think she did perform better than Joe Biden oh of course she performed better than Joe Biden but uh over here I think she stood her ground and while we talking about standing uh a very um uh interesting snippet over here Puja if you look at the podiums and you will not be able to make out because there's just those two uh window frame right uh but uh zooming out and we'll get those visuals in as well you will see that Trump's Podium is way higher bigger than uh kamla Harris's Podium which is very small short because uh in in a two window you would not want to show the disproportionate size of a Podium given the size difference between kamla Harris and Trump so they actually made a Podium to her size in fact uh fun trivia here uh this is the uh the biggest height difference so to say between two presidential candidates ever in the history of US presidential elections 6.4 ft to 5.4 ft so that's the difference and to manage difference the podiums have been made were made different well there is smart camera work at play and I must say there's smart camera work at play here as well we may be covering uh the the presidential debate gaita from uh from Delhi so to say but for the viewer we are fully in Washington DC right outside the White House and maybe you wouldn't have noticed if uh I wouldn't have told you because our extremely brilliant team have ensured that uh they they prepare this beautiful set for us as as well but we're looking at these visuals coming in where we are at is basically the Rose Garden in the white house and we are looking at these quotes constantly coming in and as in when the the ex serves the chunks start to come in from that almost 2 hour long debate remember as per guidelines it it's a very specific uh about two to three minutes uh there are those guidelines that will have to be followed and India Today is ensuring that for the viewer watching it anywhere across the world right now will have access to those excerts as in that comes but the focus it started from immigration economy local domestic issues then I think the fire works really flew into the debate gaita when it came to the regional conflicts do you think that that's when both of them came into their own so these are some of the quotes that we are putting out and we'll constantly discuss what happened what is the chatter like and reactions on it as well remember the world was watching this debate Lena good morning Indian Standard Time Of course heading to midnight for you tell me this about how what was your key takeaway from this debate do you think that Kamala Harris relied more on domestic issues while Donald Trump relied for his vs coming in primarily on the regional or the global conflict issues as as confidence would that be correct to say here good morning Puja and good morning everyone thank you for having me yes it was definitely a surprising debate to me personally uh haris did better than expected you know I was expecting this awkward uh laugh she's having every time she's speaking somewhere and she managed to keep it together almost until the end of this on the other hand Donal Trump he's usually very vocal he loves to attack people when they're against him sort of to you know correct them but he was very quiet he was sort of reserved waiting let letting her finish even though was for example attacking him so both of them they sort of Switched their standard talking style and as you said uh Donald Trump felt very strong on the foreign policy because he truly had no war he truly met with all of the leaders and they publicly some of them publicly as for example the Hungarian prime minister Victor Orban they publicly admire him so he has a strong guard card on this note on the other hand Harris uh you know she has been sort of hidden under Biden so for her it's way easier to sort of shine because no one really knows what she was doing the past four years no one has any track record except that she was doing what Biden told her and what he was doing um also Linka stay on with you because I just want to go across to Rohit if he continues to be with us Rohit do you also think that the the whole range of the issues where the confidence came from both of these candidates that for kamla Harris it was about an abortion issues specifically how the administration previously had taken a decision and via the court and on taxes while for Donald Trump it came on I will stop the War I will bring peace why should Americans be involved do you think that was a kind of kind of a distinguished uh rhetoric that they had chosen to speak about well the government has always spoken pretty well about abortion I think that's one of the areas she's very comfortable with she she knows what her policy is going to be uh and the other one you know on on foreign foreign policy and I probably she's in the Ws I think Trump wanted to Corner Harris because you know as As Trump said there were no Wars when he was the president the war started only after he left the White House and he wanted to Conner them saying that America is involved indirectly in these two Wars and he could probably end these two Wars so yes I think your your assment is correct on that but also I also think that KLA wanted to sort of distance herself from Biden's policy and she was not able to do it I'll come back to in just a short while Linka I I'll take that question to you and also to gaita do you think where do you think kamla possibly scored a point and where do you think uh Donald Trump perhaps kept his confidence in this debate on on many counts I think that uh Harris did quite well uh he she did manage to Corner uh um Donald Trump when it comes to Performance and economy itself she had numbers to show for uh when it comes to abortion uh we know that you know it's a it's a really divided house and she tried to put uh Trump on the mat but it is when the IVF conversation that she brought in uh maybe uh on hindsight she could have done without because abortion itself was a big Reproductive Rights itself is a big big uh win for uh for the Democrats uh but the moment he brought that in he actually turned it around and in his uh in his butle spoke of how he's been an advocate of IVF so on and so forth as well and that uh almost fact checked her immigration another very important area where uh where uh a strong point for Trump but I think kamla Harris also made her points quite uh clearly so in terms of what the policies are and uh the entire thing about gun control and taking guns off the shelves is not going to happen much to the dismay maybe of many people who are actually want that uh but uh but a clear policy decision there again you know Republicans and those fenor would be listening to what uh kamla Harris as the Democratic presidential candidate is saying um the race issue dictators uh Medicare and climate change all of them I think climate change he also said that you know he had earlier said it's it was a hoax it's not it's a reality yes so gaita stay on with you because Lena also continues to be with us Lena um it was very interesting when he tried to also pin her down with that blatant uh the the word that he used and if I'm correct he said she hates Israel and he realized what he was saying because that clearly has a certain support base in America or as a policy uh has been as history has been with regard to America's decision to support Israel that he said she doesn't want Israel to exist if they continue Israel will blow up in fact in fact if I could just add Lena she actually goes on he actually went on to say that in uh Harris did not attend the joint session of the Congress when Netanyahu was there and that she refused to meet Netanyahu so she he was he was backing it with the with what happened during Net's visit to the United States of America that I felt was a direct charge because that is one big polarizing issue in USA isn't it uh definitely it's a huge issue and I have friends who are Democrats and don't like Kamala haris just because of this topic because of Gaza and Palestine and Israel they told me they don't want to vote for Harris because they think she's not doing enough to achieve peace and that she's letting the people in Gaza to get massacred on the other hand uh Donald Trump uh he pointed out that of course she was not present at the speech of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu which is which is a big deal and he as you also said uh he predicted that Israel could disappear within two years if she would uh become the president so she's having tough time of balancing this sort of position of first of all making happy the Arab Americans and also making happy the Jewish population which is quite large in the United States and she's sometimes not making happy any of those two groups because she's somewhere in the middle one time saying this another time saying that I would like also to mention that uh the a reporters uh they rather teamed up against Donald Trump they were factchecking him on the spot they were almost uh going back towards him with all the questions and some of the questions also felt like they were opinionated against him I personally didn't enjoy it I I I felt frustrated and it was painful to watch their moderation so it was not a walkover yeah okay for Trump that's that's that goes without saying uh the Biden Trump uh debate was an absolute disaster and if you look at that and you look at this uh Harris knew exactly what she was coming in with she had a plan uh the questions both sides must have prepared and prepped up but I do think that she landed a few good punches and she definitely I think compared to Biden came across as someone who could also challenge Trump a lot rather than like you said give a walk over like it did happen sort of previously between Biden and Trump let's talk about issues and we'll of course over the course of next 1 hour constantly play out excerpts for you because I understand it was early morning India Today Was live earlier than usual this morning G and I constantly listening bit to bit but gaita what do you think perhaps was the highlight of this debate do you think it was immigration it was the global Regional conflicts Ukraine Russia Israel Hamas or do you think it was the local issues of America that Americans are listening and taking a view on it I think everything was uh in a way localized because they were catering to the domestic audience yes and their voters so everything was how it impacts you and how it is going to look uh for you uh the the one of the key things that I saw where she actually made a huge difference in the Biden Harris Administration to Harris the vice presidential candidate was when she told him that this is you're not speaking you're speaking to kamla Harris here so she made that distinction because that distinction was important everybody before the debate Puja was talking about how she's coming with an Administration baggage the anti-incumbency the fact that people are questioning and are tired but I think there were a few important takeaways when it comes to the economy that I think was very important because both sides needed to put uh what they think are they're going to do uh while she said that we have these plans he said I don't have an exact plan I can spell out right now but when when I'm President we will have that I do have ideas for what things should look like and how they should go there was a lot of fact checking also that was happening along the way uh when it comes to um jobs unemployment because Trump did hit out I one part where he did come back and where he appeared to be more confident consistently was the war situation the regional conflict because kamla Harris was where Donald Trump tried to pin her down or the Biden Administration down saying look what Iran has become it's richer than it was or the I the the conflict I I like how he constantly rated saying if I'm president-elect even before I take oath I will ensure that the war is over now of course there's a certain confident rhetoric to it more than whether it can happen or not but do you think that's one of the planks because the regional Wars have bothered Americans that they are sort of part of a conflict which is not direct you think and polarized also and polarized and it has really made a huge impact on how these elections are going to look like because a lot of a lot of uh Democrats uh and fencers who might not be very happy with the situation in Gaza have questioned the Harris Administration she really needed convincing them that uh that she will you know chart her own path when it comes to these wars but also talking about and putting him on the mat on how he's friends with uh with all these dictators and strong men like strong men and dict and that's why you know things were different when he and they they take cues from him uh to which he actually said that it's actually not that they're scared of me is the reason why there were no Wars and the fact that you are incompetent one very important thing over here Puja was also the fact that they mute buttons but both of them were constantly on air you know with being seen so while there was no cross talk happening you saw a lot of expressions from kamla Harris every time Trump spoke she would shake her head say no he's lying and she would mime he's lying all the time he's lying that's not true that's not correct and the usual Trump expression too and Trump's expression was a smoke or a little irritated she used that space that space of quiet on a window when he's speaking to shake her head or say it's it's a lie I think that also make well I I could say fact silent fact this is confirmed that mute buttons are not only for Indian news channels but also as much in America gaita but uh like you mentioned I think it was as much about local issues but Regional issues that impact local views as well uh within America stay on with me let's go across now to Washington DC remember India Today is the only Indian news Channel right now that's been live since morning from the ground zero as well that's where Rohit Sharma a journalist is joining me right now Rohit so a mark difference like we have been discussing uh not many memes possibly this time over the debate but a lot of of talk over the issues what is the sentiment on the ground what are you picking up about the chatter in America well first things first this is not Washington DC where I'm standing right now is the debate Center here Del it's more everybody know that we at and I think you know very interesting debate very stark contrast from what we saw in June uh very different opponent uh you know first things first I mean Harris goes and shakes hands with President uh president Trump s off a little bit he wasn't expecting that I don't think he was uh very different competitor she was forceful she had prepared well she was in Pennsylvania for five days and she I think it came across that she was very well prepared I think was trying to Wing some of his answers and he's always done that this was his seventh presidential debate he just came and you know he thought he could just get away by saying things and he was corrected at least five times I counted at least five times by the moderators I mean and obviously uh multiple times like Harris so I think the prim of face I think it's a good night for KLA Harris you know the expectations were low she didn't have to you know nobody expected her to do as well as she did and nobody expected Donald Trump to lose this debate I think you know at the end of the day both the campaigns will have will take a lot of points for this but I think kamla Harris you know I mean we've seen her debate before and I think she was able to show her skills as a debater I think other other thing that a lot of people observed here and we were all talk talking and chatting during the commercial breaks but the fact that Donald Trump did not expect a lot of zingers you know this one liners from Kamala Harris and she delivered them with punch there's one Zinger that Trump trump also delivered that landed it was about you know don't disturb me while I'm talking and it you know kind of reminds you of or heard that before so I mean at the end of the day I think KLA has gone through the debate uh you know unharmed uh and then you know the the the campaign that person I was speaking with earlier today said that was the goal to make sure that she shim she come across is presentable uh one journalist that I was speaking with noted that she did better than H Clinton in 2016 uh and this gives her campaign the Boost that they needed because she was her bump was tattoing in polls she was you she was going down in some of the key Battleground States I think her campaign will use this and take it Forward I mean this is not going to me a lot of people said this could be the end of the of the election you know from those she does not do well the election is sealed and I think we'll see a very very competitive race from here on Puja very interesting Rohit stay on with me because we're also joined by journalist Linka white and about the the discussion that's happening currently in the USA and Gita and I constantly analyzing on this tlor Swift who has literally a swifties army of young admirers of the work of Taylor Swift were listening when she shared a social media post right after the debate concluded tlor tlor Swift announced that she endorses Kamala Harris this was a powerful statement remember and it was a long post where Taylor Swift praised Kamala Harris as a leader who fights for the rights and causes that will make America better she also emphasized that haris has a calm demeanor that she has a steady leadership quality and that's what the country needs calm not Cs and then she also contrasted it with how there have been videos and misinformation about her that she allegedly surrounded and Ed Trump that is not true so along with this remember when she shared the post she also featured herself with a cat it wasn't just a coincidental image it was a dig at Republican vice president Pig JD W captioning it the childless cat lady a clear J at the past comments made by the running mate of Donald Trump it was in 2021 when once had made a certain comment that there are these childless cat ladies during an interview with Tucker Carlson so this remember is also now a question can this change the course because when Taylor Swift or someone of that stature makes an endorsement about a politician ahead of Elections and especially hitting at first time voters young voters 18 19 year old she's also mentioned that they need to register early land up early at the polling Booth can that change the cost specifically on lacks of those younger audience that are huge fans of Taylor Swift when she recently held a concert it was fully packed there was also some controversy about it when it came to a worldwide tour with a possible terror attack Gita Mona a foreign affairs editor joining me on the latest on that gaita how significant how big of a highlight do you think is Taylor Swift endorsing kamla haris well it is a massive massive endorsement it comes after a lot of uh speculation so to say not that she would have endorsed Trump in anyway uh but the fact is that when Biden Trump uh uh presidential debate was to take place there was a lot of question as to whether Taylor Swift will come out and endorse uh Biden or not of the democratic party and even after he stepped down and kamla Harris was nominated as the candidate again there were a lot of questions as to why is it that Taylor Swift is taking so long will she endorse kamla Harris or not and uh one thought that after the DNC it would have happened it did not happen after the Democratic National Convention where she was formally announced the nomy for the Democratic uh party uh and and right now after immediately after the first presidential debate between uh Harris and Trump we see her come out and endorse and not just endorse she is not just any Superstar she's not just any pop star uh Puja she is an influencer she's very influential in fact she's one of the most powerful women in the world not just in the United States of America uh with a massive following so everybody was waiting to see what she's really going to do and she's made a rather political statement look at the statement that has been put out it very specifically speaks of why she chose to why this time uh the AI generated uh video of hers and and Donald Trump using that uh on his uh handle which she has now put to rest saying that this is all false you can only beat uh lies with truth this is her truth her truth is that she's going to vote for kamla Harris but she also says it is for you to choose make your choices do your research and you based on your research you should go ahead and vote she also then goes ahead and says for those who are voting appealing to voters to come out and vote so she's done it all and she signed off uh as uh the uh what did she call herself um the the childless cat lady that childless cat lady the and and also if if there's any doubt about why politicians Bank on possibly an endorsement like this according to the Forbes annual LT in 2023 Taylor Swift was marked as the fifth most powerful woman in the world not just in the USA in the world and possibly that's why such an endorsement can it changeed the course of the elections and kamla Harris thereby could get more WS it'll be interesting to watch thank you very much much for now Gita moan tracking all the latest on the US presidential debate the biggest pop superstars who has millions of especially young followers Taylor Swift has endorsed Kamala Harris in fact Gita just informed me about that it's big news remember because she hadd been she had been so to say silent all this while uh Rohit a quick word from you on this that Taylor Swift endorsing Kamala Harris do you think something like this makes a huge difference possibly to the younger audience to the younger firsttime voters absolutely all the SS are going to work for K Harish that go Joe Biden in 2020 and look at a thing Kam talked about she talked about abortion uh you know females having Reproductive Rights she talked about you know how she has made it in her own story as a female and at the end of the day you've all talked about breaking that glass ceiling one day eventually so this is a very very big deal F okay well can I just come in of course very big deal Rohit the fact that Taylor Swift and I remember we were discussing this earlier as well and we've done stories on this on how Taylor Swift stood did not really endorse Biden and there was so much pressure on uh Taylor Swift whether she's going to endorse not endorse then the debate happened uh a singular disaster for the Democratic team and uh there was no endorsement there then kamla Harris was nominated presidential candidate no endorsement from Taylor Swift Rohit and finally I suppose she waited to see how kamla Harris will do to really then endorse her is is is the reading right and and Rohit also tell us about the swifties army that she has do you think there are like literally thousands if not millions of swifties in her support who could listen to what Taylor Swift is saying I think I think they do Puja you know You' be surprised the pop clure falling in the US and look you know I think GA made an excellent point here you know she was waiting you know she did not Endor Biden she was waiting and waiting and waiting and this kind of tells you that even she believes and people around kamla Harris believe that she had a strong night to come out and support her right after debate tells you that kamla Harris had a good night uh you know I was just talking to somebody in the spin room right now and I think the general mood is that look Trump was being Trump you know we are all surprised by how well Kamala Harris did but by sorry Trump did not have a bad night per se I mean he's he's always had these kinds of nights and he still gets away with that he he'll go on the campaign Trail and talk about some of the stuff he'll probably make up some more stuff but I think the the news is that kamla you know did really well and I think that's why we're all talking about kamla Harris right now but Trump did not have a bad night I mean he you know he did twist some facts you know he tried to bring immigration to most of the stuff that he was talking about they talked about January 6 and he brought an immigration they talked about economy he bring the immigration he was trying to hit those talking points given by his campaign which are pulling really well in those Battleground States so I think he did not have a that that of a night but it just happens to be that kamla did well and again do you think according to your assessment and what other the journalists around you who have all gathered there in Philadelphia what are they saying is the reason that Kamala Harris appears to have also become the talking point what did she do well if Trump was as usual what is it that she surprised the audience with that Taylor Swift immediately endorsing her other possibly other celebrities could come forth too Rohit well look uh you know I think everybody I mean I think kudos to the Democrats everybody made made sure before the debate that you she came across as Underdog we had a lot of you know campaign people tell us that you know Trump is so powerful he's his amazing debater and you know kamla is is this that so I think they set the expectation bar so low that even if she was to do okay she'd appear as good and actually I think she did good so now everybody's raving about you know how she performed in this debate also the fact that you know she had has been a good debat in the past I mean some clips of you know her are doing grounds down how she was able to have a great debate against Pence she had cornered Joe Biden in 2019 primary debate so she had that quality but to be able to contain herself and delivered on big States I think that is a big story tonight going back to Taylor Swift Rohit just before you know I toss it back to uh Puja the fact that the photo is telling it's it's telling because she is a political creature in many ways uh Rohit Taylor Swift is no not just any pop star she's political she has a mind she knows exactly what she's doing and she's absolutely powerful the photograph also powerful because she signs off as the childless cat lady now that's a real dick that's really laying it down for Donald Trump and JD vans that you cannot make fun of a woman and get away with it so a massive political message not just in the endorsement but also in her sign off I think GA it was over 90 minutes of the discussion was played in full uh we do not intend to anyway right now put out any edited so to say excerpts but we'll constantly be analyzing it India today was completely from beginning to end was on that discussion so you have it in full Gita I just want to bring it in here that at this point the fact that even India is watching it discussing this discussion and debate because it is not just USA's presidential debate it is going to be about World issues why do you think that this debate has been crucial and is being wased worldwide well it is because at the end of the day the United States of America does set the tone and tenor for how the world looks like it is it shapes World policies not just foreign policy of particular country by dealing bilaterally with the United States of America and the debate right now is over but we will show clips of those important uh uh uh bits in in a while from now there are massive restrictions that we have worked uh with the fact that that that that we're only allowed to show the debate once and then we have to wait for the clips to come in so in unlike how uh we've had in the past where there have been there has been space of using uh the clips from the inter uh from from the debate through uh the first 3 hours of uh of the debate getting over that's not the case this time around so be patient it'll come to you uh coming back to the question on why is the debate so important uh or why is a presidential election in the United States of America itself so important F I look at the subjects that they covered apart from economy which uh and and domestic policies such as uh abortion immigration fracking Jan 6th there was a massive conversation on what uh happened uh on the 6th of January the Insurrection yes and and uh and it was not kamla Harris factchecking trump it was it was the the anchors were factchecking Trump on many counts you saw that there were certain areas where maybe Harris was not checked as many times as Trump was checked by the ABC anchors uh that certainly happened but look at the other areas and issues that were discussed they should uh they discussed the Israel Hamas War correct affects everyone particularly the region uh they discussed uh the Russia Ukraine War uh where he actually named Victor Oran and uh spoke of how and why this war was actually not what I do like about Donald Trump in a light-hearted note he constantly claims that people around the world credit him and that people believe that the world is scared of him they would not go to war they would not go to war because of Donald Trump but but do you think there's a certain the certain pattern that he's quoting that he believes because he constantly quot did Iran and he said when I had put sanctions look how weak Iran had become there was not going to be a war but this Administration appears to have taken back the sanctions and look how rich Iran has become so do you think there is certain tenure that he's also quoting you know uh the the discussion over how America has failed in its economic War across the world is for another day but yes uh he did mention Iran and and there is a there is a pattern to what he's done during his presidency he did not take America to war it's a fact he did not he really did try to engage those who they might call dictators but what has what has how has it helped America in calling Putin a dictator or Kim Jong-un and not engaging and uh and and now we're seeing tensions in so many parts of the world that maybe could have been averted or avoided here we not saying that you know what Trump does is right or wrong because he stepped out of the Paris agreement he stepped out of jcpa making the entire West Asia a little unstable with Iran he did all of that but none of the uh Wars that America is the right now uh a part of were his doing or his making so he does when he says that I don't take my country to war he does mean it and yes uh when it comes to the uh weapons that are being sent abroad the aid that is going abroad uh the economy over here according to him in a shambles and that could that all this money could have helped America rather than going abroad is certainly are certainly areas that's that uh that Trump uh focused on I think I suppose in their preparation they were very clear what are the areas that they're going to focus on and how they're going to put it and and what they say on those issues can actually make a break the kind of audience that's watching it worldwide but also remember Puja this is the first time they're actually meeting in person they've never met Harris and Trump have never met in person before are you saying never met in any of the official Gatherings never ever this is the first time that the two sides were meeting they must have prepped uh themselves for what the counter could look like but I do think that um Harris did land some very strong ones there when it comes to those punches where she said you're not talking to Biden you're talking to kamla Harris so on and so forth so uh and and GA I just want to because I understand this was such an early morning discussion that we put out debate that was full from beginning to end that was on air on India today so G what is your assessment while I was listening to the debate I did think that Donald Trump at some point was surprised because maybe he did not expect Kamala Harris to come this prepared but do you think that she performed better than usual and without saying that I think she did perform better than Joe Biden oh of course she performed better than Joe Biden but uh over here I think she stood her ground and while we talking about standing uh a very um uh interesting snippet over here Puja if you look at the podiums and you will not be able to make out because there's just those two uh window frame right uh but uh zooming out and we'll get those visuals in as well you will see that Trump's Podium is way higher bigger than uh kamla Harris's Podium which is very small short because uh in a two window you would not want to show the disproportionate size of a Podium given the size difference between kamla Harris and Trump so they actually made a Podium to her size in fact uh fun trivia here uh this is the uh the biggest height difference so to say between two presidential candidates ever in the history of US presidential elections 6.4 ft to 5.4 ft so that's the difference and to manage that difference the podiums have been made were made different well there is smart camera work at play and I must say there's smart camera work at play here as well we may be covering uh the the presidential debate gaita from uh from Delhi so to say but for the viewer we are fully in Washington DC right outside the White House and maybe you wouldn't have noticed if uh I wouldn't have told you because our extremely brilliant team have ensured that uh they they prepare this beautiful set for us as well but we're looking at these visuals coming in where we are at is basically the Rose Garden in the white house and we are looking at these quotes constantly coming in and as in when the the ex serves the chunks start to come in from that almost 2 hour long debate remember as per guidelines it it's a very specific uh about 2 to three minutes uh there are those guidelines that will have to be followed and India Today is ensuring that for the viewer watching it anywhere across the world right now will have access to those exerts as in one that comes but the focus it started from immigration economy local domestic issues then I think the fire works really flew into the debate gaita when it came to the regional conflicts do you think that that's when both of them came into their own so these are some of the quotes that we are putting out and we'll constantly discuss what happened what is the chatter like and reactions on it as well remember the world was watching this debate Lena good morning Indian Standard Time Of course was heading to midnight for you tell me this about how what was your key takeaway from this debate do you think that Kamala Harris relied more on domestic issues while Donald Trump relied for his vots coming in primarily on the regional or the global conflict issues as as confidence would that be correct to say here good morning Puja and good morning everyone thank you for having me yes it was definitely a surprising debate to me personally uh Harry did better than expected you know I was expecting this awkward uh laugh she's having every time she's speaking somewhere and she managed to keep it together almost until the end of this on the other hand don't know Trump he's usually very vocal he loves to attack people when they're against him sort of to you know correct them but he was very quiet he was sort of reserved waiting let letting her finish even though she was for example attacking him so both of them they sort of Switched their standard talking style and as you said uh Donald Trump felt very strong on the foreign policy because he truly had no war he truly met with all of the leaders and they publicly some of them publicly as for example the Hungarian prime minister Victor Orban they publicly admire him so he has a strong guard card on this note on the other hand Harris uh you know she has been sort of hidden under Biden so for her it's way easier to sort of shine because no one really knows what she was doing the past four years no one has any track record except that she was doing what Biden told her and what he was doing um also alinka stay on with you because I just want to go across to Rohit if he continues to be with us Rohit do you also think that the the whole range of the issues where the confidence came from both of these candidates that for kamla Harris it was about on abortion issues specifically how the administration previously had taken a decision and why the court and on taxes while for Donald Trump it came on I will stop the War I will bring peace why should Americans be involved do you think that was a kind of kind of a distinguished uh rhetoric that they had chosen to speak about well the Govern has always spoken pretty well about abortion I think that's that's one of the areas she's very comfortable with she she knows what the policy is going to be uh and the other one you know on foreign foreign policy and I probably she's in the Ws I think Trump wanted to Corner Harris because you know as As Trump said there were no Wars when he was the president the war started only after he left the White House and he wanted to Corner them saying that America is involved indirectly in these two Wars and he could probably end these two Wars so yes I think your your sment is correct on that but also I also think that KLA wanted to sort of distance herself from Biden's policy and she was not able to do it I'll come back to you in just a short while Linka I I'll take that question to you and also to gaita do you think where do you think kamla possibly scored a point and where do you think uh Donald Trump perhaps kept his confidence in this debate on on many counts I think that uh Harris did quite well uh he she did manage to Corner uh um Donald Trump when it comes to Performance and economy itself she had numbers to show for uh when it comes to abortion uh we know that you know it's a it's a really divided house and she tried to put uh Trump on the mat but it is when the IVF conversation that she brought in uh maybe uh on hindsight she could have done without because abortion itself was a big Reproductive Rights itself is a big big uh win for uh for the Democrats uh but the moment she brought that in he actually turned it around and in his uh in his Buttle spoke of how he's been an advocate of IVF so on and so forth as well and that uh almost fact checked her immigration another very important area where uh where uh a strong point for Trump but I think kamla Harris also made her points quite uh clearly so in terms of what the policies are and uh the entire thing about gun control and taking guns off the shell is not going to happen much to the dismay maybe of many people who are actually want that uh but uh but a clear policy decision there again you know Republicans and those fenit would be listening to what uh kamla Harris as the Democratic presidential candidate is saying um the race issue dictators uh Medicare and climate change all of them I think climate change he also said that you know he had earlier said it's it was a Hox it's not it's a reality yes so gaita stay on with you because Lena also continues to be with us Lena um it was very interesting when tried to also pin her down with that blatant uh the the word that he used and if I'm correct he said she hates Israel and he realized what he was saying because that clearly has a certain support base in America or as a policy uh has been as history has been with regard to America's decision to support Israel that he said she doesn't want Israel to exist if they continue Israel will blow up in fact in fact if I could just add Lena she actually goes on he actually went on to say that in uh Harris did not attend the joint session of the Congress when Netanyahu was there and that she refused to meet Netanyahu so she he was he was backing it with the with what happened during netanyahu's visit to the United States of America so that I felt was a direct charge because that is one big polarizing issue in USA isn't it uh definitely it's a huge issue and I have friends who are Democrats and don't like Cala Harris just because of this topic because of Gaza and Palestine and isra is they told me they don't want to vote for Harris because they think she's not doing enough to achieve peace and that she's letting the people in Gaza to get massacred on the other hand uh Donald Trump uh he pointed out that of course she was not present at the speech of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu which is which is a big deal and he as you also said uh he predicted that Israel could disappear within two years if she would uh become the president so she's having tough time of balancing this sort of position of first of all making happy the Arab Americans and also making happy the Jewish population which is quite large in the United States and she's sometimes not making happy any of those two groups because she's somewhere in the middle one time saying this another time saying that I would like also to mention that uh the BBC reporters uh they rather teamed up against Donald Trump they were factchecking him on the spot they were almost uh going back towards him with all the questions and some of the questions also felt like they were opinionated against him I personally didn't enjoy it I I I felt frustrated and it was painful to watch their moderation so it was not a walkover yeah okay for Trump that's that's that goes without saying uh the Biden Trump uh debate was an absolute disaster and if you look at that and you look at this uh Harris knew exactly what she was coming in with she had a plan uh the questions both sides must have prepared and prepped up but I do think that she landed a few good punches and she definitely I think compared to Biden came across as someone who could also challenge Trump a lot rather than like you said give a walk over like it did happen sort of previously between Biden and Trump let's talk about issues and we'll of course over the course of next 1 hour constantly play out excerpts for you because I understand it was early morning India Today Was live earlier than usual this morning G and I constantly listening bit to bit but gaita what do you think perhaps was the highlight of this debate do you think it was immigration it was the global Regional conflicts Ukraine Russia Israel Hamas or do you think it was the local issues of America that Americans are listening and then taking a view on it I think everything was uh in a way localized because they were catering to the domestic audience and their voters so everything was how it impacts you and how it is going to look uh for you uh the the one of the key things that I saw where she actually made a huge difference in the Biden Harris Administration to Harris the vice presidential candidate was when she told him that this is you're not speak speaking to B you're speaking to kamla Harris here so she made that distinction because that distinction was important everybody before the uh debate Puja was talking about how she's coming with an Administration baggage the anti-incumbency the fact that people are questioning and are tired but I think there were a few important takeaways when it comes to the economy that I think was very important because both sides needed to put uh what they think are they're going to do uh while she said that we have these plan he said I don't have an exact plan I can spell out right now but when when I'm President we will have that I do have ideas for what things should look like and how they should go there was a lot of fact checking also that was happening along the way uh when it comes to um jobs unemployment because Trump did hit out one part where he did come back when he appeared to be more confident consistently was the war situation the regional conflict because kamla Harris was where Trump tried to pin her down or the Biden Administration down saying look what Iran has become it's richer than it was or the I the conflict I I like how he constantly rate to rated saying if I'm president-elect even before I take oath I will ensure that the war is over now of course there's a certain confident rhetoric to it more than whether it can happen or not but do you think that's one of the planks because the regional Wars have bothered Americans that they are sort of part of a conflict which is not direct do you think and polarized also and polarized and it has really made a huge impact on how these elections are going to look like because a lot of a lot of uh Democrats uh and fenor who might not be very happy with the situation in Gaza have questioned the Harris Administration she really needed convincing them that uh that she will you know chart her own path when it comes to these wars but also talking about and putting him on the mat on how he's friends with uh with all these dictators and strong men like status and that's why you know things were different when he and they they take cues from him uh to which he actually said that it's actually not that they're scared of me is the reason why there were no Wars and the fact that you are incompetent one very important thing over here Puja was also the fact that they were mute buttons but both of them were constantly on air you know with being seen so while there was no cross talk happening you saw a lot of expressions from kamla Harris every time Trump spoke she would shake her head say no he's lying and she would mime he's lying all the time he's lying that's not true that's not correct the usual Trump expression too and Trump's expression was a SM or or a little irritated she used that space that space of quiet on a window when he's speaking to shake her head or say it's it's a lie I think that also make well I I could say that fact silent fact this is confirmed that mute buttons are not only for Indian news channels but also as much in America gaita but like you mentioned I think it was as much about local issues but Regional issues that impact local views as well uh within America stay on with me let's go across now to Washington DC remember India Today is the only Indian news Channel right now that's been live since morning from the ground zero as well that's where Rohit Sharma a journalist is joining me right now Rohit saw a mark difference like we have been discussing uh not many memes possibly this time over the debate but a lot lot of talk over the issues what is the sentiment on the ground what are you picking up about the chatter in America well first things first pja this is not Washington DC where I'm standing right now is the debate Center here in Del it's more everybody know that we at and I think you know very interesting debate very stark contrast from what we saw in June uh very different opponent uh you know first things first I mean Harris goes and shakes hands with President uh president Trump s off a little bit he wasn't expecting that I don't think he was uh very different competitor she was forceful she had prepared well she was in Pennsylvania for five days and she I think it came across that she was very well prepared I think was trying to Wing some of his answers and he's always done that this was his seventh presidential debate he just came and you know he thought he could just get away by saying things and he was corrected at least five times I counted at least five times by the moderators I mean and obviously multiple times like Harris so I think Prim face I think it's a good night for KLA Harris you know the expectations were low she didn't have to you know nobody expected her to do as well as she did and nobody expected Donald Trump to lose this debate I think you know at the end of the day both the campaigns will have will take a lot of talking points for this but I think kamla Harris you know I mean we've seen her debate before uh and I think she was able to show her skills as a debater I think other other thing that a lot of people observed here and we were all talk talking and chatting during the commercial breaks but the fact that Donald Trump did not expect a lot of zingers you know this one liners from Kamala Harris and she delivered them with punch there's one Zinger that Trump trump also delivered that landed it was about you know don't disturb me while I'm talking and you know kind of reminds you of or heard that before so I mean at the end of the day I think KLA has gone to the debate uh you know unharmed uh and then you know the the the campaign person I was speaking with earlier today said that was the goal to make sure that she shim she come across is presentable uh one journalist that I was speaking with noted that she did better than H Clinton in 2016 uh and this gives her campaign the Boost that they needed because she was her bump was Tattooing in HS she was she was going down in some of the key Battleground States I think her campaign will use this and take it Forward I mean this is not going to mean a lot of people said this could be the end of the of the election you know from those well and she does not do well the election is sealed and I think we'll see a very very competitive race from here on Puja very interesting Rohit stay on with me because we're also joined by journalist Linka white and about the the discussion that's happening currently in the US and gaita and I constantly analyzing on this Swift who has literally a swifties army of young admirers of the work of Taylor Swift were listening when she shared a social media post right after the debate concluded Taylor Swift announced that she endorses Kamala Harris this was a powerful statement remember and it was a long post where Taylor Swift praised Kamala Harris as a leader who fights for the rights and causes that will make America better she also emphasized that haris has a calm demeanor that she has a steady leadership quality and that's what the country needs calm not CES and then she also contrasted it with how there have been videos and misinformation about her that she allegedly surrounded and supported Trump that is not true so along with this remember when she shared the post she also featured herself with a cat it wasn't just a coincidental image it was a dig at Republican vice president Pig JD W captioning it the childless cat lady a clear Jive at the past comments made by the running mate of Donald Trump it was in 2021 when once had made a certain comment that there are these childless cat ladies during an interview with Tucker Carlson so this remember is also now question can this change the course because when Taylor Swift or someone of that stature makes an endorsement about a politician ahead of Elections and especially hitting at first time voters young voters 18 19 year old she's also mentioned that they need to register early land up early at the polling Booth can that change the cost specifically on lacks of those younger audience that are huge fans of Taylor Swift when she recently held a concert it was fully packed there was also some controversy about it when it came to a worldwide tour with a POS terror attack Gita Mona a foreign affairs editor joining me on the latest on that Gita how significant how big of a highlight do you think is Taylor Swift endorsing Kamala Harris well it is a massive massive endorsement it comes after a lot of uh speculation so to say not that she would have endorsed Trump in anyway uh but the fact is that when Biden Trump uh presidential debate was to take place there was a lot of question as to whether Taylor Swift will come out and endorse uh Biden or not of the democratic party and even after he stepped down and kamla Harris was nominated as the candidate again there were a lot of questions as to why is it that Taylor Swift is taking so long will she endorse kamla Harris or not and uh one thought that after the DNC it would have happened it did not happen after the Democratic National Convention where she was formally announced announced the uh nomy for the Democratic uh uh uh party uh and and right now after immediately after the first presidential debate between uh Harris and Trump we see her come out and endorse and not just endorse she is not just any Superstar she's not just any pop star uh Puja she is an influencer she's very influential in fact she's one of the most powerful women in the world not just in the United States of America with a massive following so everybody was waiting to see what she's really going to do and she's made a rather political statement look at the statement that has been put out it very specifically speaks of why she chose to why this time uh the AI generated uh video of hers and and Donald Trump using that uh on his uh handle which she has now put to rest saying that this is all false you can only beat uh live with truth this is her truth her truth is that she's going to vote for kamla Harris but she also said that it is for you to choose make your choices do your research and you based on your research you should go ahead and vote she also then goes ahead and says for those who are voting appealing to voters to come out and vote so she's done it all and she signed off uh as uh the uh what did she call herself um the childless cat lady that childless cat lady the and also if if there's any doubt about why politicians Bank on possibly an endorsement like this according to the Forbes annual list in 2023 Taylor Swift was marked as the fifth most powerful woman in the world not just in the USA in the world and possibly that's why such an endorsement can it change the course of the elections and kamla Harris thereby could get more VES it'll be interesting to watch thank you very much for now Gita Mohan tracking all the latest on the US presidential debate the biggest pop superstars who has millions of especially young followers Taylor Swift has endorsed Kamala Harris in fact Gita just informed me about that it's big news remember because she'd been she had been so to say silent all this while uh Rohit a quick word from you on this that Taylor Swift endorsing Kamala Harris do you think something like this makes a huge difference possibly to the younger audience to the younger firsttime voter absolutely all the SS are going to V for k Harris she that go Joe Biden in 2020 and look at the things Kam talked about she talked about abortion uh you know females having Reproductive Rights she talked about you know how she has made it and her own story as a female and at the end of the day we've all talked about breaking that glass ceiling one day eventually so this is a very very big deal job okay well can I just come in of course very big deal Rohit uh the fact that Taylor Swift and I remember we were discussing this earlier as well and we've done stories on this on how Taylor Swift stood uh did not really endorse Biden and there was so much pressure on uh Taylor Swift whether she's going to endorse not Endor then the debate happened uh a singular disaster for the Democratic team and uh there was no endorsement there then kamla Harris was nominated presidential candidate no endorsement from Taylor Swift Rohit then finally I suppose she waited to see how kamla Harris will do to really then endorse her is is is the reading right and and Rohit also tell us about the swifties army that she has do you think there are like literally thousands if not millions of swifties in her support who could listen to what Taylor Swift is saying I think I think they do Puja you know you'd be surprised the pop cluster falling in the US and look you know I think G made an excellent point here you know she was waiting you know she did not endorsed Biden she was waiting and waiting and waiting and this kind of tells you that even she believes and people around kamla Harris believe that she had a strong mind to come out and support her right after debate tells you that kamla Harris had a good night uh you know I was just talking to somebody in the spin room right now and I think the general mood is that look Trump was being Trump you know we are all surprised by how well kamah Harris did but by sorry Trump did not have a bad night per se I mean he's he's always had these kinds of nights and he still gets away with that he'll he'll go on the campaign Trail and talk about some other the stuffs he'll probably make up some more stuff but I think this the news is that kamla you know did really well and I think that's why we're all talking about kamla Harris right now but Trump did not have a bad night I mean he you know he did twist some fact you know he tried to bring immigration to most of the stuff that he was talking about they talked about January 6 and he brought in Immigration they talk about economy he bring in Immigration he was trying to hit those talking points given by his campaign which are pulling really well in those Battleground States so I think he did not have a that of a night but it just happens to be that kamla did well and again do you think according to your assessment and what other the journalists around you who have all gathered there in Philadelphia what are they saying is the reason that Kamala Harris appears to have also become the talking point what did she do well if Trump was as usual what is it that she surprised the audience with that Taylor Swift immediately endorsing her other possibly other celebrities could come forth too Rohit well look uh you I think everybody I mean I think are kudos to the Democrats everybody made made sure before the debate that you know she came across as Underdog we had a lot of you know campaign people tell us that you know Trump is so powerful he's his amazing debater and you know kamla is is this that so I think they set the expectation bar so low that even if she was to do okay she'd appear as good and actually I think she did good now everybody's raving about you know how she performed in this debate also the fact that you know she had she has been a good debater in the past I mean some clips of you know her are doing grounds down how she was able to have a great debate against Pence she had cornered Joe Biden in 2019 primary debate so she had that quality but to be able to contain herself and delivered on big stage I think that is a big story tonight going back to Taylor Swift Rohit just before you know I toss it back to uh Puja the fact that the photo is telling it's it's telling because she is a political creature in many ways uh Rohit Taylor Swift is no not just any pop star she's political she has a mind she knows exactly what she's doing and she's absolutely powerful the photograph also powerful because she signs off as the childless cat lady now that's a real dick that's really laying it down for Donald Trump and jie vans that you cannot make fun of a woman and get away with it so a massive political message not just in the endorsement but also in her sign off I think GA it was over 90 minute of the discussion was played in full uh we do not intend to anyway right now put out any edited so to say excerpts but we'll constantly be analyzing it India today was completely from beginning to end was on that discussion so you have it in full gaita I just want to bring it in here that at this point the fact that even India is watching it discussing this discussion and debate because it is not just USA's presidential debate it is going to be about World issues why do you think that this debate has been crucial and is being watched worldwide well it is because at the end of the day the United States of America does set the tone and tener for how the world looks like it is it shapes World policies not just foreign policy of particular country by dealing bilaterally with the United States of America and the debate right now is over but we will show clips of those important uh uh uh bits in in a while from now there are massive restrictions that we have worked uh with the fact that that that that we're only allowed to show the debate once and then we have to wait for the clips to come in so in unlike how uh we've had in the past where there have been there has been space of using uh the clips from the inter uh from from the debate through uh the first three hours of uh of the debate getting over that's not the case this time around so be patient it'll come to you uh coming back to the question on why is the debate so important uh or why is a presidential election in the United States of America itself so important Pua look at the subjects that they covered apart from economy which uh and and domestic policies such as uh abortion immigration fracking Jan 6th there was a massive conversation on what uh happened uh on the 6th of January the Insurrection yes and and uh and it was not kamla Harris factchecking trump it was it was the the anchors were factchecking Trump on many counts you saw that there were certain areas where maybe Harris was not checked as many times as Trump was checked by the ABC anchors uh that certainly happened but look at the other areas and issues that were discussed they ISU uh they discussed the Israel Hamas War correct affects everyone particularly the region uh they discussed uh the Russia Ukraine War uh where he actually named Victor Oran and uh spoke of how and why this war was actually not what I do like about Donald Trump in a light-hearted note he constantly claims that people around the world credit him and that people believe that the world is scared of him would not go to war they would not go to war because of Donald Trump but but do you think there's a certain the certain pattern that he's quoting that he believes because he constantly oted Iran and he said when I had put sanctions look how weak Iran had become there was not going to be a war but this Administration appears to have taken back the sanctions and look how rich Iran has become so do you think there is certain tenure that he's also quoting you know uh the the discussion over how America has failed in its economic War across the world is for another day but yes uh he did mention Iran and and there is a there is a pattern to what he's done during his presidency he did not take America to war it's a fact he did not he really did try to engage those who they might call dictators but what has what has how has it helped America in calling Putin a dictator or Kim Jong-un and not engaging and uh and and now we're seeing tensions in so many parts of the world that maybe could have been averted or avoided yeah we not saying that you know what Trump does is right or wrong because he stepped out of the Paris agreement he stepped out of jcpa making the entire West Asia a little unstable with Iran he did all of that but none of the uh Wars that America is right now uh a part of were his doing or his making so he does when he says that I don't take my country to war he does mean it and yes uh when it comes to the uh weapons that are being sent abroad the aid that is going abroad uh the economy over here according to him in a shambles and that could that all this money could have helped America rather than going abroad is certainly are certainly areas that's that uh that Trump uh focused on I think I suppose in their preparation they were very clear what are the areas that they're going to focus on and how they're going to put it and and what they say on those issues can actually make a break the kind of audience that's watching it worldwide but also remember Puja this is the first time they're actually meeting in person they've never met Harris and Trump have never met in person before are you saying never met in any of the official Gatherings never ever this is the first time that the two sides were meeting they must have prepped uh themselves for what the counter could look like but I do think that um Harris did land some very strong ones there when it comes to those punches where she said you're not talking to Biden you're talking to kamla Harris so on and so forth so uh and and GA I just want to because I understand this was such an ear morning discussion that we put out debate that was full from beginning to end that was on air on India today so G what is your assessment while I was listening to the debate I did think that Donald Trump at some point was surprised because maybe he did not expect Kamala Harris to come this prepared but do you think that she performed better than usual and without saying that I think she did performed better than Joe Biden oh of course she performed better than Joe Biden but uh over here I think she stood her ground and while we talking about standing uh a very um uh interesting snippet over here Puja if you look at the podiums and you will not be able to make out because there's just those two uh window frame right uh but uh zooming out and we'll get those visuals in as well you will see that Trump's Podium is way higher bigger than uh kamla Harris's Podium which is very small short because uh in in a two window you would not want to show the disproportionate size of a Podium given the size difference between kamla Harris and Trump so they actually made a Podium to her size in fact uh fun trivia here uh this is the uh the biggest height difference so to say between two presidential candidates ever in the history of US presidential elections 6.4 ft to 5.4 ft so that's the difference and to man that difference the podiums have been made were made different well there is smart camera work at play and I must say there's smart camera work at play here as well we may be covering uh the the presidential debate gaita from uh from Delhi so to say but for the viewer we are fully in Washington DC right outside the White House and maybe you wouldn't have noticed if uh I wouldn't have told you because our extremely brilliant team have ensured that uh they they prepare this beautiful set for us as well but we looking at these visuals coming in where we are at is basically the Rose Garden in the white house and we are looking at these quotes constantly coming in and as in when the the exerts the chunks start to come in from that almost 2hour long debate remember as per guidelines it it's a very specific uh about 2 to three minutes uh there are those guidelines that will have to be followed and India Today is ensuring that for the viewer watching it anywhere across the world right now will have access to those excerpts as one that comes but the focus it started from immigration economy local domestic issues then I think the fireworks really flew into the debate Gita when it came to the regional conflicts do you think that that's when both of them came into their own so these are some of the quotes that we are putting out and we'll constantly discuss what happened what is the chatter like and reactions on it as well remember the world was watching this debate Lena good morning Indian Standard Time of of course heading to midnight for you tell me this about how what was your key takeaway from this debate do you think that Kamala Harris relied more on domestic issues while Donald Trump relied for his votes coming in primarily on the regional or the global conflict issues as as confidence would that be correct to say here good morning Puja and good morning everyone thank you for having me yes it was definitely a surprising debate to me personally uh har did better than expected you know I was expecting this awkward uh laugh she's having every time she's speaking somewhere and she managed to keep it together almost until the end of this on the other hand don't know Trump he's usually very wcal he loves to attack people when they're against him sort of to you know correct them but he was very quiet he was sort of reserved waiting let letting her finish even though she was for example attacking him so both of them they sort of Switched their standard talking style and as you said uh Donald Trump felt very strong on the foreign policy because he truly had no war he truly met with all of the leaders and they publicly some of them publicly as for example the Hungarian prime minister Victor Orban they publicly admire him so he has a strong guard card on this note on the other hand Harris uh you know she has been sort of hidden under Biden so for her it's way easier to sort of shine because no one really knows what she was doing the past four years no one has any track record except that she was doing what Biden told her and what he was doing um also Linka stay on with you because I just want to go across to Rohit if he continues to be with us Rohit do you also think that the the whole range of the issues where the confidence came from both of these candidates that for kamla Harris it was about on abortion issues specifically how the administration previously had taken a decision and via the court and on taxes while for Donald Trump it came on I will stop the War I will bring peace why should Americans be involved do you think that was a kind of kind of a distinguished uh retoric that they had chosen to speak about well the government has always spoken pretty well about abortion I think that's that's one of the areas she's very comfortable with she she knows what her policy is going to be uh and the other one you know on on foreign foreign policy and I probably she in the boards I think Trump wanted to Corner Harris because you know as As Trump said there were no Wars when he was the president the war started only after he left the White House and he wanted to Corner them saying that America is involved indirectly in these two Wars and he could probably end these two Wars so yes I think your your sment is correct on that but also I also think that KLA wanted to sort of distance herself from Biden's policy and she was not able to do it I'll come back to you in just a short while Lena I I'll take that question to you and also to Gita do you think where do you think kamla possibly scored a point and where do you think uh Donald Trump perhaps kept his confidence in this debate on on many counts I think that uh Harris did quite well uh he she did manage to Corner uh um Donald Trump when it comes to Performance and economy itself she had numbers to show for when it comes to abortion uh we know that you know it's a it's a really divided house and she tried to put uh Trump on the mat but it is when the IVF conversation that she brought in uh maybe uh on hindsight she could have done without because abortion itself was a big Reproductive Rights itself is a big big uh win for uh for the Democrats uh but the moment she brought that in he actually turned it around and in his uh in his rebuttal spoke of how he's been an advocate of IVF so on and so forth as well and that uh almost fact checked her immigration another very important area where uh where uh a strong point for Trump but I think kamla Harris also made her points quite uh clearly so in terms of what the policies are and uh the entire thing about gun control and taking guns off the shelves is not going to happen much to the dismay maybe of many people who are actually W that uh but uh but a clear policy decision there again you know Republicans and those fenor would be listening to what uh kamla Harris as the Democratic presidential candidate is saying um the race issue dictators uh Medicare and climate change all of them I think climate change he also said that you know he had earlier said it's it was a Hox it's not it's a reality yes so gaita stay on with you because Lena also continues to be with us Lena um it was very interesting when he tried to also pin her down with that blatant uh the the word that he used and if I'm correct he said she hates Israel and he realized what he was saying because that clearly has a certain support base in America or as a policy uh has been as history has been with regard to America's decision to support Israel that he said she doesn't want Israel to exist if they continue Israel will blow up in fact in fact if I could just add Lena she actually goes on he actually went on to say that in uh Harris did not attend the joint session of the Congress when Netanyahu was there and that she refused to meet Netanyahu so she he was he was backing it with the with what happened during netanyahu's visit to the United States of America that I felt was a direct charge because that is one big polarizing issue in USA isn't it uh definitely it's a huge issue and I have friends who are Democrats and don't like Kamala Harris just because of this topic because of Gaza and Palestine and is they told me they don't want to vote for Harris because they think she's not doing enough to achieve peace and that she's letting the people in Gaza to get massacred on the other hand uh Donald Trump uh he pointed out that of course she was not present at the speech of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu which is which is a big deal and he as you also said uh he predicted that Israel could disappear within two years if she would uh become the president so she's having tough time of balancing this sort of position of first of all making happy the Arab Americans and also making happy the Jewish population which is quite large in the United States and she's sometimes not making happy any of those two groups because she's somewhere in the middle one time saying this another time saying that I would like also to mention that uh the ABC reporters uh they rather teamed up against Donald Trump they were factchecking him on the spot they were almost uh going back towards him with all the questions and some of the questions also felt like they were opinionated against him I personally didn't enjoy it I I I felt frustrated and it was painful to watch their moderation so it was not a walkover yeah okay for Trump that's that's that goes without saying uh the Biden Trump uh debate was an absolute disaster and if you look at that and you look at this uh Harris knew exactly what she was coming in with she had a plan uh the questions both sides must have prepared and prepped up but I do think that she landed a few good punches and she definitely I thinking compared to Biden came across as someone who could also challenge Trump a lot rather than like you said give a walk over like it did happen sort of previously between Biden and Trump let's talk about issues and we'll of course uh over the course of next one hour constantly play out excerpts for you because I understand it was early morning India Today Was live earlier than usual this morning G and I constantly listening bit to bit but gaita what do you think perhaps was the highlight of this debate do you think it was immigration it was the global Regional conflicts Ukraine Russia Israel Hamas or do you think it was the local issues of America that Americans are listening at and then taking a view on it I think everything was uh in a way localized because they were catering to the domestic audience and their voters so everything was how it impacts you and how it is going to look uh for you uh the the one of the key things that I saw where she actually made a huge difference in the Biden Harris Administration to Harris the vice presidential candidate was when she told him that this is you're not speaking to bid B you're speaking to kamla Harris here so she made that distinction because that distinction was important everybody before the uh debate Puja was talking about how she's coming with an Administration baggage the anti-incumbency the fact that people are questioning and are tired but I think there were a few important takeaways when it comes to the economy that I think was very important because both sides needed to put uh what they think are they're going to do uh while she said that we have these plans he said I don't have an exact plan I can spell out right now but when when I'm President we will have that I do have ideas for what things should look like and how they should go there was a lot of fact checking also that was happening along the way uh when it comes to um jobs unemployment because Trump did hit out one part where he did come back and when he appeared to be more confident consistently was the war situation the regional conflict because kamla Harris was where Donald Trump tried to pin her down or the Biden Administration down saying look what Iran has become it's richer than it was or the I the the conflict I I like how he constantly rated saying if I'm president-elect even before I take oath I will ensure that the war is over now of course there's a certain confident rhetoric to it more than whether it can happen or not but do you think that's one of the planks because the regional Wars have bothered Americans that they are sort of part of a conflict which is not direct do you think polarized also and polarized and it has really made a huge impact on how these elections are going to look like because a lot of a lot of uh Democrats uh and fenites who might not be very happy with the situation in Gaza have questioned the Harris Administration she really needed convincing them that uh that she will you know chart her own path when it comes to these wars but also talking about and putting him on the mat on how he's friends with uh with all these dictators and strong men like and that's why you know things were different when he and they they take cues from him to which he actually said that it's actually not that they're scared of me is the reason why there were no Wars and the fact that you are incompetent one very important thing over here Puja was also the fact that they were mute buttons but both of them were constantly on air you know with being seen so while there was no cross talk happening you saw a lot of expressions from kamla Harris every time Trump spoke she would shake her head say no he's lying and she would mime he's lying all the time he's lying that's not true that's not for the usual Trump expression too and Trump's expression was a smug or or a little irritated she used that space that space of quiet on a window when he's speaking to shake her head or say it's it's a lie I think that also made well I I could say fact silent fact this is confirmed that mute buttons are not only for Indian news channel but also as much in America gaita but like you mentioned I think it was as much about local issues but Regional issues that impact local views as well uh within America stay on with me let's go across now to Washington DC remember India Today is the only Indian news Channel right now that's been live since morning from the ground zero as well that's where Rohit Sharma a journalist is joining me right now Rohit so a mark difference like we have been discussing uh not many memes possibly this time over the debate but a lot of talk over the issues what is the sentiment on the ground what are you picking up about the chatter in America well first things first Kuja this is not Washington DC where I'm standing right now is the debate Center here in Del it's more everybody know that and I think you know very interesting debate very stark contrast from what we saw in June uh very different opponent uh you know first things first I mean Harris goes and shakes hands with President uh president Trump self off a little bit he wasn't expecting that I don't think he was uh very different competitor uh she was forceful she had prepared well she was in Pennsylvania for five days and she I think it came across that she was very well prepared I think was trying to Wing some of his answers and he's always done that this was his seventh presidential debate where he just came and know he thought he could just get away by saying things and he was corrected at least five times I counted at least five times by the moderators I mean and all multiple times like Harris so I think Prim of face I think it's a good night for KLA Harris you know the expectations were low she didn't have to you know nobody expected her to do as well as she did and nobody expected Donald Trump to lose this debate I think you know at the end of the day both the campaigns will have will take a lot of talking points for this but I think kamla Harris you know I mean we've seen her debate before and I think she was able to show her skills as a debater I think other other thing that a lot of people observed here and were all talking and chatting during the commercial breaks but the fact that Donald Trump did not expect a lot of zingers you know this one liners from Kamala Harris and she delivered them with punch there's one Zinger that Trump trump also delivered that landed it was about you know don't disturb me while I'm talking and you know kind of reminds you of or heard that before so I mean at the end of the day I think KLA has gone through the debate uh you know unharmed uh and then you know the the the campaign that person I was speaking with earlier today said that was the goal to make sure that she comim she come across as presentable uh one journalist that I was speaking with noted that she did better than Hillary Clinton in 2016 uh and this gives her campaign the Boost that they needed because she was her bump was Tattooing in polls she was she was going down in some of the key Battleground States I think her campaign will use this and take it Forward I mean this is not going to me a lot of people said this could be the end of the of the election you know from the well and she does not do well the election is sealed and I think we'll see a very very competitive race from here on Puja very interesting Rohit stay on with me because we're also joined by journalist Linka white and about the the discussion that's happening currently in the USA and gaita and I constantly analyzing on this Swift who has literally a swifties army of young admirers of the work of Taylor Swift were listening when she shared a social media post right after the debate concluded Taylor Swift announced that she endorses Kamala Harris this was a powerful statement remember and it was a long post where Taylor Swift praised Kamala Harris as a leader who fights for the rights and causes that will make America better she also emphasized that Harris has a calm demeanor that she has a steady leadership quality and that's what the country needs calm not cures and then she also contrasted it with how there have been videos and misinformation about her that she allegedly surrounded and supported Trump that is not true so along with this remember when she shared the post she also featured herself with a cat it wasn't just a coincidental image it was a dig at Republican vice president Pig JD W captioning it the childless cat lady a clear J at the past comments made by the running mate of Donald Trump it was in 2021 when w had made a certain comment that there are these childless cat ladies during an interview with Tua Carlson so this remember is also now a question can this change the course because when Taylor Swift or someone of that stature makes an endorsement about a politician ahead of Elections and especially hitting at first time voters young voters 18 19 year old she's also mentioned that they need to register early land up early at the polling Booth can that change the cost specifically on lacks of those younger audience that are huge fans of Taylor Swift when she recently held a concert it was fully packed there was also some controversy about it when it came to a worldwide tour with a possible terror attack Gita Mona a foreign affairs editor joining me on the latest on that gaita how significant how big of a highlight do you think is Taylor Swift endorsing kamla haris well it is a massive massive endorsement it comes after a lot of uh speculation so to say not that she would have endorsed Trump in anyway uh but the fact is that when Biden Trump uh presidential debate was take place there was a lot of question as to whether Taylor Swift will come out and endorse uh Biden or not of the democratic party and even after he stepped down and kamla Harris was nominated as the candidate again there were a lot of questions as to why is it that Taylor Swift is taking so long will she endorse kamla Harris or not and uh one thought that after the DNC it would have happened it did not happen after the Democratic National Convention where she was formerly announced the uh Nomine for the Democratic uh uh uh party uh and and right now after immediately after the first presidential debate between uh Harris and Trump we see her come out and endorse and not just endorse she is not just any Superstar she's not just any pop star uh Puja she is an influencer she's very influential in fact she's one of the most powerful women in the world not just in the United States of America uh with a massive following so everybody was waiting to see what she's really going to do and she's made a rather political statement look at the statement that has been put out it very specifically speaks of why she chose to why this time uh the AI generated uh video of hers and uh and Donald Trump using that uh on his uh handle which she has now put to rest saying that this is all false you can only beat uh lies with truth this is her truth her truth is that she's going to vote for kamla Harris but she also says and that it is for you to choose make your choices do your research and you based on your research you should go ahead and vote she also then goes ahead and says for those who are voting appealing to voters to come out and vote so she's done it all and she signed off uh as uh the uh what did she call herself um the childless cat lady that childless cat lady the and and also if if there's any doubt about why politicians Bank on possibly an endorsement like this according to the Forbes annual list in 2023 Taylor Swift was marked as the fifth most powerful woman in the world not just in the USA in the world and possibly that's why such an endorsement can it change the course of the elections and kamla Harris thereby could get more Wes it'll be interesting you watch thank very much for now Gita Mohan tracking all the latest on the US presidential debate the biggest pop superstars who has millions of especially young followers Taylor Swift has endorsed Kamala Harris in fact Gita just informed me about that it's big news remember because she'd been she' been so to say silent all this while uh Rohit a quick word from you on this that Taylor Swift endorsing Kamala Harris do you think something like this makes a huge difference possibly to the younger audience to the younger first time w absolutely all the SS are going to vot for k Harris she Joe Biden in 2020 and look at the things Kam talked about she talked about abortion uh you know females having Reproductive Rights she talked about you know how she has made it and her own story as a female and at the end of the day we've all talked about breaking that glass ceiling one day eventually so this is a very very big deal job okay well can I just come in of course very big deal Rohit uh the fact that Taylor Swift and I remember we were discussing this earlier as well and we've done stories on this and how Taylor Swift stood uh did not really endorse Biden and there was so much pressure on uh Taylor Swift whether she's going to endorse not endorsed then the debate happened uh a singular disaster for the Democratic team and uh there was no endorsement there then kamla Harris was nominated presidential candidate no endorsement from Taylor Swift Ro then finally I suppose she waited to see how kamla Harris will do to really then endorse her is is is the reading right and and Rohit also tell us about the swifties army that she has do you think there are like literally thousands if not millions of swifties in her support who could listen to what Taylor Swift is saying I think I think they do Puja you know you'd be surprised the pop are falling in the US and look you know I think GA made an excellent point here you know she was waiting you know she did not endorse Biden she was waiting and waiting and waiting and this kind of tells you that even she believed and people around Kam Harris believe that she had a strong night to come out and support her right after debate tells you that kamla haris had a good night uh you know I was just talking to somebody in the spin room right now and I think the general mood is that look Trump was being trumped you know we are all surprised by how well Kam Harris did but by sorry Trump did not have a bad night first day I mean he he's always had these kinds of nights and he still gets away with that he he'll go on the campaign Trail and talk about some other stuff he'll probably make up some more stuff but I think the the news is that kamla you know did really well and I think that's why we're all talking about kamla Harris right now but Trump did not have a bad mind I mean he you know he did twist some facts you know he tried to bring immigration to most of the stuff that he was talking about we talked about January 6 and he brought in Immigration they talk about economy he bring immigration he was trying to hit those talking points given by his campaign which are pulling really well in those Battleground States so I think he did not have a that that of a night but it just happens to be that kamla did well and again do you think according to your assessment and what other the journalists around you who have all gathered there in Philadelphia what are they saying is the reason that Kamala Harris appears to have also become the talking point what did she do well if Trump was as usual what is it that she surprised the audience with that Taylor Swift immediately endorsing her other possibly other celebrities could come forth too Rohit well look you know I think everybody I mean I think are kudos to the Democrats everybody made made sure before the debate that you she came across as Underdog we had a lot of you know campaign people tell us that you know Trump is so powerful he's his amazing debater and you know ciz is this that so I think they set the expectation bar so low that even if she was to do okay she'd appear as good and actually I think she did good so now everybody's raving about you know how she performed in this debate also the fact that you know she she has been a good debater in the past I mean some clips of you know her are doing grounds down how she was able to have a great debate against Pence she had cornered Joe Biden in the 2019 primary debate so she had that quality but to be able to contain herself and delivered on big stage I think that is the big story tonight going back to Taylor Swift Rohit just before you know I toss it back to uh Puja the fact that the photo is telling it's it's telling because she is a political creature in many ways Rohit Taylor Swift is no not just any pop star she's political she has a mind she knows exactly what she's doing and she's absolutely powerful the photograph also powerful because she signs off as the childless cat lady now that's a real dick that's really laying it down for Donald Trump and jie vans that you cannot make fun of a woman and get away with it so a massive political message not just in the endorsement but also in her sign off I think GA it was over 90 minute of the discussion was played in full uh we do not intend to anyway right now put out any edited so to say excerpts but we'll constantly be analyzing it India today was completely from beginning to end was on that discussion so you have it in full gaita I just want to bring it in here that at this point the fact that even India is watching a discussing this discussion and debate because it is not just USA's presidential debate it is going to be about World issues why do you think that this debate has been crucial and is being watched worldwide well it is because at the end of the day the United States of America does set the tone and tener for how the world looks like it is it shapes World policies not just foreign policy of particular country by dealing bilaterally with the United States of America and the debate right now is over but we will show clips of those important uh uh uh bits in in a while from now there are massive restrictions that we have worked uh with the fact that that that that we're only allowed to show the debate once and then we have to wait for the clips to come in so in unlike how uh we've had in the past where there have been there has been space of using uh the clips from the inter uh from from the debate through uh the first three hours of uh of the debate getting over that's not the case this time around so be patient it'll come to you uh coming back to the question on why is the debate so important uh or why is a presidential election in the United States of America is so important Pua look at the subjects that they covered apart from economy which uh and and domestic policies such as uh abortion immigration fracking Jan 6th there was a massive conversation on what uh happened uh on the 6th of January the Insurrection yes and uh and it was not kamla Harris factchecking trump it was it was the the anchors were factchecking Trump on many accounts you saw that there were certain areas where maybe Harris was not checked as many times as Trump was checked by the ABC anchors uh that certainly happened but look at the other areas and issues that were discussed they uh they discussed the Israel Hamas War correct affects everyone particularly the region uh they discussed uh the Russ Ukraine War uh where he actually named Victor Oran and uh spoke of how and why this war was actually not what I do like about Donald Trump in a light-hearted note he constantly claims that people around the world credit him and that people believe that the world is scared of him they would not go to war they would not go to war because of Donald Trump and but but do you think there's a certain the certain pattern that he's quoting that he believes because he constantly quoted Iran and he said when I had put sanctions look how weak Iran had become there was not going to be a war but this Administration appears to have taken back the sanctions and look how rich Iran has become so do you think there is certain tenure that he's also quoting you know uh the the discussion over how America has failed in its economic War across the world is for another day but yes uh he did mention Iran and and there is a there is a pattern to what he's done during his presidency he did not take America to war it's a fact he did not he really did try to engage those who they might call dictators but what has what has how has it helped America in calling Putin a dictator or Kim Jong-un and not engaging and uh and and now we're seeing tensions in so many parts of the world that maybe could have been averted or avoided here we not saying that you know what Trump does is right or wrong because he stepped out of the Paris agreement he stepped out of jcpa making the entire West Asia a little unstable with Iran he did all of that but none of the uh Wars that America is right now uh a part of were his doing or his making so he does when he says that I don't take my country to war he does mean it and yes uh when it comes to the uh weapons that are being sent abroad the aid that is going abroad uh the economy over here according to him in a shambles and that could that all this money could have helped America rather than going abroad is certainly are certainly areas that's that uh that Trump uh focused on I think I suppose in their preparation they were very clear what are the areas that they're going to focus on and how they're going to put it and and what they say on those issues can actually make a break the kind of audience that's watching it worldwide but also remember Puja this is the first time they're actually meeting in person they've never met Harris and R have never met in person before are you saying never met in any of the official Gatherings never ever this is the first time that the two sides were meeting they must have prepped uh themselves for what the counter could look like but I do think that um Harris did land some very strong ones there when it comes to those punches where she said you're not talking to Biden you're talking to kamla Harris so on and so forth so uh and and GA I just want to because I understand this was such an early morning discussion that we put out debate that was full from beginning to end that was on air on India today so G what is your assessment while I was listening to the debate I did think that Donald Trump at some point was surprised because maybe he did not expect Kamala Harris to come this prepared but do you think that she performed better than usual and without saying that I think she did perform better than Joe Biden oh of course she performed better than Joe Biden but uh over here I think she stood her ground and while we talking about standing uh a very um interesting snippet over here Puja if you look at the podiums and you will not be able to make out because there's just those two uh window frame right uh but uh zooming out and we'll get those visuals in as well you will see that Trump's Podium is way higher bigger than uh kamla Harris's Podium which is very small short because uh in in a two window you would not want to show the disproportionate size of a Podium given the size difference between kamla Harris and Trump so they actually made a Podium to her size in fact uh fun trivia here uh this is the uh the biggest height difference so to say between two presidential candidates ever in the history of US presidential elections 6.4 ft to 5.4 ft so that's the difference and to manag that difference the podiums have been made uh were made different well there is smart camera work at play and I must say there's smart camera work at play here as well we may be covering uh the the presidential debate gaita from uh from Delhi so to say but for the viewer we are fully in Washington DC right outside the White House and maybe you wouldn't have noticed if uh I wouldn't have told you because our extremely brilliant team have ensured that uh they they prepare this beautiful set for for us as well but we looking at these visuals coming in where we are at is basically the Rose Garden in the white house and we are looking at these quotes constantly coming in and as in when the the exerts the chunks start to come in from that almost 2 hour long debate remember as per guidelines it it's a very specific uh about 2 to three minutes uh there are those guidelines that will have to be followed and India Today is ensuring that for the viewer watching it anywhere across the world right now will have access to those excerpts 1 that comes but the focus it started from immigration economy local domestic issues then I think the fireworks really flew into the debate gaita when it came to the regional conflicts do you think that that's when both of them came into their own so these are some of the quotes that we are putting out and we'll constantly discuss what happened what is the chatter like and reactions on it as well remember the world was watching this debate Lena good morning Indian Standard Time of course heading to midnight for you tell me this about how what was your key takeway from this debate do you think that Kamala haris relied more on domestic issues while Donald Trump relied for his votes coming in primarily on the regional or the global conflict issues as as confidence would that be correct to say here good morning Puja and good morning everyone thank you for having me yes it was definitely a surprising debate to me personally uh haris did better than expected you know I was expecting this awkward uh laugh she's having every time she speaking somewhere and she managed to keep it together almost until the end of this on the other hand don't know Trump he's usually very vocal he loves to attack people when they're against him sort of to you know correct them but he was very quiet he was sort of reserved waiting let letting her finish even though she was for example attacking him so both of them they sort of Switched their standard talking style and as you said uh Donald Trump felt very strong on the foreign policy because he truly had no war he truly met with all of the leaders and they publicly some of them publicly as for example the Hungarian prime minister Victor Orban they publicly admire him so he has a strong guard card on this note on the other hand Harris uh you know she has been sort of hidden under Biden so for her it's way easier to sort of shine because no one really knows what she was doing the past four years no one has any track record except that she was doing what Biden told her and what he was doing um also Linka stay on with you because I just want to go across to Rohit if he continues to be with us Rohit do you also think that the the the whole range of the issues where the confidence came from both of these candidates that for kamla Harris it was about on abortion issues specifically how the administration previously had taken a decision and why the court and on taxes while for Donald Trump it came on I will stop the War I will bring peace why should Americans be involved do you think that was a kind of kind of a distinguished uh rhetoric that they had chosen to speak about well the Govern has always spoken pretty well about abortion I think that's that's one of the areas she's very comfortable with she she knows what the policy is going to be uh and the other one you know on on foreign foreign policy and I probably she's in the Ws I think Trump wanted to Conner Harris because you know as As Trump said there were no Wars when he was the president the war started only after he left the White House and he wanted to Corner them saying that America is involved indirectly in these two Wars and he could probably end these two Wars so yes I think your your sment is correct on that but also I also think that KLA wanted to sort of distance herself from Biden's policy and she was not able to do it I'll come back to you in just a short while Lena I I'll take that question to you and also to Gita do you think where do you think kamla possibly scored a point and where do you think uh Donald Trump perhaps kept his confidence in this debate on on many counts I think that uh Harris did quite well uh he she did manage to Corner uh um Donald Trump when it comes to Performance and economy itself she had numbers to sure for uh when it comes to abortion uh we know that you know it's a it's a really divided house and she tried to put Trump on the mat but it is when the IVF conversation that she brought in uh maybe uh on hindsight she could have done without because abortion itself was a big Reproductive Rights itself is a big big uh win for uh for the Democrats uh but the moment she brought that in he actually turned it around and in his uh in his rebuttal spoke of how he's been an advocate of IVF so on and so forth as well and that uh almost fact checked her immigration another very important area where uh where uh a strong point for Trump but I think kamla Harris also made her points quite uh clearly so in terms of what the policies are and uh the entire thing about gun control and taking guns off the shelves is not going to happen much to the dismay maybe of many people who are actually wanting that uh but uh but a clear policy decision there again you know Republicans and those fenit would be listening to what uh kamla Harris as the Democratic presidential candidate is saying um the race issue dictators uh Medicare and climate change all of them I think climate change he also said that you know he had earlier said it's it was a HX it's not it's a reality yes so gaita stay on with you because Lena also continues to be with us Lena um it was very interesting when he tried to also pin her down with that blatant uh the the word that he used and if I'm correct he said she hates Israel and he realized what he was saying because that clearly has a certain support base in America or as a policy uh has been as history has been with regard to America's decision to support Israel that he said she doesn't want Israel to exist if they continue Israel will blow up in fact in fact if I could just add Lena she actually goes on he actually went on to say that in uh Harris did not attend the joint session of the Congress when Netanyahu was there and that she refused to meet Netanyahu so she he was he was backing it with the with what happened during Nano's visit to the United States of America that I felt was a direct charge because that is one big polarizing issue in USA isn't it uh definitely it's a huge issue and I have friends who are Democrats and don't like Cala Harris just because of this topic because of Gaza and Palestine and Israel they told me they don't want to vote for Harris because they think she's not doing enough to achieve peace and that she's letting the people in Gaza to get massacred on the other hand uh Donald Trump uh he pointed out that of course she was not present at the speech of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu which is which is a big deal and he as you also said uh he predicted that Israel could disappear within two years if she would uh become the president so she's having tough time of balancing this sort of position of first of all making happy the Arab Americans and also making happy the Jewish population which is quite large in the United States and she's sometimes not making happy any of those two groups because she's somewhere in the middle one time saying this another time saying that I would like also to mention that uh the ABC reporters uh they rather teamed up against Donald Trump they were factchecking him on the spot they were almost uh going back towards him with all the questions and some of the questions also felt like they were opinionated against him I personally didn't enjoy it I I I felt frustrated and it was painful to watch their moderation so it was not a walkover yeah okay for Trump that's that's that goes without saying uh the Biden Trump uh debate was an absolute disaster and if you look at that and you look at this uh Harris knew exactly what she was coming in with she had a plan uh the questions both sides must have prepared and prepped up but I do think that she landed a few good punches and she definitely I think compared to Biden came across as someone who could also challenge Trump a lot rather than like you said give a walk over like it did happen sort of previously between Biden and Trump let's talk about issues and we'll of course over the course of next one hour constantly play out excerpts for you because I understand it was early morning India Today Was live earlier than usual this morning G and I constantly listening bit to bit but Gita what do you think perhaps was the highlight of this debate do you think it was immigration it was the global Regional conflicts Ukraine Russia Israel Hamas or do you think it was the local issues of America that Americans are listening and then taking a view on it I think everything was uh in a way localized because they were catering to the domestic audience and their voters so everything was how it impacts you and how it is going to look uh for you uh the the one of the key things that I saw where she actually made a huge difference in the Biden Harris Administration to Harris the vice presidential candidate was when she told him that this is you're not speaking to B you're speaking to kamla Harris here so she made that distinction because that distinction was important everybody before the uh debate Puja was talking about how she's coming with an Administration baggage the anti-incumbency the fact that people are questioning and are tired but I think there were a few important takeaways when it comes to the economy that I think was very important because both sides needed to put uh what they think are they going to do uh while she said that we have these plans he said I don't have an exact plan I can spell out right now but when when I'm President we will have that I do have ideas for what things should look like and how they should go there was a lot of fact checking also that was happening along the way uh when it comes to um jobs unemployment because Trump did hit out I part where he did come back where he appeared to be more confident consistently was the war situation the regional conflict because kamla Harris was where Donald Trump tried to pin her down or the Biden Administration down saying look what Iran has become it's richer than it was or the I the the conflict I I like how he constantly rated saying if I'm president-elect even before I take oath I will ensure that the war is over now of course there's a certain confident rhetoric to it more than whether it can happen or not but do you think that's one of the planks because the regional Wars have bothered Americans that they are sort of part of a conflict which is not direct you think and polarized also and polarized and it really made a huge uh impact on how these elections are going to look like because a lot of a lot of uh Democrats uh and fencers who might not be very happy with the situation in Gaza have questioned the Harris Administration she really needed convincing them that uh that she will you know chart her own path when it comes to these wars but also talking about and putting him on the mat on how he's friends with uh with all these dictators and strong men like dictors and that's why you know things were different when he and they they take cues from him to which he actually said that it's actually not that they're scared of me is the reason why there were no Wars and the fact that you are incompetent one very important thing over here Puja was also the fact that they were mute buttons but both of them were constantly on air you know with being seen so while there was no cross talk happening you saw a lot of expressions from kamla Harris every time Trump spoke she would shake her head say no he's lying and she would mime he's lying all the time he's lying that's not true that's not the usual Trump expression too and Trump expression was a smug or or a little irritated she used that space that space of quiet on a window when he's speaking to shake her head or say it's it's a lie I think that also make well I I could say fact silent fact this is confirmed that mute buttons are not only for Indian news Chan but also as much in America gaita but like you mentioned I think it was as much about local issues but Regional issues that impact local views as well uh within America stay on with me let's go across now to Washington DC remember India Today is the only Indian news Channel right now that's been live since morning from the ground zero as well that's where Rohit Sharma a journalist is joining me right now Rohit so a mark difference like we have been discussing uh not many memes possibly this time over the debate but a lot of talk over the issues what is the sentiment on the ground what are you picking up about the chatter in America well first things first this is not Washington DC where I'm standing right now is the debate Center here Del it's more everybody know that we at and I think you know very interesting debate very St contrast from what we saw in June uh very different opponent uh you know first things first I mean Harris goes and shakes hands with President uh president Trump s off a little bit he wasn't expecting that I don't think he was a very different competitor she was forceful she had prepared well she was in Pennsylvania for five days and she I think it came across that she was very well prepared I think was trying to Wing some of his answers and he's always done that this was his seventh presidential debate he just came and you know he thought he could just get away by saying things and he was corrected at least five times I counted at least five times by the moderators I mean and all multiple times like Harris so I think Prim of face I think it's a good night for k Harris you know the expectations were low she didn't have to you know nobody expected her to do as well as she did and nobody expected Donald Trump to lose this debate I think you know at the end of the day both the campaigns will have will take a lot of points for this but I think kamla Harris you know I mean we've seen her debate before and I think she was able to show her skills as a debater I think other other thing that a lot of people observed here and we were all talk talking and chatting during the commercial breaks but the fact that Donald Trump did not expect a lot of zingers you know this one liners from Kamala Harris and she delivered them with punch there's one Zinger that Trump trump also delivered that landed it was about you know don't disturb me while I'm talking and it you know kind of reminds you of or heard that before so I mean at the end of the day I think GAA has gone through the debate uh you know unharmed uh and then you know the the the campaign that person I was speaking with earlier today said that was the goal to make sure that she shim she come across is presentable one journalist that I was speaking with noted that she did better than H Clinton in 2016 uh and this gives her campaign the Boost that they needed because she was her bump was Tattooing in polls she was you she was going down in some of the key Battleground States I think her campaign will use this and take it Forward I mean this is not going to me a lot of people said this could be the end of the of the election you know from well and she does not do well the election is sealed and I think we'll see a very very competitive race from here on Puja very interesting Rohit stay on with me because we're also joined by journalist Linka white and about the the the discussion that's happening currently in the USA and Gita and I constantly analyzing on this Swift who has literally a swifties army of young admirers of the work of Taylor Swift were listening when she shared a social media post right after the debate concluded Taylor Swift announced that she endorses Kamala Harris this was a powerful statement remember and it was a long post where Taylor Swift praised Kamala Harris as a leader who fights for the rights and causes that will make America better she also emphasized that haris has a calm demeanor that she has a steady leadership quality and that's what the country needs calm not Cs and then she also contrasted it with how there have been videos and misinformation about her that she allegedly surrounded and supported Trump that is not true so along with this remember when she shared the post she also featured herself with a cat it wasn't just a coincidental image it was a dig at Republican vice president Pig JD W captioning it the childless cat lady a clear J at the past comments made by the running mate of Donald Trump it was in 2021 when once had made a certain comment that there are these childless cat ladies during an interview with Tucker Carlson so this remember is also now a question can this change the course because when Taylor Swift or someone of that stature makes an endorsement about a politician ahead of Elections and especially hitting at first time voters young voters 18 19 year old she's also mentioned that they need to register early Lander early at the polling Booth can that change the cost specifically on lacks of those younger audience that are huge fans of Taylor Swift when she recently held a concert it was fully packed there was also some controversy about it when it came to a worldwide tour with a possible terror attack Gita Mona a foreign affairs editor joining me on the latest on that Gita how significant how big of a highlight do you think is Taylor Swift endorsing Kamala haris well it is a massive massive endorsement it comes after a lot of uh speculation so to say not that she would have endorsed Trump and anyway uh but the fact is that when Biden Trump uh uh presidential debate was to take place there was a lot of question as to whether Taylor Swift will come out and endorse uh Biden or not of the democratic party and even after he stepped down and kamla Harris was nominated as the candidate again there were a lot of questions as to why is it that Taylor Swift is taking so long will she endorse kamla Harris or not and uh one thought that after the DNC it would have happened it did not happen after the Democratic National Convention where she was forly announced the uh nominee for the Democratic uh uh uh party uh and and right now after immediately after the first presidential debate between uh Harris and Trump we see her come out and endorse and not just endorse she is not just any Superstar she's not just any pop star uh Puja she is an influencer she's very influential in fact she's one of the most powerful women in the world not just in the United States of America uh with a massive following so everybody was waiting to see what she's really going to do and she's made a rather political statement look at the statement that has been put out it very specifically speaks of why she chose to why this time uh the AI generated uh video of hers and and Donald Trump using that uh on his uh handle which she has now put to rest saying that this is all false you can only beat uh lies with truth this is her truth her truth is that she's going to vote for uh kamla Harris but she also says that it is for you to choose make your choices do your research and you based on your research you should go ahead and vote she also then goes ahead and says for those who are voting appealing to voters to come out and vote so she's done it all and she signed off uh as uh the uh what did she call herself um the childless cat lady that childless cat lady the and and also if if there's any doubt about why politicians Bank on possibly an endorsement like this according to the Forbes annual LT in 2023 Taylor Swift was marked as the fifth most powerful woman in the world not just in the USA in the world and possibly that's why such an endorsement can it change the course of the elections and kamla Harris thereby could get more VES it'll be interesting you watch thank you very much for now Gita moan tracking all the latest on the US presidential debate the biggest pop superstars who has millions of especially young followers Taylor Swift has endorsed Kamala Harris in fact Gita just informed me about that it's big news remember because she hadd been she' been so to say silent all this while uh Rohit a quick word from you on this that Taylor Swift endorsing Kamala Harris do you think something like this makes a huge difference possibly to the younger audience to the younger first time voters absolutely all the SS are going to vot for k Harris sheot Joe Biden in 2020 and look at the things Kam talked about she talked about abortion uh you know females having Reproductive Rights she talked about you know how she has made it in her own story as a female and at the end of the day we've all talked about breaking that glass ceiling one day eventually so this is a very very big deal good job okay well can I just come in of course very big deal Rohit uh the fact that Taylor Swift and I remember we were discussing this earlier as well and we've done stories on this and how Taylor Swift stood uh did not really endorse Biden and there was so much pressure on uh Taylor Swift whether she's going to endorse not Endor then the debate happened uh a singular disaster for the Democratic team and uh there was no endorsement there then kamla Harris was nominated presidential candidate no endorsement from Taylor Swift Rohit and finally I suppose she waited to see how kamla Harris will do to really then endorse her is is is the reading right and and Rohit also tell us about the swifties army that she has do you think there are like literally thousands if not millions of swifties in her support who could listen to what Taylor Swift is saying I think I think they do Puja you know You' be surprised the pop are falling in the US and look you know I think GA made an excellent point here you know she was waiting you know she did not endorse Biden she was waiting and waiting and waiting and this kind of tells you that even she believes and people around Kam Harris believe that she had a strong night to come out and support her right after debate tells you that kamla haris had a good night uh you know I was just talking to somebody in the spin room right now and I think the general mood is that look Trump was being Trump you know we are all surprised by how well Kam Harris did but by sorry Trump did not have a bad night per se I mean he's he's always had these kinds of nights and he still gets away with that he'll go on the campaign Trail and talk about some other the stuff he'll probably make up some more stuff but I think this the news is that kamla you know did really well and I think that's why we're all talking about kamla Harris right now but Trump did not have a bad night I mean he you know he did twist some facts you know he tried to bring immigration to most of the stuff that he was talking about they talked about January 6 and he brought an immigration they talk about economy he bring the immigration he was trying to H those talking points given by his campaign which are pulling really well in those Battleground States so I think he did not have a that bad of a night but it just happens to be that kamla did well and again do you think according to your assessment and what other journalists around you who have all gathered there in Philadelphia what are they saying is the reason that Kamala Harris appears to have also become the talking point what did she do well if Trump was as usual what is it that she surprised the audience with that Taylor Swift immediately endorsing her other possibly other celebrities could come forth too Rohit well look you know I think everybody I mean I think kudos to the Democrats everybody made made sure before the debate that you she came across an underdog we had a lot of you know campaign people tell us that you know Trump is so powerful he's his amazing debater and you know KLA is this that so I think they set the expectation bar so low that even if she was to do okay she'd appear as good and actually I think she did good so now everybody's raving about you know how she performed in this debate also the fact that you know she she has been a good debater in the past I mean some clips of you know her are doing grounds down how she was able to have a great debate against Pence she had cornered Joe B in the 2019 primary debate so she had that quality but to be able to contain herself and delivered on big States I think that is a big story tonight going back to Taylor Swift Rohit just before you know I toss it back to uh Puja the fact that the photo is telling it's it's telling because she is a political creature in many ways Rohit Taylor Swift is no not just any pop star she's political she has a mind she knows exactly what she's doing and she's absolutely powerful the photograph also powerful because she signs off as the childless cat lady now that's a real dick that's really laying it down for Donald Trump and J vans that you cannot make fun of a woman and get away with it so a massive political message not just in the endorsement but also in her sign off I think GA it was over 90 minute of the discussion was played in full uh we do not intend to anyway right now put out any edited so to say excerpts but we'll constantly be analyzing it India today was completely from beginning to end was on that discussion so you have it in full gaita I just want to bring it in here that at this point the fact that even India is watching a discussing this discussion and debate because it is not just USA's presidential debate it is going to be about World issues why do you think that this debate has been crucial and is being wased worldwide well it is because at the end of the day the United States of America does set the tone and tenor for how the world looks like it is it shapes World policies not just foreign policy of particular country by dealing bilaterally with the United States of America and the debate right now is over but we will show clips of those important uh uh uh bits in in in a while from now there are massive restrictions that we have worked uh with the fact that that that that we're only allowed to show the debate once and then we have to wait for the clips to come in so in unlike how uh we've had in the past where there have been there has been space of using uh the clips from the uh from from the debate through uh the first three hours of uh of the debate getting over that's not the case this time around so be patient if will come to you uh coming back to the question on why is the debate so important uh or why is a presidential election in the United States of America itself so important F I look at the subjects that they covered apart from economy which uh and and domestic policies such as uh abortion immigration fracking Jan 6th there was a massive conversation on what uh happened uh on the 6th of January the Insurrection yes and uh and it was not kamla Harris factchecking trump it was it was the the anchors were factchecking Trump on many counts you saw that there were certain areas where maybe Harris was not checked as many times as Trump was checked by the ABC anchors uh that certainly happened but look at the other areas and issues that were discussed they should uh they discussed the Israel Hamas War correct affects everyone particularly the region uh they discussed uh Russia Ukraine War uh where he actually named Victor Oran and uh spoke of how and why this war was actually not what I do like about Donald Trump in a light-hearted note he constantly claims that people around the world credit him and that people believe that the world is scared of him they would not go to war they would not go to war because of Donald Trump but but do you think there's a certain the certain pattern that he's quoting that he believes because he constant quoted Iran and he said when I had put sanctions look how weak Iran had become there was not going to be a war but this Administration appears to have taken back the sanctions and look how rich Iran has become so do you think there is certain tenure that he's also quoting you know uh the the discussion over how America has failed in its economic War across the world is for another day but yes uh he did mention Iran and and there is a there is a pattern to what he's done during his presidency he did did not take America to war it's a fact he did not he really did try to engage those who they might call dictators but what has what has how has it helped America in calling Putin a dictator or Kim Jong-un and not engaging and uh and and now we're seeing tensions in so many parts of the world that maybe could have been averted or avoided here we're not saying that you know what Trump does is right or wrong because he stepped out of the Paris agreement he stepped out of of jcpa making the entire West Asia a little unstable with Iran he did all of that but none of the uh Wars that America is the right now uh a part of were his doing or his making so he does when he says that I don't take my country to war he does mean it and yes uh when it comes to the uh weapons that are being sent abroad the aid that is going abroad uh the economy over here according to him in a shambles and that could that all this money could have helped America rather than going abroad is certainly are certainly areas that's that uh that Trump uh focused on I think I suppose in their preparation they were very clear what are the areas that they're going to focus on and how they're going to put it and and what they say on those issues can actually make a break the kind of audience that's watching it worldwide but also remember Puja this is the first time they're actually meeting in person they've never met Harris and TR have never met in person before are you saying never met in any of the official Gatherings never ever this is the first time that the two sides were meeting they must have prepped uh themselves for what the counter could look like but I do think that um Harris did land some very strong ones there when it comes to those punches where she said you're not talking to Biden you're talking to Kam Harris so on and so forth so uh and and GA I just want to because I understand this was such an an early morning discussion that we put out debate that was full from beginning to end that was on air on India today so G what is your assessment while I was listening to the debate I did think that Donald Trump at some point was surprised because maybe he did not expect Kamala Harris to come this prepared but do you think that she performed better than usual and without saying that I think she did perform better than Joe Biden oh of course she performed better than Joe Biden but uh over here I think she stood her ground and while we talking about standing uh a very um interesting snippet over here Puja if you look at the podiums and you will not be able to make out because there's just those two uh window frame right uh but uh zooming out and we'll get those visuals in as well you will see that Trump's Podium is way higher bigger than uh kamla Harris's Podium which is very small short because uh in in a two window you would not want to show the disproportionate size of a Podium given the size difference between kamla Harris and Trump so they actually made a Podium to her size in fact uh fun trivia here uh this is the uh the biggest height difference so to say between two presidential candidates ever in the history of US presidential elections 6.4 ft to 5.4 ft so that's the difference and to manage that difference the podiums have been made uh were made different well there is smart camera work at play and I must say there's smart camera work at play here as well we may be covering uh the the presidential debate gaita from uh from Delhi so to say but for the view are we are fully in Washington DC right outside the White House and maybe you wouldn't have noticed if uh I wouldn't have told you because our extremely brilliant team have ensured that uh they they prepare this beautiful set for us as well but we're looking at these visuals coming in where we are at is basically the Rose Garden in the white house and we are looking at these quotes constantly coming in and as in when the the ex servs the chunks start to come in from that almost 2 hour long debate remember as per guidelines it it's a very specific uh about 2 to three minutes uh there are those guidelines that will have to be followed and India Today is ensuring that for the viewer watching it anywhere across the world right now will have access to those exerts as in one that comes but the focus it started from immigration economy local domestic issues then I think the fireworks really flew into the debate gaita when it came to the regional conflicts do you think that that's when both of them came into their own so these are some of the quotes that we are putting out and we'll constantly discuss what happened what is the chatter like and reactions on it as well remember the world was watching this debate Lena good morning Indian Standard Time of course heading to midnight for you tell me this about how what was your key takeaway from this debate do you think that Kamala Harris relied more on domestic issues while Donald Trump relied for his votes coming in primarily on the regional or the global conflict issues as as confidence would that be correct to say here good morning Puja and good morning everyone thank you for having me yes it was definitely a surprising debate to me personally uh Paris did better than expected you know I was expecting this awkward uh laugh she's having every time she speaking somewhere and she managed to keep it together almost until the end of this on the other hand Don Trump he's usually very vocal he loves to attack people when they're against him sort of to you know correct them but he was very quiet he was sort of reserved waiting let letting her finish even though she was for example attacking him so both of them they sort of Switched their standard talking style and as you said uh Donald Trump felt very strong on the foreign policy because he truly had no war he truly met with all of the leaders and they publicly some of them publicly as for example the Hungarian prime minister Victor Orban they publicly admire him so he has a strong guard card on on this note on the other hand Harris uh you know she has been sort of hidden under Biden so for her it's way easier to sort of shine because no one really knows what she was doing the past four years no one has any track record except that she was doing what Biden told her and what he was doing um also Linka stay on with me because I just want to go across to Rohit if he continues to be with us Rohit do you also think that the the whole range of the issues where the confidence came from both of these candidates that for kamla Harris it was about on abortion issues specifically how the administration previously had taken a decision and via the court and on taxes while for Donald Trump it came on I will stop the War I will bring peace why should Americans be involved do you think that was a kind of kind of a distinguished uh rhetoric that they had chosen to speak about well the government has always spoken pretty well about abortion I think that's that's one of the areas she's very comfortable with she she knows what her policy is going to be uh and the other one you know on on foreign foreign policy and I probably she's in the wars I think Trump wanted to Conner Harris because you know as As Trump said there were no Wars when he was the president the war started only after he left the White House and he wanted to con them saying that America is involved indirectly in these two Wars and he could probably end these two Wars so yes I think your your Su is correct on that but also I also think that KLA wanted to sort of distance herself from Biden's policy and she was not able to do it I'll come back to in just a short while Linka I I'll take that question to you and also to Gita do you think where do you think kamla possibly scored a point and where do you think uh Donald Trump perhaps kept his confidence in this debate on on many counts I think that uh Harris did quite well uh he she did manage to Conor uh um Donald Trump when it comes to Performance and economy itself she had numbers to sure for uh when it comes to abortion uh we know that you know it's a it's a really divided house and she tried to put Trump on the mat but it is when the IVF conversation that she brought in uh maybe uh on hindsight she could have done without because abortion itself was a big Reproductive Rights itself is a big big uh win for uh for the Democrats uh but the moment she brought that in he actually turned it around and in his uh in his rebuttal spoke of how he's been an advocate of IVF so on and so forth as well and that uh almost fact checked her immigration another very important area where uh where uh a strong point for Trump but I think kamla Harris also made her points quite uh clearly so in terms of what the policies are and uh the entire thing about gun control and taking guns off the shelves is not going to happen much to the dismay maybe of many people who are actually that uh but uh but a clear policy decision there again you know Republicans and those fenit would be listening to what uh kamla Harris as the Democratic presidential candidate is saying um the race issue dictators uh Medicare and climate change all of them I think climate change he also said that you know he had earlier said it's it was a hoax it's not it's a reality yes so gaita stay on with you because Lena also continues to be with us Lena um it was very interesting when he tried to also pin her down with that blatant uh the the word that he used and if I'm correct he said she hates Israel and he realized what he was saying because that clearly has a certain support base in America or as a policy uh has been as history has been with regard to America's decision to support Israel that he said she doesn't want Israel to exist if they continue Israel will blow up in fact in fact if I could just add Lena she actually goes on he actually went on to say that in uh Harris did not attend the joint session of the Congress when Netanyahu was there and that she refused to meet Netanyahu so she he was he was backing it with the with what happened during netanyahu's visit to the United States of America so that I felt was a direct charge because that is one big polarizing issue in USA isn't it uh definitely it's a huge issue and I have friends who are Democrats and don't like Cala Harris just because of this topic because of Gaza and Palestine and Israel they told me they don't want to vote for Harris because they think she's not doing enough to achieve peace and that she's letting the people in Gaza to get massacred on the other hand uh Donald Trump uh he pointed out that of course she was not present at the speech of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu which is which is a big deal and he as you also said uh he predicted that Israel could disappear within two years if she would uh become the president so she's having tough time of balancing this sort of position of first of all making happy the Arab Americans and also making happy the Jewish population which is quite large in the United States and she's sometimes not making happy any of those two groups because she's somewhere in the middle one time saying this another time saying that I would like also to mention that uh the ABC reporters uh they rather teamed up against Donald Trump they were factchecking him on the spot they were almost uh going back towards him with all the questions uh and some of the questions also felt like they were opinionated against him I personally didn't enjoy it I I I felt frustrated and it was painful to watch their moderation so it was not a walkover one yeah okay for Trump that's that's that goes without saying uh the Biden Trump uh debate was an absolute disaster and if you look at that and you look at this uh Harris knew exactly what she was coming in with she had a plan uh the questions both sides must have prepared and prepped up but I do think that she landed a few good punches and she definitely I think compared to Biden came across as someone who could also challenge Trump a lot rather than and like you said give a walk over like it did happen sort of previously between Biden and Trump let's talk about issues and we'll of course over the course of next 1 hour constantly play out excerpts for you because I understand it was early morning India Today Was live earlier than usual this morning Gita and I constantly listening bit to bit but gaita what do you think perhaps was the highlight of this debate do you think it was immigration it was the global Regional conflicts Ukraine Russia Israel Hamas or do you think it was the local issues of America that Americans are listening and then taking a view on it I think everything was uh in a way localized because they were catering to the domestic audience and their voters so everything was how it impacts you and how it is going to look uh for you uh the the one of the key things that I saw where she actually made a huge difference in the Biden Harris Administration to Harris the vice presidential candidate was when she told him that this is you not speaking to bid you're speaking to kamla Harris here so she made that distinction because that distinction was important everybody before the uh debate Puja was talking about how she's coming with an Administration baggage the anti-incumbency the fact that people are questioning and are tired but I think there were a few important takeaways when it comes to the economy that I think was very important because both sides needed to put uh what they think are they're going to do uh while she said that we have the plans he said I don't have an exact plan I can spell out right now but when when I'm President we will have that I do have ideas for what things should look like and how they should go there was a lot of factchecking also that was happening along the way uh when it comes to um jobs unemployment because Trump did hit out I one part where he did come back when he appeared to be more confident consistently was the war situation the regional conflict because kamla Harris was where Donald Trump tried to pin her down or the Biden Administration down saying look what Iran has become it's richer than it was or the I the the conflict I I like how he constantly rated saying if I'm President elect even before I take oath I will ensure that the war is over now of course there's a certain confident rhetoric to it more than whether it can happen or not but do you think that's one of the planks because the regional Wars have bothered Americans that they are sort of part of a conflict which is not direct do you think and polarized also and polarized and it has really made a huge uh impact on how these elections are going to look like because a lot of a lot of uh Democrats uh and fenites who might not be very happy with the situation in Gaza have questioned the Harris Administration she really needed convincing them that uh that she will you know chart her own path when it comes to these wars but also talking about and putting him on the mat on how he's friends with uh with all these dictators and strong men like dictators and that's why you know things were different when he and they they take cues from him to which he actually said that it's actually not that they're scared of me is the reason why there were no Wars and the fact that you are incompetent one very important thing over here Puja was also the fact that they were mute buttons but both of them were constantly on air you know with being seen so while there was no cross talk happening you saw a lot of expressions from kamla Harris every time Trump spoke she would shake her head say no he's lying and she would mime he's lying all the time he's lying that's not true that's not and the usual Trump expression too and Trump's expression was a smug or or little irritated she used that space that space of quiet on a window when he's speaking to shake her head or say it's it's a lie I think that also well I I could say fact silent fact this is confirmed that mute buttons are not only for Indian news channels but also as much in America gaita but uh like you mentioned I think it was as much about local issues but Regional issues that impact local views as well uh within America stay on with me let's go across now to Washington DC remember India Today is the only Indian news Channel right now that's been live since morning from the ground zero as well that's where Rohit Sharma a journalist is joining me right now Rohit so a mark difference like we have been discussing uh not many memes possibly this time over the debate but a lot of talk over the issues what is the sentiment on the ground what are you picking up about the chatter in America well first things first this is not Washington DC where I'm standing right now is the debate Center here Del it's more everybody know that we at and I think you know very interesting debate very St contrast from what we saw in June uh very different opponent uh you know first things first I mean J Harris goes and shakes hands with President uh president Trump s off a little bit he wasn't expecting that I don't think he was uh very different competitor uh she was forceful she had prepared well she was in Pennsylvania for five days and she I think it came across that she was very well prepared I think was trying to Wing some of his answers and he's always done that this was his seventh presidential debate he just came and he thought he could just get away by same things and he was corrected at least five times I counted at least five times by the moderators I mean and obviously multiple times like Harris so I think the prim of face I think it's a good night for KLA Harris you know the expectations were low she didn't have to you know nobody expected her to do as well as she did and nobody expected Don to lose this debate I think you know at the end of the day both the campaigns will have will take a lot of points for this but I think kamla Harris you know I mean we've seen her debate before and I think she was able to show her skills as a debater I think other other thing that a lot of people observed and we were all talk talking and chatting during the commercial breaks but the fact that Donald Trump did not expect a lot of zingers you know this on liners from Kamala Harris and she delivered them with punch there's one Zinger that Trump trump also delivered that landed it was about you know don't disturb me while I'm talking and you know kind of reminds you of or heard that before so I mean at the end of the day I think GA has gone through the debate uh you know unharmed uh and then you know the the the C that person I was speaking with earlier today said that was the goal to make sure that she she come across as presentable one journalist that I was speaking with noted that she did better than Hillary Clinton in 2016 uh and this gives her campaign the Boost that they needed because she was her bump was Tattooing in polls she was she was going down in some of the key Battleground States I think her campaign will use this and take it Forward I mean this is not going to me a lot of people said this could be the end of the of the election you know from does well and she does not do well the election is sealed and I think we'll see a very very competitive race from here on Puja very interesting Rohit stay on with me because we're also joined by journalist Linka white and about the the discussion that's happening currently in the USA and gaita and I constantly analyzing on this Swift who has literally a swify army of young admirers of the work of Taylor Swift were listening when she shared a social media post right after the debate concluded Taylor Swift announced that she endorses Kamala Harris this was a powerful statement remember and it was a long post where Taylor Swift praised Kamala Harris as a leader who fights for the rights and causes that will make America better she also emphasized that Harris has a calm demeanor that she has a steady leadership quality and that's what the country needs calm not Cs and then she also contrasted it with how there have been videos and misinformation about her that she allegedly surrounded and supported Trump that is not true so along with this remember when she shared the post she also featured herself with a cat it wasn't just a coincidental image it was a dig at Republican vice president Pig JD W captioning it the childless cat lady a clear J at the past comments made by the running mate of Donald Trump it was in 2021 when had made a certain comment that there are these childless cat ladies during an interview with Tua Carlson so this remember is also also now a question can this change the course because when Taylor Swift or someone of that stature makes an endorsement about a politician ahead of Elections and especially hitting at first time voters young voters 18 19 year old she's also mentioned that they need to register early land up early at the polling Booth can that change the cost specifically on lacks of those younger audience that are huge fans of Taylor Swift when she recently held a concert it was fully packed there was also some controversy about it when it came to a worldwide tour with the possible terror attack Gita Mona a foreign affairs editor joining me on the latest on that Gita how significant how big of a highlight do you think is Taylor Swift endorsing kamla haris well it is a massive massive endorsement it comes after a lot of uh speculation so to say not that you would have endorsed Trump in anyway uh but the fact is that when Biden Trump uh presidential debate to take place there was a lot of question as to whether Taylor Swift will come out and endorse uh Biden or not of the democratic party and even after he stepped down and kamla Harris was nominated as the candidate again there were a lot of questions as to why is it that Taylor Swift is taking so long will she endorse kamla Harris or not and uh one thought that after the DNC it would have happened it did not happen after the Democratic National Convention where she was forly announced the uh nominee for the Democratic uh uh uh party uh and and right now after immediately after the first presidential debate between uh Harris and Trump we see her come out and endorse and not just endorse she is not just any Superstar she's not just any pop star uh Puja she is an influencer she's very influential in fact she's one of the most powerful women in the world not just in the United States of America uh with a massive following so everybody is waiting to see what she's really going to do and she's made a rather political statement look at the statement that has been put out it very specifically speaks of why she chose to why this time uh the AI generated uh video of hers and uh and Donald Trump using that uh on his uh handle which she has now put to rest saying that this is all false you can only beat uh lies with truth this is her truth her truth is that she's going to vote for kamla Harris but she also says that it is for you to choose make your choices do your research and you based on your research you should go ahead and vote she also then goes ahead and says for those who are voting appealing to voters to come out and vote so she's done it all and she signed off uh as uh the uh what did she call herself um the childless cat lady that childless cat lady the and and also if if there's any doubt about why politicians Bank on possibly an endorsement like this according to the Forbes annual LT in 2023 Taylor Swift was marked as the fifth most powerful woman in the world not just in the USA in the world and possibly that's why such an endorsement can it change the course of the elections and kamla Harris thereby could get more Wes it'll be interesting to watch thank you very much for now Gita moan tracking all the latest on the US presidential debate the biggest pop superstars who has millions of especially young followers Taylor Swift has endorsed Kamala Harris in fact Gita just informed me about that it's big news remember because she had been she'd been so to say silent all this while uh Rohit a quick word from you on this that Taylor Swift endorsing Kamala Harris do you think something like this makes a huge difference possibly to the younger audience to the younger first time voters absolutely all the SS are going to vot for k Harris she Joe Biden in 2020 and look at the things Kam talked about she talked about abortion uh you know females having Reproductive Rights she talked about you know how she has made it in her own story as a female and at the end of the day we've all talked about breaking that glass ceiling one day eventually so this is a very very big deal job well can I just come in of course very big deal Rohit the fact that Taylor Swift and I remember we were discussing this earlier as well and we've done stories on this and how Taylor Swift stood uh did not really endorse Biden and there was so much pressure on uh Taylor Swift whether she's going to endorse not endorsed then the debate happened uh a singular disaster for the Democratic team and uh there was no endorsement there then kamla Harris was nominated presidential candidate no endorsement from Taylor swi Rohit and finally I suppose she waited to see how kamla Harris will do to really then endorse her is is is the reading right and and Rohit also tell us about the swifties army that she has do you think there are like literally thousands if not millions of swifties in her support who could listen to what Taylor Swift is saying I think I think they do Puja you know you'd be surprised the pop culture falling in the US and look you know I think G made an excellent point here you know she was waiting you she did not endorse Biden she was waiting and waiting and waiting and this kind of tells you that even she believed and people around Kam Harris believe that she had a strong night to come out and support her right after debate tells you that kamla haris had a good night uh you know I was just talking to somebody in the spin room right now and I think the general mood is that look Trump was being trumped you know we are all surprised by how well Kam Harris did but by sorry Trump did not have a bad night first day I mean he's he's always had these kinds of nights and he still gets away with that He he'll go on the campaign Trail and talk about some other the stuff he'll probably make up some more stuff but I think the the news is that kamla you know did really well and I think that's why we're all talking about kamla Harris right now but Trump did not have a bad night I mean he you know he did twist some facts you know he tried to bring immigration to most of the stuff that he was talking about they talked about January 6 and he brought an immigration they talk about economy he bring the immigration he was trying to H those talking points given by his campaign which are pulling really well in those Battleground States so I think he did not have that bad of a night but it just happens to be that kamla did well and again do you think according to your assessment and what other the journalists around you who have all gathered there in Philadelphia what are they saying is the reason that Kamala Harris appears to have also become the talking point what did she do well if Trump was as usual what is it that she surprised the audience with that Taylor Swift immediately endorsing her other possibly other celebrities could come forth too Rohit well look you know I think everybody I mean I think are kudos to the Democrats everybody made made sure before the debate that you know she came across an underdog we had a lot of you know campaign people tell us that you know Trump is so powerful he's his amazing debater and you know kamla is is this that so I think they set the expectation bar so low that even if she was to do okay she'd appear as good and actually I think she did good so now everybody's raving about you know how she performed in this debate also the fact that you know she she has been a good debater in the past I mean some clips of you know her are doing grounds down how she was able to have a great debate against Pence she had cornered joen in 2019 primary debate so she had that quality but to be able to contain herself and delivered on big stage I think that is a big story tonight going back to Taylor Swift Rohit just before you know I toss it back to uh Puja the fact that the photo is telling it's it's telling because she is a political cre teacher in many ways uh Rohit Taylor Swift is no not just any pop star she's political she has a mind she knows exactly what she's doing and she's absolutely powerful the photograph also powerful because she signs off as the childless cat lady now that's a real dick that's really laying it down for Donald Trump and jie Van that you cannot make fun of a woman and get away with it so a massive political message not just in the endorsement but also in her sign off I think GA it was over 90 minute of the discussion was played in full uh we do not intend to anyway right now put out any edited so to say excerpts but we'll constantly be analyzing it India today was completely from beginning to end was on that discussion so you have it in full gaita I just want to bring it in here that at this point the fact that even India is watching it discussing this discussion and debate because it is not just USA's presidential debate it is going to be about about world issues why do you think that this debate has been crucial and is being wased worldwide well it is because at the end of the day the United States of America does set the tone and tenor for how the world looks like it is it shapes World policies not just foreign policy of particular country by dealing bilaterally with the United States of America and the debate right now is over but we will show clips of those important uh uh uh bits in in a while from now there are massive restrictions that we have worked uh with the fact that that that that we're only allowed to show the debate once and then we have to wait for the clips to come in so in unlike how uh we've had in the past where there have been there has been space of using uh the clips from the uh from from the debate through uh the first 3 hours of uh of the debate getting over that's not the case this time around so be patient it'll come to you uh coming back to the question on why is the debate so important uh or why is a presidential election in the United States of America is so important Pua look at the subjects that they covered apart from economy which uh and and domestic policies such as uh abortion immigration fracking Jan 6th there was a massive conversation on what uh happened uh on the 6th of January the Insurrection yes and uh and it was not kamla Harris factchecking trump it was it was the the anchors were factchecking Trump on many counts you saw that there were certain areas where maybe Harris was not checked as many times as Trump was checked by the ABC anchors uh that certainly happened but look at the other areas and issues that were discussed they should uh they discussed the Israel Hamas War correct affects everyone particularly the region uh they discussed uh UK Russia Ukraine War uh where he actually named Victor Oban and uh spoke of how and why this war was actually not what I do like about Donald Trump in a light-hearted note he constantly claims that people around the world credit him and that people believe that the world is scared of him they would not go to war they would not go to war because of Donald Trump but but do you think there's a certain the certain pattern that he's quoting that he believes because he con ly quoted Iran and he said when I had put sanctions look how weak Iran had become there was not going to be a war but this Administration appears to have taken back the the sanctions and look how rich Iran has become so do you think there is certain tenure that he's also quoting you know uh the the discussion over how America has failed in its economic War across the world is for another day but yes uh he did mention Iran and and there is a there is a pattern to what he's done during his presidency he did not take America to war it's a fact he did not he really did try to engage those who they might call dictators but what has what has how has it helped America in calling Putin a dictator or Kim Jong-un and not engaging and uh and and now we're seeing tensions in so many parts of the world that maybe could have been averted or avoided here we're not saying that you know what Trump does is right or wrong because he stepped out of the Paris agreement he stepped out of jcpa making the entire West Asia a little unstable with Iran he did all of that but none of the uh Wars that America is the right now uh a part of were his doing or his making so he does when he says that I don't take my country to war he does mean it and yes uh when it comes to the uh weapons that are being sent abroad the aid that is going abroad uh the economy over here according to him in a shambles and that could that all this money could have helped America rather than going abroad is certainly are certainly areas that's that uh that Trump uh focused on I think I suppose in their preparation they were very clear what are the areas that they're going to focus on and how they're going to put it and and what they say on those issues can actually make a break the kind of audience that's watching it worldwide but also remember Puja this is the first time they're actually meeting in person they've never met Harris and Trump have never met in person before are you saying never met in any of the official Gatherings never ever this is the first time that the two sides were meeting they must have prepped uh themselves for what the counter could look like but I do think that um Harris did land some very strong ones there when it comes to those punches where she said you're not talking to Biden you're talking to kamla Harris so on and so forth so uh and and GA I just want to because I understand this was an early morning discussion that we put out debate that was full from beginning to end that was on air on India today so Gita what is your assessment while I was listening to the debate I did think that Donald Trump at some point was surprised because maybe he did not expect Kamala Harris to come this prepared but do you think that she performed better than usual and without saying that I think she did perform better than Joe Biden oh of course she performed better than Joe Biden but uh over here I think she stood her ground and while we talking about standing uh a very um uh interesting snippet over here Puja if you look at the podiums and you will not be able to make out because there's just those two uh window frame right uh but uh zooming out and we'll get those visuals in as well you will see that Trump's Podium is way higher bigger than uh kamla Harris's Podium which is very small short because in in a two window you would not want to show the disproportionate size of a Podium given the size difference between kamla Harris and Trump so they actually made a Podium to her size in fact a fun trivia here uh this is the uh the biggest height difference so to say between two presidential candidates ever in the history of US presidential elections 6.4 ft to 5.4 ft so that's the difference to manage that difference the podiums have been made uh were made different well there is smart camera work at play and I must say there's smart camera work at play here as well we may be covering uh the the presidential debate gaita from uh from Delhi so to say but for the view are we are fully in Washington DC right outside the White House and maybe you wouldn't have noticed if uh I wouldn't have told you because our extremely brilliant team have ensured that uh they they prepare this beautiful for us as well but we looking at these visuals coming in where we are at is basically the Rose Garden in the white house and we are looking at these quotes constantly coming in and as in when the the exerts the chunks start to come in from that almost 2 hour long debate remember as per guidelines it it's a very specific uh about 2 to three minutes uh there are those guidelines that will have to be followed and India today's ensuring that for the viewer watching it anywhere across the world right now will have access to those exile as in one that comes but the focus it started from immigration economy local domestic issues then I think the fireworks really flew into the debate gaita when it came to the regional conflicts do you think that that's when both of them came into their own so these are some of the quotes that we are putting out and we'll constantly discuss what happened what is the chatter like and reactions on it as well remember the world was watching this debate Lena good morning Indian Standard Time of course heading to midnight for you tell me this about how what was your key takeaway from this debate do you think that Kamala Harris relied more on domestic issues while Donald Trump relied for his votes coming in primarily on the regional or the global conflict issues as as confidence would that be correct to say here good morning Puja and good morning everyone thank you for having me yes it was definitely a surprising debate to me personally uh Harris did better than expected you know I was expecting this awkward uh laugh she's having every time she speaking somewhere and she managed to keep it together almost until the end of this on the other hand Donald Trump he's usually very vocal he loves to attack people when they're against him sort of to you know correct them but he was very quiet he was sort of reserved waiting let letting her finish even though she was for example attacking him so both of them they sort of Switched their standard talking style and as you said uh Donald Trump felt very strong on the foreign policy because he truly had no war he truly met with all of the leaders and they publicly some of them publicly as for example the Hungarian prime minister Victor Orban they publicly admire him so he has a strong guard card on this note on the other hand Harris uh you know she has been sort of hidden under Biden so for her it's way easier to sort of shine because no one really knows what she was doing the past four years no one has any track record except that she was doing what Biden told her and what he was doing um also Linka stay on with you because I just want to go across to Rohit if he continues to be with us Rohit do you also think that the the whole range of the issues where the confidence came from both of these candidates that for kamla Harris it was about on abortion issues specifically how the administration previously had taken a decision and via the court and on taxes while for Donald Trump it came on I will stop the War I will bring peace why should Americans be involved do you think that was a kind of kind of a distinguished uh rhetoric that they had chosen to speak about well the government has always spoken pretty well about abortion I I think that's that's one of the areas she's very comfortable with she she knows what her policy is going to be uh and the other one you know on on foreign foreign policy and I probably she's in the wars I think Trump wanted to Conor Harris because you know as As Trump said there were no Wars when he was the president the war started only after he left the White House and he wanted to pner them saying that America is involved indirectly in these two Wars and he could probably end these two Wars so yes I think your your Su is correct on that but also I also think that KLA wanted to sort of distance herself from Biden's policy and she was not able to do it I'll come back to in just a short while Linka I I'll take that question to you and also to gaita do you think where do you think kamla possibly scored a point and where do you think Donald Trump perhaps kept his confidence in this debate on on many counts I think that uh Harris did quite well uh he she did manage to Corner uh um Donald Trump when it comes to Performance and economy itself she had numbers to show for uh when it comes to abortion uh we know that you know it's a it's a really divided house and she tried to put Trump on the mat but it is when the IVF conversation that she brought in uh maybe uh on hindsight she could have done without because abortion itself was a big Reproductive Rights itself is a big big uh win for uh for the Democrats uh but the moment she brought that in he actually turned it around and in his uh in his rebuttal spoke of how he's been an advocate of IVF so on and so forth as well and that almost fact checked her immigration another very important area where uh where uh a strong point for Trump but I think kamla Harris also made her points quite uh clearly so in terms of what the policies are and uh the entire thing about gun control and taking guns off the shelves is not going to happen much to the dismay maybe of many people who are wanting that uh but uh but a clear policy decision there again you know Republicans and those fenit would be listening to what uh kamla Harris as the Democratic presidential candidate is saying um the race issue dictators uh Medicare and climate change all of them I think climate change he also said that you know he had earlier said it's it was a hoax it's not it's a reality yes so gaita stay on with you because Lena also continues to be with us Lena it was very when he tried to also pin her down with that blatant the the word that he used and if I'm correct he said she hates Israel and he realized what he was saying because that clearly has a certain support base in America or as a policy uh has been as history has been with regard to America's decision to support Israel that he said she doesn't want Israel to exist if they continue Israel will blow up in fact in fact if I could just add Lena she actually goes on he actually went on to say that in uh Harris did not attend the joint session of the Congress when Netanyahu was there and that she refused to meet Netanyahu so she he was he was backing it with the with what happened during netanyahu's visit to the United States of America that I felt was a direct charge because that is one big polarizing issue in USA isn't it uh definitely it's a huge issue and I have friends who are Democrats and don't like Kamala Harris just because of this topic because of Gaza and Palestine and Israel they told me they don't want to vote for Harris because they think she's not doing enough to achieve peace and that she's letting the people in Gaza to get massacred on the other hand uh Donald Trump uh he pointed out that of course she was not present at the speech of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu which is which is a big deal and he as you also said uh he predicted that Israel could disappear within two years if she would uh become the president so she's having tough time of balancing this sort of position of first of all making happy the Arab Americans and also making happy the Jewish population which is quite large in the United States and she's sometimes not making happy any of those two groups because she's somewhere in the middle one time saying this another time saying that I would like also to mention that uh the ABC reporters uh they rather teamed up against Donald Trump they were factchecking him on the spot they were almost uh going back towards him with all the questions uh and some of the questions also felt like they were opinionated against him I personally didn't enjoy it I I I felt frustrated and it was painful to watch their moderation so it was not a vocal one yeah okay for Trump that's that's that goes without saying uh the Biden Trump uh debate was an absolute disaster and if you look at that and you look at this uh Harris knew exactly what she was coming in with she had a plan uh the questions both sides must have prepared and prepped up but I do think that she landed a few good punches and she definitely I think compared to Biden came across as someone who could also challenge Trump a lot rather than and like you said give a walk over like it did happen sort of previously between Biden and Trump let's talk about issues and we'll of course over the course of next one hour constantly play out excerpts for you because I understand it was early morning India Today Was live earlier than usual this morning G and I constantly listening bit to bit but Gita what do you think perhaps was the highlight of this debate do you think it was immigration it was the global Regional conflicts Ukraine Russia Israel Hamas or do you think it was the local issues of America that Americans are listening and then taking a view on it I think everything was uh in a way localized because they were catering to the domestic audience and their voters so everything was how it impacts you and how it is going to look uh for you uh the the one of the key things that I saw where she actually made a huge difference in the Biden Harris Administration to Harris the vice presidential candidate was when she told him that this is your not speaking to bid you're speaking to kamla Harris here so she made that distinction because that distinction was important everybody before the uh debate Puja was talking about how she's coming with an Administration baggage the anti-incumbency the fact that people are questioning and are tired but I think there were a few important takeaways when it comes to the economy that I think was very important because both sides needed to put uh what they think are they're going to do uh while she said that we have these plans he said I don't have an exact plan I can spell out right now but when when I'm President we will have that I do have ideas for what things should look like and how they should go there was a lot of fact checking also that was happening along the way uh when it comes to um jobs unemployment because Trump did hit out one part where she did come back where he appeared to be more confident consistently was the war situation the regional conflict because kamla Harris was where Donald Trump tried to pin her down or the Biden Administration down saying look what Iran has become it's richer than it was or the I the the conflict I I like how he constantly rated saying if I'm president-elect even before I take oath I will ensure that the war is over now of course there's a certain confident rhetoric to it more than whether it can happen or not but do you think that's one of the planks because the regional Wars have bothered Americans that they are sort of part of a conflict which is not direct you think and polarized also and polarized and it has really made it huge uh impact on how these elections are going to look like because a lot of a lot of uh Democrats uh and fencers who might not be very happy with the situation in Gaza have questioned the Harris Administration she really needed convincing them that uh that she will you know chart her own path when it comes to these wars but also talking about and putting him on the mat on how he's friends with uh with all these dictators and strong men like dictators and that's why you know things were different when he and they they take cues from him to which he actually said that it's actually not that they're scared of me is the reason why there were no Wars and the fact that you are incompetent one very important thing over here Puja was also the fact that they mute buttons but both of them were constantly on air you know with being seen so while there was no cross talk happening you saw a lot of expressions from kamla Harris every time time Trump spoke she would shake her head say no he's lying and she would mime he's lying all the time he's lying that's not true that's not and the usual Trump expression too and Trump's expression was a smir or or a little irritated she used that space that space of quiet on a window when he's speaking to shake her head or say it's it's a lie I think that also well I I could say fact silent fact this is confirmed that mute buttons are not only for Indian music channels but also as much in America gaita but uh like you mentioned I think it was as much about local issues but Regional issues that impact local views as well uh within America stay on with me let's go across now to Washington DC remember India Today is the only Indian news Channel right now that's been live since morning from the ground zero as well that's where Rohit Sharma a journalist is joining me right now Rohit so a mark difference like we have been discussing uh not many memes possibly this time over the debate but a lot of talk over the issues what is the sentiment on the ground what are you picking up about the chatter in America well first things first this is not Washington DC where I'm standing right now is the debate Center here Del it's more everybody know that we at and I think you know very interesting debate very St contrast from what we saw in June uh very different opponent uh you know first things first I mean Harris goes and shakes hands with President uh president Trump s a little bit he wasn't expecting that I don't think he was uh very different competitor she was forceful she had prepared well she was in Pennsylvania for five days and she I think it came across that she was very well prepared I think was trying to Wing some of his answers and he's always done that this was his seventh presidential debate he just came and you know he thought he could just get away by saying things and he was corrected at least five times I counted at least five times by the moderators I mean obviously multiple times like Harris so I think Prim of face I think it's a good night for come Harris you know the expectations were low she didn't have to you know nobody expected her to do as well as she did and nobody expected Donald Trump to lose this debate I think you know at the end of the day both the campaigns will have will take a lot of talking points for this but I think kamla Harris you know I mean we've seen her debate before uh and I think she was able to show her skills as a debater I think other other thing that a lot of people observed and we were all talking and chatting during the commercial breaks but the fact that Donald Trump did not expect a lot of zingers you know these one liners from Kamala Harris and she delivered them with punch there's one Zinger that Trump trump also delivered that landed it was about you know don't disturb me while I'm talking and it you know kind of reminds you of or heard that before so I mean at the end of the day I think K has gone through the debate uh you know unharmed uh and then you know the the the campaign that person I was speaking with earlier today said that was the goal to make sure that she shim she come across is presentable one journalist that I was speaking with noted that she did better than H Clinton in 2016 uh and this gives her campaign the Boost that they needed because she would her bump was Tattooing in Poles she was you she was going down in some of the key Battleground States I think her campaign will use this and take it Forward I mean this is not going to me a lot of people said this could be the end of the of the election you know does well and she does not do well the election is sealed and I think we'll see a very very competitive race from here on hja very interesting Rohit stay on with me because we're also joined by journalist Linka white and about the the discussion that's happening currently in the USA and gaita and I constantly analyzing on this Swift who has literally a swifties army of young admirers of the work of Taylor Swift were listening when she shared a social media post right after the debate concluded Taylor Swift announced that she endorses Kamala Harris this was a powerful statement remember and it was a long post where Taylor Swift praised Kamala Harris as a leader who fights for the rights and causes that will make America better she also emphasized that haris has a calm demeanor that she has a steady leadership quality and that's what the country needs calm not Cs and then she also contrasted it with how there have been videos and misinformation about her that she allegedly surrounded and supported Trump that is not true so along with this remember when she shared the post she also featured herself with a cat it wasn't just a coincidental image it was a dig at Republican vice president Pig JD van captioning it the childless cat lady a clear J at the past comments made by the running mate of Donald Trump it was in 2021 when once had made a certain comment that there are these childless cat ladies during an interview with Tua Carlson so this remember is also now a question can this change the course because when Taylor Swift or someone of that stature makes an endorsement about a politician ahead of Elections and especially hitting at first time voters young voters 18 19 year old she's also mentioned that they need to register early land up early at the polling Booth can that change the cost specifically on lacks of those younger audience that are huge fans of Taylor Swift when she recently held a concert it was fully packed there was also some controversy about it when it came to a worldwide tour with a possible terror attack Gita Mona a foreign affairs editor joining me on the latest on that Gita how significant how big of a highlight do you think is Taylor Swift endorsing Kamala haris well it is a massive massive endorsement it comes after a lot of uh speculation so to say not that you would have endorsed Trump and anyway uh but the fact is that when Biden Trump uh uh presidential debate was to take place there was a lot of question as to whether Taylor Swift will come out and endorse uh Biden or not of the democratic party and even after he stepped down and kamla Harris was nominated as the candidate again there were a lot of questions as to why is it that Taylor Swift is taking so long will she endorse kamla Harris or not and uh one thought that after the DNC it would have happened it did not happen after the Democratic National Convention where she was formerly announced the uh nominee for the Democratic uh uh uh party uh and and right now after immediately after the first presidential debate between uh Harris and Trump we see her come out and endorse and not just endorse she is not just any Superstar she's not just any pop star uh Puja she is an influencer she's very influential in fact she's one of the most powerful women in the world not just in the United States of America uh with a massive following so everybody was waiting to see what she's really going to do and she's made a rather political statement look at the statement that has been put out it very specifically speaks of why she chose to why this time uh the AI generated uh video of hers and and Donald Trump using that uh on his uh handle which she has now put to rest saying that this is all false you can only beat uh lies with truth this is her truth her truth is that she's going to vote for kamla Harris but she also says is for you to choose make your choices do your research and you based on your research you should go ahead and vote she also then goes ahead and says for those who are voting appealing to voters to come out and vote so she's done it all and she signed off uh as uh the uh what did she call herself um the childless cat lady that childless cat lady the and and also if if there's any doubt about why politicians Bank on possibly an endorsement like this according to the Forbes annual list in 2023 Taylor Swift was marked as the fifth most powerful woman in the world not just in the USA in the world and possibly that's why such an endorsement can it change the course of the elections and kamla Harris thereby could get more Wes it'll be interesting to watch thank you very much for now Gita moan tracking all the latest on the US presidential debate the biggest pop superstars who has millions of especially young followers Taylor Swift has endorsed Kamala Harris in fact gaita just informed me about that it's big news remember because she hadd been she'd been so to say silent all this while uh Rohit a quick word from you on this that Taylor Swift endorsing Kamala Harris do you think something like this makes a huge difference possibly to the younger audience to the younger first time voters absolutely all the SS are going to vote for k Harris she Joe Biden in 2020 and look at the things talked about she talked about abortion uh you know females having Reproductive Rights she talked about you know how she has made it in her own story as a female and at the end of the day we've all talked about breaking that glass ceiling one day eventually so this is a very very big deal okay well can I just come in of course very big deal Rohit the fact that Taylor Swift and I remember we were discussing this earlier as well and we've done stories on this and how Taylor Swift stood uh did not really endorse Biden and there was so much pressure on uh Taylor Swift whether she's going to endorse not endorsed then the debate happened uh a singular disaster for the Democratic team and uh there was no endorsement there then kamla Harris was nominated presidential candidate no endorsement from Taylor S Rohit and finally I suppose she waited to see how kamla Harris will do to really then endorse her is is is the reading right and and Rohit also tell us about the swifties army that she has do you think there are like literally thousands if not millions of swifties in her support who could listen to what Taylor Swift is saying I think I think they do Puja you know You' be surprised the pop culture falling in the US and look you know I think G made an excellent point here you know she was waiting you know she did not endorse Biden she was waiting and waiting and waiting and this kind of tells you that even she believed and people around kamla Harris believe that she had a strong night to come out and support her right after debate tells you that kamla Harris had a good night uh you know I was just talking to somebody in the spin room right now and I think the general mood is that look Trump was being Trump you know we are all surprised by how well Kamala Harris did but by sorry Trump did not have a bad night per se I mean he's he's always had these kinds of nights and he still gets away with that he'll he'll go on the campaign Trail and talk about some of the stuff he'll probably make up some more stuff but I think the the news is that kamla you know did really well and I think that's why we're all talking about kamla Harris right now but Trump did not have a bad night I mean he you know he did TST some facts you know he tried to bring immigration to most of the stuff that he was talking about they talked about January 6 and he brought an immigration they talk about economy he bring in Immigration he was trying to hit those talking points given by his campaign which are pulling really well in those Battleground States so I think he did not a that bad of a night but it just happens to be that kamla did well and again do you think according to your assessment and what other journalists around you who have all gathered there in Philadelphia what are they saying is the reason that Kamala Harris appears to have also become the talking point what did she do well if Trump was as usual what is it that she surprised the audience with that Taylor Swift immediately endorsing her other possibly other celebrities could come forth too Rohit well look uh you know I think everybody I mean I think are kudos to the Democrats everybody made made sure before the debate that you know she came across as Underdog we had a lot of you know campaign people tell us that you know Trump is so powerful he's his amazing debater and you know kamla is this that so I think they set the expectation bar so low that even if she was to do okay she'd appear as good and actually I think she did good so now everybody's raving about you know how she performed in this debate also the fact that you know she has been a good debat in the past I mean some clips of you know her are doing grounds down how she was able to have a great debate against Pence she had cornered Jo Biden in 2019 primary debate so she had that quality but to be able to contain herself and delivered on big stage I think that is a big story tonight going back to Taylor Swift Rohit just before you know I toss it back to uh Puja the fact that the photo is telling it's it's telling because she is a political cre Prater in many ways uh Rohit Taylor Swift is no not just any pop star she's political she has a mind she knows exactly what she's doing and she's absolutely powerful the photograph also powerful because she signs off as the childless cat lady now that's a real dick that's really laying it down for Donald Trump and JD vans that you cannot make fun of a woman and get away with it so a massive political message not just in the endorsement but also in her sign off I think GA it was over 90 minutes of the discussion was played in full uh we do not intend to anyway right now put out any edited so to say excerts but we'll constantly be analyzing it India today was completely from beginning to end was on that discussion so you have it in full gaita I just want to bring it in here that at this point the fact that even India is watching it discussing this discussion and debate because it is not just USA's presidential debate it is going to be about about world issues why do you think that this debate has been crucial and is being wased worldwide well it is because at the end of the day the United States of America does set the tone and tenor for how the world looks like it is it shapes World policies not just foreign policy of particular country by dealing bilaterally with the United States of America and the debate right now is over but we will show clips of those important uh uh uh bits in in a while from now there are massive restrictions that we have worked uh with the fact that that that that we're only allowed to show the debate once and then we have to wait for the clips to come in so in unlike how uh we've had in the past where there have been there has been space of using uh the clips from the uh from from the debate through uh the first 3 hours of uh of the debate getting over that's not the case this time around so be patient it'll come to you uh coming back to the question on why is the debate so important uh or why is a presidential election in the United States of America itself so important Pua look at the subjects that they covered apart from economy which uh and and domestic policies such as uh abortion immigration fracking Jan 6th there was a massive conversation on what uh happened uh on the 6th of January the Insurrection yes and uh and it was not kamla Harris factchecking trump it was it was the the anchors were factchecking Trump on many counts you saw that there were certain areas where maybe Harris was not checked as many times as Trump was checked by the ABC anchors uh that certainly happened but look at the other areas and issues that were discussed they ISU uh they discussed the Israel Hamas War correct affects everyone particularly the region uh they discussed uh R UK the Russia Ukraine War uh where he actually named Victor Oban and uh spoke of how and why this war was actually not what I do like about Donald Trump in a light-hearted note he constantly claims that people around the world credit him and that people believe that the world is scared of him they would not go to war they would not go to war because of Donald Trump but but do you think there's a certain the certain pattern that he's quoting that he believes because he con constantly quoted Iran and he said when I had put sanctions look how weak Iran had become there was not going to be a war but this Administration appears to have taken back the sanctions and look how rich Iran has become so do you think there is certain tenure that he's also quoting you know uh the the discussion over how America has failed in its economic War across the world is for another day but yes uh he did mention Iran and and there is a there is a pattern to what he's done during his presidency did not take America to war it's a fact he did not he really did try to engage those who they might call dictators but what has what has how has it helped America in calling Putin a dictator or Kim Jong-un and not engaging and uh and and now we're seeing tensions in so many parts of the world that maybe could have been averted or avoided here we're not saying that you know what Trump does is right or wrong because he stepped out of the Paris agreement he stepped out of jcpa making the entire West Asia a little unstable with Iran he did all of that but none of the uh Wars that America is the right now uh a part of were his doing or his making so he does when he says that I don't take my country to war he does mean it and yes uh when it comes to the uh weapons that are being sent abroad the aid that is going abroad uh the economy over here according to him in a shambles and that could that all this money could have helped America rather than going abroad is certainly are certainly areas that's that uh that Trump uh focused on I think I suppose in their preparation they were very clear what are the areas that they're going to focus on and how they're going to put it and and what they say on those issues can actually make a break the kind of audience that's watching it worldwide but also remember Puja this is the first time they're actually meeting in person they've never met Harrison and Trump have never met in person before are you saying never met in any of the official Gatherings never ever this is the first time that the two sides were meeting they must have prepped uh themselves for what the counter could look like but I do think that um Harris did land some very strong ones there when it comes to those punches where she said you're not talking to Biden you're talking to kamla Harris so on and so forth so uh and and gaita I just want to because I understand this was such an early morning discussion that we put out debate that was full from beginning to end that was on air on India today so Gita what is your assessment while I was listening to the debate I did think that Donald Trump at some point was surprised because maybe he did not expect Kamala Harris to come this prepared but do you think that she performed better than usual and without saying that I think she did perform better than Joe Biden oh of course she performed better than Joe Biden but uh over here I think she stood her ground and while we talking about standing uh a very um uh interesting snippet over here Puja if you look at the podiums and you will not be able to make out because there's just those two uh window frame right uh but uh zooming out and we'll get those visuals in as well you will see that Trump's Podium is way higher bigger than uh kamla Harris's Podium which is very small short because in in a two window you would not want to show the disproportionate size of a Podium given the size difference between kamla Harrison Trump so they actually made a Podium to her size in fact a fun trivia here uh this is the uh the biggest height difference so to say between two presidential candidates ever in the history of US presidential elections 6.4 ft to 5.4 ft so that's the difference and to manage that difference the podiums have been made uh were made different well there is smart camera work at play and I must say there's smart camera work at play here as well we may be covering uh the the presidential debate gaita from uh from Delhi so to say but for the viewer we are fully in Washington DC right outside the White House and maybe you wouldn't have noticed if uh I wouldn't have told you because our extremely brilliant team have ensured that uh they they prepare this beautiful for us as well but we looking at these visuals coming in where we are at is basically the Rose Garden in the white house and we are looking at these quarts constantly coming in and as in when the the ex servs the chunks start to come in from that almost 2 hour long debate remember as per guidelines it it's a very specific uh about 2 to three minutes uh there are those guidelines that will have to be followed and India Today is ensuring that for the viewer watching it anywhere across the world right now will have access to those as in one that comes but the focus it started from immigration economy local domestic issues then I think the fireworks really flew into the debate gaita when it came to the regional conflicts do you think that that's when both of them came into their own so these are some of the quotes that we are putting out and we'll constantly discuss what happened what is the chatter like and reactions on it as well remember the world was watching this debate Lena good morning Indian Standard of course heading to midnight for you tell me this about how what was your key takeaway from this debate do you think that Kamala Harris relied more on domestic issues while Donald Trump relied for his vots coming in primarily on the regional or the global conflict issues as as confidence would that be correct to say here good morning Puja and good morning everyone thank you for having me yes it was definitely a surprising debate to me personally uh Harris did better than expected you know I was expecting this awkward uh laugh she's having every time she's speaking somewhere and she managed to keep it together almost until the end of this on the other hand Donald Trump he's usually very vocal he loves to attack people when they're against him sort of to you know correct them but he was very quiet he was sort of reserved waiting let letting her finish even though she was for example attacking him so both of them they sort of Switched their standard talking style and as you said uh Donald Trump felt very strong on the foreign policy because he truly had no war he truly met with all of the leaders and they publicly some of them publicly as for example the Hungarian prime minister Victor Orban they publicly admire him so he has a strong guard card on this note on the other hand Harris uh you know she has been sort of hidden under Biden so for her it's way easier to sort of shine because no one really knows what she was doing the past four years no one has any track record except that she was doing what Biden told her and what he was doing um also Al Linka stay on with you because I just want to go across to Rohit if he continues to be with us Rohit do you also think that the the whole range of the issues where the confidence came from both of these candidates that for kamla Harris it was about on abortion issues specifically how the administration previously had taken a decision and via the court and on taxes while for Donald Trump it came on I will stop the War I will bring peace why should Americans be involved do you think that was a kind of kind of a distinguished uh rhetoric that they had chosen to speak about well the government has always spoken pretty well about abortion I think that's that's one of the areas she's very comfortable with she she knows what her policy is going to be uh and the other one you know on on foreign foreign policy and I probably she's in the wars I think Trump wanted to Conner La Harris because you know as As Trump said there were no Wars when he was the president the war started only after he left the White House and he wanted to Conner them saying that America is involved indirectly in these two Wars and he could probably end these two Wars so yes I think your your s is correct on that but also I also think that KLA wanted to sort of distance herself from Biden's policy and she was not able to do it I'll come back to in just a short while Linka I I'll take that question to you and also to Gita do you think where do you think kamla possibly scored a point and where do you think Donald Trump perhaps kept his confidence in this debate on on many counts I think that uh Harris did quite well uh he she did manage to Corner uh um Donald Trump when it comes to Performance and economy itself she had numbers to show for uh when it comes to abortion uh we know that you know it's a it's a really divided house and she tried to put uh Trump on the mat but it is when the IVF conversation that she brought in uh maybe uh on hindsight she could have done without because abortion itself was a big Reproductive Rights itself is a big big uh win for uh for the Democrats uh but the moment she brought that in he actually turned it around and in his uh in his rebuttal spoke of how he's been an advocate of IVF so on and so forth as well and that uh almost fact checked her immigration another very important area where uh where uh a strong point for Trump but I think kamla Harris also made her points quite uh clearly so in terms of what the policies are and uh the entire thing about gun control and taking guns off the shelves is not going to happen much to the dismay maybe of many people who are wanting that uh but uh but a clear policy decision there again you know Republicans and those fenor would be listening to what uh kamla Harris as the Democratic presidential candidate is saying um the race issue dictators uh Medicare and climate change all of them I think climate change he also said that you know he had earlier said it's it was a Hox it's not it's a reality yes so gaita stay on with you because Lena also continues to be with us Lena um it was very interesting when he tried to also pin her down with that blatant uh the the word that he used and if I'm correct he said she hates Israel and he realized what he was saying because that clearly has a certain support base in America or as a policy uh has been as history has been with regard to America's decision to support Israel that he said she doesn't want Israel to exist if they continue Israel will blow up in fact in fact if I could just add Lena she actually goes on he actually went on to say that in uh har did not attend the joint session of the Congress when Netanyahu was there and that she refused to meet Netanyahu so she he was he was backing it with the with what happened during netanyahu's visit to the United States of America so that I felt was a direct charge because that is one big polarizing issue in USA isn't it uh definitely it's a huge issue and I have friends who are Democrats and don't like Kamala Harris just because of this topic because of Gaza and Palestine and Israel they told me they don't want to vote for Harris because they think she's not doing enough to achieve peace and that she's letting the people in Gaza to get massacred on the other hand uh Donald Trump uh he pointed out that of course she was not present at the speech of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu which is which is a big deal and he as you also said uh he predicted that Israel could disappear within two years if she would uh become the president so she's having tough time of balancing this sort of position of first of all making happy the Arab Americans and also making happy the Jewish population which is quite large in the United States and she's sometimes not making happy any of those two groups because she's somewhere in the middle one time saying this another time saying that I would like also to mention that uh the ABC reporters uh they rather teamed up against Donald Trump they were factchecking him on the spot they were almost uh going back towards him with all the questions uh and some of the questions also felt like they were opinionated against him I personally didn't enjoy it I I I felt frustrated and it was painful to watch their moderation so it was not a voal yeah okay for Trump that's that's that goes without saying uh the Biden Trump uh debate was an absolute disaster and if you look at that and you look at this uh Harris knew exactly what she was coming in with she had a plan uh the questions both sides must have prepared and prepped up but I do think that she landed a few good punches and she definitely I think compared to Biden came across as someone who could also challenge Trump a lot rather than then like you said give a walk over like it did happen sort of previously between Biden and Trump let's talk about issues and we'll of course over the course of next one hour constantly play out excerpts for you because I understand it was early morning India Today Was live earlier than usual this morning G and I constantly listening bit to bit but Gita what do you think perhaps was the highlight of this debate do you think it was immigration it was the global Regional conflicts Ukraine Russia Israel Hamas or do you think it was the local issues of America that Americans are listening and then taking a view on it I think everything was uh in a way localized because they were catering to the domestic audience and their voters so everything was how it impacts you and how it is going to look uh for you uh the the one of the key things that I saw where she actually made a huge difference in the Biden Harris Administration to Harris the vice presidential candidate was when she told him that this is you're not speaking to bid you're speaking to kamla Harris here so she made that distinction because that distinction was important everybody before the uh debate Puja was talking about how she's coming with an Administration baggage the anti-incumbency the fact that people are questioning and are tired but I think there were a few important takeaways when it comes to the economy that I think was very important because both sides needed to put uh what they think are they're going to do uh while she said that we have these plans he said I don't have an exact plan I can spell out right now but when when I'm President we will have that I do have ideas for what things should look like and how they should go there was a lot of fact checking also that was happening along the way uh when it comes to um jobs unemployment because Trump did hit out part where he did come back where he appeared to be more confident consistently was the war situation the regional conflict because kamla Harris was where Donald Trump tried to pin her down or the Biden Administration down saying look what Iran has become it's richer than it was or the I the the conflict I I like how he constantly rated saying if I'm President elect even before I take oath I will ensure that the war is over now of course there's a certain confident rhetoric to it more than whether it can happen or not but do you think that's one of the planks because the regional Wars have bothered Americans that they are sort of part of a conflict which is not direct you think and polarized also and polarized and it has really made it huge uh impact on how these elections are going to look like because a lot of a lot of uh Democrats uh and fenor who might not be very happy with the situation in Gaza have questioned the Harris Administration she really needed convincing them that uh that she will you know chart her own path when it comes to these wars but also talking about and putting him on the mat on how he's friends with uh with all these dictators and strong men like dictators and that's why you know things were different when he and they they take cues from him to which he actually said that it's actually not that they're scared of me is the reason why there were no Wars and the fact that you are incompetent one very important thing over here Puja was also the fact that they were mute buttons but both of them were constantly on air you know with being seen so while there was no cross talk happening you saw a lot of expressions from kamla Harris every time Trump spoke she would shake her head say no he's lying and she would mime he's lying all the time he's lying that's not true that's not and the usual Trump expression too and Trump's expression was a SM or or a little irritated she used that space that space of quiet on a window when he's speaking to shake her head or say it's it's a lie I think that also made well I I could say fact silent fact this is confirmed that mute buttons are not only for Indian music channels but also as much in America gaita but like you mentioned I think it was as much about local issues but Regional issues that impact local views as well uh within America stay on with me let's go across now to Washington DC remember India Today is the only Indian news Channel right now that's been live since morning from the ground zero as well that's where Rohit Sharma a journalist is joining me right now Rohit so a mark difference like we have been discussing uh not many memes possibly this time over the debate but a lot of talk over the issues what is the sentiment on the ground what are you picking up about the chatter in America well first things first this is not Washington DC where I'm standing right now is the debate Center here Del it's more everybody know that we at and I think you know very interesting debate very stark contrast from what we saw in June uh very different opponent uh you know first things first I mean Harris goes and shakes hands with President uh president Trump s a little bit he wasn't expecting that I don't think he was a very different competitor she was forceful she had prepared well she was in Pennsylvania for five days and she I think it came across that she was very well prepared I think was trying to Wing some of his answers and he's always done that this was his seventh presidential debate he just came and you know he thought he could just get away by saying things and he was corrected at least five times I counted at least five times by the moderators I mean obviously multiple times like Harris so I think Prim of face I think it's a good night for KLA Harris you know the expectations were low she didn't have to you know nobody expected her to do as well as she did and nobody expected Donald Trump to lose this debate I think you know at the end of the day both the campaigns will have will take a lot of talking points for this but I think kamla Harris you know I mean we've seen her debate before uh and I think she was able to show her skills as a debater I think other other thing that a lot of people observed and we were all talk talking and chatting during the commercial breaks but the fact that Donald Trump did not expect a lot of zingers you know these on liners from Kamala Harris and she delivered them with punch there's one Zinger that Trump trump also delivered that landed it was about you know don't disturb me while I'm talking and you know kind of reminds you of or heard that before so I mean at the end of the day I think G has gone through the debate uh you know unharmed uh and then you know the the the campaign that person I was speaking with earlier today said that was the goal to make sure that she shim she come across is presentable one journalist that I was speaking with noted that she did better than H Clinton in 2016 uh and this gives her campaign the Boost that they needed because she was her bump was Tattooing in Poles she was you she was going down in some of the key Battleground States I think her campaign will use this and take it Forward I mean this is not going to me a lot of people said this could be the end of the of the election you know does well and she does not do well the election is sealed and I think we'll see a very very competitive race from here on hja very interesting Rohit stay on with me because we're also joined by journalist Linka white and about the the the discussion that's happening currently in the USA and Gita and I constantly analyzing on this Swift who has literally a swifties army of young admirers of the work of Taylor Swift were listening when she shared a social media post right after the debate concl Ed Taylor Swift announced that she endorses Kamala Harris this was a powerful statement remember and it was a long post where Taylor Swift praised Kamala Harris as a leader who fights for the rights and causes that will make America better she also emphasized that haris has a calm demeanor that she has a steady leadership quality and that's what the country needs calm not cures and then she also contrasted it with how there have been videos and misinformation about her that she allegedly surrounded and supported Trump that is not true so along with this remember when she shared the post she also featured herself with a cat it wasn't just a coincidental image it was a dig at Republican vice president Pig JD W captioning it the childless cat lady a clear Jive at the past comments made by the running mate of Donald Trump it was in 2021 when w had made a certain comment that there are these childless cat ladies during an interview with Tucka Carlson so this remember is also now a question can this change the course because when Taylor Swift or someone of that stature makes an endorsement about a politician ahead of Elections and especially hitting at first time voters young voters 18 19 year old she's also mentioned that they need to register early land up early at the polling Booth can that change the cost specifically on lacks of those younger audience that are huge fans of Taylor Swift when she recently held a concert it was fully packed there was also some controversy about it when it came to a worldwide tour with a possible terror attack Gita Mona a foreign affairs editor joining me on the latest on that gaita how significant how big of a highlight do you think is Taylor Swift endorsing Kamala Harris well it is a massive massive endorsement it comes after a lot of uh speculation so to say not that you would have endorsed Trump in anyway uh but the fact is that when Biden Trump uh presidential debate was to take place there was a lot of question as to whether Taylor Swift will come out and endorse Biden or not of the democratic party and even after he stepped down and kamla Harris was nominated as the candidate again there were a lot of questions as to why is it that Taylor Swift is taking so long will she endorse kamla Harris or not and uh one thought that after the DNC it would have happened it did not happen after the Democratic National Convention where she was formerly announced the uh nominee for the Democratic uh uh uh party uh and and right now after immediately after the first presidential debate between uh Harris and Trump we see her come out and endorse and not just endorse she is not just any Superstar she's not just any pop star uh Puja she is an influencer she's very influential in fact she's one of the most powerful women in the world not just in the United States of America with a massive following so everybody was waiting to see what she's really going to do and she's made a rather political statement look at the statement that has been put out it very specifically speaks of why she chose to why this time uh the AI generated uh video of hers and uh and Donald Trump using that uh on his uh handle which she has now put to rest saying that this is all false you can only beat uh lies with truth this is her truth her truth is that she's going to vote for kamla Harris but she also says it is for you to choose make your choices do your research and you based on your research you should go ahead and vote she also then goes ahead and says for those who are voting appealing to voters to come out and vote so she's done it all and she signed off uh as uh the uh what did she call herself um the childless cat lady that childless cat lady the and and also if if there's any doubt about why politicians Bank on possibly an endorsement like this according to the Forbes annual list in 2023 Taylor Swift was marked as the fifth most powerful woman in the world not just in the USA in the world and possibly that's why such an endorsement can it change the course of the elections and kamla Harris thereby could get more votes it'll be interesting to watch watch thank you very much for now Gita moan tracking all the latest on the US presidential debate the biggest pop superstars who has millions of especially young followers Taylor Swift has endorsed Kamala Harris in fact Gita just informed me about that it's big news remember because she'd been she hadd been so to say silent all this while uh Rohit a quick word from you on this that Taylor Swift endorsing Kamala Harris do you think something like this makes a huge difference possibly to the younger audience to the younger first voters absolutely all the SS are going to vote for k Harris she Joe Biden in 2020 and look at the things Kam talked about she talked about abortion uh you know females having Reproductive Rights she talked about you know how she has made it in her own story as a female and at the end of the day we've all talked about breaking that glass ceiling one day eventually so this is a very very big deal okay well can I just come in of course very big deal Rohit the fact that Taylor Swift and I remember we were discussing this earlier as well and we've done stories on this and how Taylor Swift stood uh did not really endorse Biden and there was so much pressure on uh Taylor Swift whether she's going to endorse not endorsed then the debate happened uh a singular disaster for the Democratic team and uh there was no endorsement there then kamla Harris was nominated presidential candidate no endorsement from Taylor where Rohit and finally I suppose she waited to see how kamla Harris will do to really then endorse her is is is the reading right and and Rohit also tell us about the swifties army that she has do you think there are like literally thousands if not millions of swifties in her support who could listen to what Taylor Swift is saying I think I think they do Puja you know you'd be surprised the pop culture falling in the US and look you know I think G made an excellent point here you know she was waiting you know she did not endorse Biden she was waiting and waiting and waiting and this kind of tells you that even she believed and people around kamla Harris believe that she had a strong night to come out and support her right after debate tells you that kamla haris had a good night uh you know I was just talking to somebody in the spin room right now and I think the general mood is that look Trump was being Trump you know we are all surprised by how well kamah Harris did but by sorry Trump did not have a bad night per se I mean he's he's always had these kinds of nights and he still gets away with that He he'll go on the campaign Trail and talk about some of the stuff he'll probably make up some more stuff but I think the the news is that kamla you know did really well and I think that's why we're all talking about kamla Harris right now but Trump did not have a bad night I mean he you know he did TST some facts you know he tried to bring immigration to most of the stuff that he was talking about they talked about January 6 and he brought an immigration they talk about economy he bring immigration he was trying to hit those talking points given by his campaign which are pulling really well in those Battleground States so I think he did not have a that B of A night but it just happens to be that kamla did well and again do you think according to your assessment and what other journalists around you who have all gathered there in Philadelphia what are they saying is the reason that Kamala Harris appears to have also become the talking point what did she do well if Trump was as usual what is it that she surprised the audience with that Taylor Swift immediately endorsing her other possibly other celebrities could come forth too Rohit well you know I think everybody I mean I think are kudos to the Democrats everybody made made sure before the debate that you know she came across as Underdog we had a lot of you know campaign people tell us that you know Trump is so powerful he's his amazing debater and you know kamla is this that so I think they set the expectation bar so low that even if she was to do okay she'd appear as good and actually I think she did good so now everybody's raving about you know how she performed in this debate also the fact that you know she she has been a good debater in the past I mean some clips of you know her are doing grounds down how she was able to have a great debate against Pence she had cornered Jo Biden in 2019 primary debate so she had that quality but to be able to contain herself and delivered on big stage I think that is a big story tonight going back to Taylor Swift Rohit just before you know I toss it back to uh Puja the fact that the photo is telling it's it's telling because she is a political creature in many ways uh Rohit Taylor Swift is no not just any pop star she's political she has a mind she knows exactly what she's doing and she's absolutely powerful the photograph also powerful because she signs off as the childless cat lady now that's a real dick that's really laying it down for Donald Trump and jie vans that you cannot make fun of a woman and get away with it so a massive political message not just in the Endor but also in her sign off I think GA it was over 90 minute of the discussion was played in full uh we do not intend to anyway right now put out any edited so to say excerpts but we'll constantly be analyzing it India today was completely from beginning to end was on that discussion so you have it in full gaita I just want to bring it in here that at this point the fact that even India is watching it discussing this discussion and debate because it is not just USA's presidential debate it is going to be a about world issues why do you think that this debate has been crucial and is being wased worldwide well it is because at the end of the day the United States of America does set the tone and tenor for how the world looks like it is it shapes World policies not just foreign policy of particular country by dealing bilaterally with the United States of America and the debate right now is over but we will show clips of those important uh uh uh bits in in a while from now there are massive restrictions that we have worked uh with the fact that that that that we're only allowed to show the debate or once and then we have to wait for the clips to come in so in unlike how uh we've had in the past where there have been there has been space of using uh the clips from the inter uh from from the debate through uh the first 3 hours of uh of the debate getting over that's not the case this time around so be patient it'll come to you uh coming back to the question on why is the debate so important uh or why is a presidential election in the United States of America itself so important Pua look at the subjects that they covered apart from economy which uh and and domestic policies such as uh abortion immigration fracking Jan 6th there was a massive conversation on what uh happened uh on the 6th of January the Insurrection yes and uh and it was not kamla Harris factchecking trump it was it was the the anchors were factchecking Trump on many counts you saw that there were certain areas where maybe Harris was not checked as many times as Trump was checked by the ABC anchors uh that certainly happened but look at the other areas and issues that were discussed they ISU uh they discussed the Israel Hamas War correct affects everyone particularly the region uh they discussed uh R UK the Russia Ukraine War uh where he actually named Victor auan and uh spoke of how and why this war was actually not what I do like about Donald Trump in a light-hearted note he constantly claims that people around the world credit him and that people believe that the world is scared of him would not go to war they would not go to war because of Donald Trump but but do you think there's a certain the certain pattern that he's quoting that he believes because he constantly quoted Iran and he said when I had put sanctions look how weak Iran had become there was not going to be a war but this Administration appears to have taken back the sanctions and look how rich Iran has become so do you think there is certain tenure that he's also quoting you know uh the the discussion over how America has failed in its economic War across the world is for another day but yes uh he did mention Iran and and there is a there is a pattern to what he's done during his presidency did not take America to war it's a fact he did not he really did try to engage those who they might call dictators but what has what has how has it helped America in calling Putin a dictator or Kim Jong-un and not engaging and uh and and now we seeing tensions in so many parts of the world that maybe could have been averted or avoided here we're not saying that you know what Trump does is right or wrong because he stepped out of the Paris agreement he Ste Ste out of jcpa making the entire West Asia a little unstable with Iran he did all of that but none of the uh Wars that America is right now uh a part of were his doing or his making so he does when he says that I don't take my country to war he does mean it and yes uh when it comes to the uh weapons that are being sent abroad the aid that is going abroad uh the economy of here according to him in a shambles and that could that all this money could have helped America rather than going abroad is certainly are certainly areas that's that uh that Trump uh focused on I think I suppose in their preparation they were very clear what are the areas that they're going to focus on and how they're going to put it and and what they say on those issues can actually make a break the kind of audience that's watching it worldwide but also remember Puja this is the first time they're actually meeting in person they've never met Harris and Trump have never met in person before are you saying never met in any of the official Gatherings never ever this is the first time that the two sides were meeting they must have prepped uh themselves for what the counter could look like but I do think that um Harris did land some very strong ones there when it comes to those punches where she said you're not talking to Biden you're talking to kamla Harris so on and so forth so uh and and GA I just want to because I understand this was such an early morning discussion that we put out debate that was full from beginning to end that was on air on India today so Gita what is your assessment while I was listening to the debate I did think that Donald Trump at some point was surprised because maybe he did not expect Kamala Harris to come this prepared but do you think that she performed better than usual and without saying that I think she did perform better than Joe Biden oh of course she performed better than Joe Biden but uh over here I think she stood her ground and while we talking about standing uh a very um uh interesting snippet over here Puja if you look at the podiums and you will not be able to make out because there's just those two uh window frame right uh but uh zooming out and we'll get those visuals in as well you will see that Trump's Podium is way higher bigger than uh kamla Harris's Podium which is very small short because in in a two window you would not want to show the disproportionate size of a Podium given the size difference between kamla Harris and Trump so they actually made a Podium to her size in fact a fun trivia here uh this is the uh the biggest height difference so to say between two presidential candidates ever in the history of US presidential elections 6.4 ft to 5.4 ft so that's the difference and to manage that difference the podiums have been made were made different well there is smart camera work at play and I must say there's smart camera work at play here as well we may be covering uh the the presidential debate gaita from uh from Delhi so to say but for the viewer we are fully in Washington DC right outside the White House and maybe you wouldn't have noticed if uh I wouldn't have told you because our extremely brilliant team have ensured that uh they they prepare this beautiful said for us as well but we looking at these visuals coming in where we are at is basically the Rose Garden in the white house and we are looking at these quotes constantly coming in and as in when the the exerts the chunks start to come in from that almost 2 hour long debate remember as per guidelines it it's a very specific uh about 2 to three minutes uh there are those guidelines that will have to be followed and India Today is ensuring that for the viewer watching it anywhere across the world right now will have access to those El as in one that comes but the focus it started from immigration economy local domestic issues then I think the fireworks really flew into the debate gaita when it came to the regional conflicts do you think that that's when both of them came into their own so these are some of the quotes that we are putting out and we'll constantly discuss what happened what is the chatter like and reactions on it as well remember the world was watching this debate Lena good morning Indian Standard time of course heading to midnight for you tell me this about how what was your key takeaway from this debate do you think that U CA Harris relied more on domestic issues while Donald Trump relied for his votes coming in primarily on the regional or the global conflict issues as as confidence would that be correct to say here good morning Puja and good morning everyone thank you for having me yes it was definitely a surprising debate to me personally Harris did better than expected you know I was expecting this awkward uh laugh she's having every time she speaking somewhere and she managed to keep it together almost until the end of this on the other hand Donald Trump he's usually very vocal he loves to attack people when they're against him sort of to you know correct them but he was very quiet he was sort of reserved waiting let letting her finish even though she was for example attacking him so both of them they sort of Switched their standard talking style and as you said uh Donald Trump felt very strong on the foreign policy because he truly had no war he truly met with all of the leaders and they publicly some of them publicly as for example the Hungarian prime minister Victor Orban they publicly admire him so he has a strong guard card on this note on the other hand Harris uh you know she has been sort of hidden under Biden so for her it's way easier to sort of shine because no one really knows what she was doing the past four years no one has any track record except that she was doing what Biden told her and what he was doing um also Linka stay on with you because I just want to go across to Rohit if he continues to be with us Rohit do you also think that U the the whole range of the issues where the confidence came from both of these candidates that for kamla Harris it was about on abortion issues specifically how the administration previously had taken a decision and via the court and on taxes while for Donald Trump it came on I will stop the War I will bring peace why should Americans be involved do you think that was a kind of kind of a distinguished uh rhetoric that they had chosen to speak about well the government has always spoken pretty well about abortion I think that's that's one of the areas she's very comfortable with she she knows what her policy is going to be uh and the other one you know on on foreign foreign policy and I probably she in the wars I think Trump wanted to Conner Harris because you know as As Trump said there were no Wars when he was the president the war started only after he left the White House and he wanted to Conner them saying that America is involved indirectly in these two Wars and he could probably end these two Wars so yes I think your your s is correct on that but also I also think that KLA wanted to sort of distance herself from Biden's polic and she was not able to do it I'll come back to you in just a short while Linka I I'll take that question to you and also to Gita do you think where do you think kamla possibly scored a point and where do you think uh Donald Trump perhaps kept his confidence in this debate on on many counts I think that uh Harris did quite well uh he she did manage to Corner uh um Donald Trump when it comes to Performance and economy itself she had numbers to show for uh when it comes to abortion uh we know that you know it's a it's a really divided house and she tried to put uh Trump on the mat but it is when the IVF conversation that she brought in uh maybe uh on hindsight she could have done without because abortion itself was a big Reproductive Rights itself is a big big uh win for uh for the Democrats uh but the moment she brought that in he actually turned it around and in his uh in his rebuttal spoke of how he's been an advocate of IVF so on and so forth as well and that uh almost fact checked her immigration another very important area where uh where uh a strong point for Trump but I think kamla Harris also made her points quite uh clearly so in terms of what the policies are and uh the entire thing about gun control and taking guns off the shelves is not going to happen much to the dismay maybe of many people who are actually wanting that uh but uh but a clear policy decision there again you know Republicans and those fencers would be listening to what uh kamla Harris as the Democratic presidential candidate is saying um the race issue dictators uh Medicare and climate change all of them I think climate change he also said that you know he had earlier said it's it was a hoax it's not it's a reality yes so gaita stay on with you because Lena also continues to be with us Lena um it was interesting when he tried to also pin her down with that blatant uh the the word that he used and if I'm correct he said she hates Israel and he realized what he was saying because that clearly has a certain support base in America or as a policy uh has been as history has been with regard to America's decision to support Israel that he said she doesn't want Israel to exist if they continue Israel will blow up in fact in fact if I could just add Lena she actually goes on he actually went on to say that in uh did not attend the joint session of the Congress when Netanyahu was there and that she refused to meet Netanyahu so she he was he was backing it with the with what happened during netanyahu's visit to the United States of America that I felt was a direct charge because that is one big polarizing issue in USA isn't it uh definitely it's a huge issue and I have friends who are Democrats and don't like Kamala Harris just because of this topic because of Gaza and Palestine and Israel they told me they don't want to vote for Harris because they think she's not doing enough to achieve peace and that she's letting the people in Gaza to get massacred on the other hand uh Donald Trump uh he pointed out that of course she was not present at the speech of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu which is which is a big deal and he as you also said uh he predicted that Israel could disappear within two years if she would uh become the president so she's having tough time of balancing this sort of position of first of all making happy the Arab Americans and also making happy the Jewish population which is quite large in the United States and she's sometimes not making happy any of those two groups because she's somewhere in the middle one time saying this another time saying that I would like also to mention that uh the ABC reporters uh they rather teamed up against Donald Trump they were factchecking him on the spot they were almost uh going back towards him with all the questions and some of the questions also felt like they were opinionated against him I personally didn't enjoy it I I I felt frustrated and it was painful to watch their moderation so it was not a VOC over yeah okay for Trump that's that's that goes without saying uh the Biden Trump uh debate was an absolute disaster and if you look at that and you look at this uh Harris knew exactly what she was coming in with she had a plan uh the questions both sides must have prepared and prepped up but I do think that she landed a few good punches and she definitely I think compared to Biden came across as someone who could also challenge Trump a lot rather than like you said give a walk over like it did happen sort of previously between Biden and Trump let's talk about issues and we'll of course over the course of next one hour constantly play out excerpts for you because I understand it was early morning India Today Was live earlier than usual this morning G and I constantly listening bit to bit but gaita what do you think perhaps was the highlight of this debate do you think it was immigration it was the global Regional conflicts Ukraine Russia Israel Hamas or do you think it was the local issues of America that Americans are listening and then taking a view on it I think everything was uh in a way localized because they were catering to the domestic audience and their voters so everything was how it impacts you and how it is going to look uh for you uh the the one of the key things that I saw where she actually made a huge difference in the Biden Harris Administration to Harris the vice presidential candidate was when she told him that this is you're not speaking to Biden you're speaking to kamla Harris here so she made that distinction because that distinction was important everybody before the uh debate Puja was talking about how she's coming with an Administration baggage the anti-incumbency the fact that people are questioning and are tired but I think there were a few important takeaways when it comes to the economy that I think was very important because both sides needed to put uh what they think are they're going to do uh while she said that we had these plans he said I don't have an exact plan I can spell out right now but when when I'm President we will have that I do have ideas for what things should look like and how they should go there was a lot of fact checking also that was happening along the way uh when it comes to um jobs unemployment because Trump did hit out part where he did come back where he appeared to be more confident consistently was the war situation the regional conflict because kamla Harris was very where Donald Trump tried to pin her down or the Biden Administration down saying look what Iran has become it's richer than it was or the I the the conflict I I like how he constantly rated saying if I'm President elect even before I take oath I will ensure that the war is over now of course there's a certain confident rhetoric to it more than whether it can happen or not but do you think that's one of the planks because the regional Wars have bothered Americans that they are sort of part of a conflict which is not direct do you think and polarized also and polarized and it has really made a huge uh impact on how these elections are going to look like because a lot of a lot of uh Democrats uh and fencers who might not be very happy with the situation in Gaza have questioned the Harris Administration she really needed convincing them that uh that she will you know chart her own path when it comes to these wars but also talking about and putting him on the mat on how he's friends with uh with all these dictators and strong men like and dictators and that's why you know things were different when he and they they take cues from him to which he actually said that it's actually not that they're scared of me is the reason why there were no Wars and the fact that you are incompetent one very important thing over here Puja was also the fact that they were mute buttons but both of them were constantly on air you know with being seen so while there was no cross talk happening you saw a lot of expressions from kamla Harris every time Trump spoke she would shake her head say no he's lying and she would mime he's lying all the time he's lying that's not true that's not correct and the usual Trump expression too and Trump's expression was a smir or or a little irritated she used that space that space of quiet on a window when he's speaking to shake her head or say it's it's a lie I think that also well I I could say fact silent fact this is confirmed that mute buttons are not only for Indian news channels but also as much in America gaita but uh like you mentioned I think it was as much about local issues but Regional issues that impact local views as well uh within America stay on with me let's go across now to Washington DC remember India Today is the only Indian news Channel right now that's been live since morning from the ground zero as well that's where Rohit Sharma a journalist is joining me right now Rohit saw a marked difference like we have been discussing uh not many memes possibly this time over the debate but a lot of talk over the issues what is the sentiment on the ground what are you picking up about the chatter in America well first things first this is not Washington DC where I'm standing right now is the debate Center here Del it's more everybody know that we at and I think you know very interesting debate very stark contrast from what we saw in June uh very different opponent uh you know first things first I mean Harris goes and shakes hands with President uh president Trump s a little bit he wasn't expecting that I don't think he was a very different competitor she was forceful she had prepared well she was in Pennsylvania for five days and she I think it came across that she was very well prepared I think was trying Wing some of his answers and he's always done that this was his seventh presidential debate he just came and you know he thought he could just get away by saying things and he was corrected at least five times I counted at least five times by the moderator the mean and obviously multiple times like Harris so I think Prim of face I think it's a good night for KLA Harris you know the expectations were low she didn't have to you know nobody expected her to do as well as she did and nobody expected Donald Trump to lose this debate I think you know at the end of the day both the campaigns will have will take a lot of talking points for this but I think kamla Harris you know I mean we've seen her debate before uh and I think she was able to show her skills as a debater I think other other thing that a lot of people observe and we were all talk talking and chatting during the commercial breaks but the fact that Donald Trump did not expect a lot of zingers you know these on liners from Kamala Harris and she delivered them with punch there's one Zinger that Trump trump also delivered that landed it was about you know don't disturb me while I'm talking and you know kind of reminds you of or heard that before so I mean at the end of the day I think K has gone through the debate uh you know unharmed uh and then you know the the the campaign that person I was speaking with earlier today said that was the goal to make sure that she shim she come across as presentable uh one journalist that I was speaking with noted that she did better than H Clinton in 2016 uh and this gives her campaign the Boost that they needed because she was her bump was Tattooing in polls she was you she was going down in some of the key Battleground States I think her campaign will use this and take it Forward I mean this is not going to me a lot of people said this could be the end of the of the election you know Trump does well and she does not do well the election is sealed and I think we'll see a very very competitive race from here on Puja very interesting Rohit stay on with me because we're also joined by journalist Linka white and about the the the discussion that's happening currently in the USA and gaita and I constantly analyzing on this Swift who has literally a swifties army of young admirers of the work of Taylor Swift were listening when she shared a social media post right after the debate included Taylor Swift announced that she endorses Kamala Harris this was a powerful statement remember and it was a long post where Taylor Swift praised Kamala Harris as a leader who fights for the rights and causes that will make America better she also emphasized that haris has a calm demeanor that she has a steady leadership quality and that's what the country needs calm not Cs and then she also contrasted it with how there have been videos and misinformation about her that she allegedly Sur and supported Trump that is not true so along with this remember when she shared the post she also featured herself with a cat it wasn't just a coincidental image it was a dig at Republican vice president Pig JD W captioning it the childless cat lady a clear Jive at the past comments made by the running mate of Donald Trump it was in 2021 when once had made a certain comment that there are these childless cat ladies during an interview with Tucker Carlson so this remember is also now a question can this change the course because when Taylor Swift or someone of that stature makes an endorsement about a politician ahead of Elections and especially hitting at first time voters young voters 18 19 year old she's also mentioned that they need to register early land up early at the polling Booth can that change the cost specifically on lacks of those younger audience that are huge fans of Taylor Swift when she recently held a concert it was fully packed there was also some controversy about it when it came to a worldwide tour with a possible terror attack Gita Mona a foreign affairs editor joining me on the latest on that gaita how significant how big of a highlight do you think is Taylor Swift endorsing Kamala haris well it is a massive massive endorsement it comes after a lot of uh speculation so to say not that you would have endorsed Trump and anyway uh but the fact is that when Biden Trump uh presidential debate was to take place there was a lot of question as to whether Taylor Swift will come out and endorse uh Biden or not of the democratic party and even after he stepped down and kamla Harris was nominated as the candidate again there were a lot of questions as to why is it that Taylor Swift is taking so long will she endorse kamla Harris or not and uh one thought that after the DNC it would have happened it did not happen after the Democratic National Convention where she was formerly announced the uh nominee for the Democratic uh uh uh party uh and and right now after immediately after the first presidential debate between uh Harris and Trump we see her come out and endorse and not just endorse she is not just any Superstar she's not just any pop star uh Puja she is an influencer she's very influential in fact she's one of the most powerful women in the world not just in the United States of America with a massive following so everybody was waiting to see what she's really going to do and she's made a rather political statement look at the statement that has been put out it very specifically speaks of why she chose to why this time uh the AI generated uh video of hers and and Donald Trump using that uh on his uh handle which she has now put to rest saying that this is all false you can only beat lies with truth this is her truth her truth is that she's going to vote for uh kamla Harris but she also says that is for you to choose make your choices do your research and you based on your research you should go ahead and vote she also then goes ahead and says for those who are voting appealing to voters to come out and vote so she's done it all and she signed off uh as uh the uh what did she call herself um the childless cat lady that childless cat lady the and also if if there's any doubt about why politicians Bank on possibly an endorsement like this according to the Forbes annual list in 2023 Taylor Swift was marked as the fifth most powerful woman in the world not just in the USA in the world and possibly that's why such an endorsement can it change the course of the elections and kamla Harris thereby could get more votes it'll be interesting watch thank you very much for now Gita moan tracking all the latest on the US presidential debate the biggest pop superstars who has millions of especially young followers Taylor Swift has endorsed Kamala Harris in fact Gita just informed me about that it's big news remember because she had been she' been so to say silent all this while uh Rohit a quick word from you on this that Taylor Swift endorsing Kamala Harris do you think something like this makes a huge difference possibly to the younger audience to the younger first time voters absolutely all the SS are going to vote for K Harish she that Joe Biden in 2020 and look at the things Kam talked about she talked about abortion uh you know females having Reproductive Rights she talked about you know how she has made it in her own story as a female and at the end of the day you've all talked about breaking that glass ceiling one day eventually so this is a very very big deal okay well can I just come in of course very big deal Rohit the fact that Taylor Swift and I remember we were discussing this earlier as well and we've done stories on this on how Taylor Swift stood uh did not really endorse Biden and there was so much pressure on uh Taylor Swift whether she's going to endorse not endorsed then the debate happened uh a singular disaster for the Democratic team and uh there was no endorsement there then kamla Harris was nominated presidential candidate no endorsement from Taylor with Rohit and finally I suppose she waited to see how kamla Harris will do to really then endorse her is is is the reading right and and Rohit also tell us about the swifties army that she has do you think there are like literally thousands if not millions of swifties in her support who could listen to what Taylor Swift is saying I think I think they do Puja you know you'd be surprised the pop are falling in the US and look you know I think GA made an excellent point here you know she was waiting you know she did not endorse Biden she was waiting and waiting and waiting and this kind of tells you that even she believed and people around kamla Harris believe that she had a strong night to come out and support her right after debate tells you that kamla Harris had a good night uh you know I was just talking to somebody in the spin room right now and I think the general mood is that look Trump was being Trump you know we are all surprised by how well kamah Harris did but by sorry Trump did not have a bad night per se I mean he's he's always had these kinds of nights and he still gets away with that that he'll he'll go on the campaign Trail and talk about some other the stuff he'll probably make up some more stuff but I think the the news is that kamla you know did really well and I think that's why we're all talking about kamla Harris right now but Trump did not have a bad night I mean he you know he did twist some facts you know he tried to bring immigration to most of the stuff that he was talking about they talked about January 6 and he brought an immigration they talk about economy he bring in Immigration he was trying to hit those talking points given by his campaign which are pulling really well in those Battleground States so I think he did not have a that B of A night but it just happens to be that kamla did well and again do you think according to your assessment and what other journalists around you who have all gathered there in Philadelphia what are they saying is the reason that Kamala Harris appears to have also become the talking point what did she do well if Trump was as usual what is it that she surprised the audience with that Taylor Swift immediately endorsing her other possibly other celebrities could come forth too Rohit well look you know I think everybody I mean I think kudos to the Democrats everybody made made sure before the debate that you know she came across as Underdog we had a lot of you know campaign people tell us that you know Trump is so powerful he's his amazing debater and you know kamla is this that so I think they set the expectation bar so low that even if she was to do okay she'd appear as good and actually I think she did good so now everybody's raving about you know how she performed in this debate also the fact that you know she she has been a good debater in the past I mean some clips of you know her are doing grounds down how she was able to have a great debate against Pence she had cornered Joe Biden in 2019 primary debate so she had that quality but to be able to contain herself and delivered on big stage I think that is a big story tonight going back to Taylor Swift Rohit just before you know I toss it back to uh Puja the fact that the photo is telling it's it's telling because she is a political creature in many ways uh Rohit Taylor Swift is no not just any pop star she's political she has a mind she knows exactly what she's doing and she's absolutely powerful the photograph also powerful because she signs off as the childless cat lady now that's a real dick that's really laying it down for Donald Trump and jie vans that you cannot make fun of a woman and get away with it so a massive political message not just in the Endor ment but also in her sign off I think GA it was over 90 minute of the discussion was played in full uh we do not intend to anywh right now put out any edited so to say excerpts but we'll constantly be analyzing it India today was completely from beginning to end was on that discussion so you have it in full gaita I just want to bring it in here that at this point the fact that even India is watching it discussing this discussion and debate because it is not just USA's presidential debate it is going to be about world issues why do you think that this debate has been crucial and is being watched worldwide well it is because at the end of the day the United States of America does set the tone and tenner for how the world looks like it is it shapes World policies not just foreign policy of particular country by dealing bilaterally with the United States of America and the debate right now is over but we will show clips of those important uh uh uh bits in in a while from now there are massive restrictions that we have worked uh with the fact that that that that we're only allowed to show the debate once and then we have to wait for the clips to come in so in unlike how uh we've had in the past where there have been there has been space of using uh the clips from the inter uh from from the debate through uh the first 3 hours of uh of the debate getting over that's not the case this time around so be patient it'll come to you uh coming back to the question on why is the debate so important uh or why is a presidential election in the United States of America itself so important Pua look at the subjects that they covered apart from economy which uh and and domestic policies such as uh abortion immigration fracking Jan 6th there was a massive conversation on what uh happened uh on the 6th of January the insurrection yes and uh and it was not kamla Harris factchecking trump it was it was the the anchors were factchecking Trump on many counts you saw that there were certain areas where maybe Harris was not checked as many times as Trump was checked by the ABC anchors uh that certainly happened but look at the other areas and issues that were discussed they should uh did they discussed the Israel Hamas War correct affects everyone particularly the region uh they discussed uh Russ UK the Russia Ukraine War uh where he actually named Victor Oban and uh spoke of how and why this war was actually not what I do like about Donald Trump in a light-hearted note he constantly claims that people around the world credit him and that people believe that the world is scared of him they would not go to war they would not go to war because of Donald Trump but but do you think there's a certain the certain pattern that he's quoting that he believes because he constantly quoted Iran and he said when I had put sanctions look how weak Iran had become there was not going to be a war but this Administration appears to have taken back the sanctions and look how rich Iran has become so do you think there is certain tenure that he's also quoting you know uh the the discussion over how America has failed in its economic War across the world is for another day but yes uh he did mention Iran and and there is a there is a pattern to what he's done during his presidency he did not take America to war it's a fact he did not he really did try to engage those who they might call dictators but what has what has how has it helped America in calling Putin a dictator or Kim Jong-un and not engaging and uh and and now we seeing tensions in so many parts of the world that maybe could have been averted or avoided yeah we're not saying that you know what Trump does is right or wrong because he stepped out of the Paris agreement he stepped out of jcpa making the entire West Asia a little unstable with Iran he did all of that but none of the uh Wars that America is right now uh a part of were his doing or his making so he does when he says that I don't take my country to war he does mean it and yes uh when it comes to the uh weapons that are being sent abroad the aid that is going abroad uh the economy over here according to him in a shambles and that could that all this money could have helped America rather than going abroad is certainly are certainly areas that's that uh that Trump uh focused on I think I suppose in their preparation they were very clear what are the areas that they're going to focus on and how they're going to put it and and what they say on those issues can actually make a break the kind of audience that's watching it worldwide but also remember Puja this is the first time they're actually meeting in person they've never met Harris and Trump have never met in person before are you saying never met in any of the official Gatherings never ever that's this is the first time that the two sides were meeting they must have prepped uh themselves for what the counter could look like but I do think that um Harris did land some very strong ones there when it comes to those punches where she said you're not talking to Biden you're talking to kamla Harris so on and so forth so uh and and gaita I just want to because I understand this was such an early morning discussion that we put out debate that was full from beginning to end that was on air on India today so G what is your assessment while I was listening to the debate I did think that Donald Trump at some point was surprised because maybe he did not expect Kamala Harris to come this prepared but do you think that she performed better than usual and without saying that I think she did perform better than Joe Biden oh of course she performed better than Joe Biden but uh over here I think she stood her ground and while we talking about standing uh a very um uh interesting snippet over here Puja if you look at the podiums and you will not be able to make out because there's just those two uh window frame right uh but uh zooming out and we'll get those visuals in as well you will see that Trump's Podium is way higher bigger than uh kamla Harris's Podium which is very small short because uh in in a two window you would not want to show the disproportionate size of a Podium given the size difference between Kam Harris and Trump so they actually made a Podium to her size in fact a fun trivia here uh this is the uh the biggest height difference so to say between two presidential candidates ever in the history of US presidential elections 6.4 ft to 5.4 ft so that's the difference and to manage that difference the podiums have been made were made different well there is smart camera work at play and I must say there's smart camera work at play here as well we may be covering uh the the presidential debate gaita from uh from Delhi so to say but for the viewer we are fully in Washington DC right outside the White House and maybe you wouldn't have noticed if uh I wouldn't have told you because our extremely brilliant team have ensured that uh they they prepare this beautiful set for us as well but we looking at these visuals coming in where we are at is basically the Rose Garden in the white house and we are looking at these quots constantly coming in and as in when the the ex servs the chunks start to come in from that almost 2 hour long debate remember as per guidelines it it's a very specific uh about 2 to three minutes uh there are those guidelines that will have to be followed and India Today is ensuring that for the viewer watching it anywhere across the world right now will have access to those excepts as in when that comes but the focus it started from immigration economy local domestic issues then I think the fireworks really flew into the debate Gita when it came to the regional conflicts do you think that that's when both of them came into their own so these are some of the quotes that we are putting out and we'll constantly discuss what happened what is the chatter like and reactions on it as well remember the world was watching this debate Lena good morning Indian Standard time of course heading to midnight for you tell me this about how what was your key takeaway from this debate do you think that U CA Harris relied more on domestic issues while Donald Trump relied for his votes coming in primarily on the regional or the global conflict issues as as confidence would that be correct to say here good morning Puja and good morning everyone thank you for having me yes it was definitely a surprising debate to me personally Harris did better than expected you know I was expecting this awkward uh laugh she's having every time she's speaking somewhere and she managed to keep it together almost until the end of this on the other hand Donald Trump he's usually very vocal he loves to attack people when they're against him sort of to you know correct them but he was very quiet he was sort of reserved waiting let letting her finish even though she was for example attacking him so both of them they sort of Switched their standard talking style and as you said uh Donald Trump felt very strong on the foreign policy because he truly had no war he truly met with all of the leaders and they publicly some of them publicly as for example the Hungarian prime minister Victor Orban they publicly admire him so he has a strong guard on this note on the other hand Harris uh you know she has been sort of hidden under Biden so for her it's way easier to sort of shine because no one really knows what she was doing the past four years no one has any track record except that she was doing what Biden told her and what he was doing um also Linka stay on with you because I just want to go across to Rohit if he continues to be with us Rohit do you also think that U the the whole range of the issues where the confidence came from both of these candidates that for kamla Harris it was about on abortion issues specifically how the administration previously had taken a decision and via the court and on taxes while for Donald Trump it came on I will stop the War I will bring peace why should Americans be involved do you think that was a kind of kind of a distinguished uh rhetoric that they had chosen to speak about well the government has always spoken pretty well about abortion and I think that's that's one of the areas she's very comfortable with she she knows what her policy is going to be uh and the other one you know on on foreign foreign policy and I probably she in the wars I think Trump wanted to Conner Harris because you know as As Trump said there were no Wars when he was the president the war started only after he left the White House and he wanted to Corner them saying that America is involved indirectly in these two Wars and he could probably end these two Wars so yes I think your your s is correct on that but also I also think that KLA wanted to sort of distance herself from Biden's policy and she was not able to do it I'll come back to you in just a short while Linka I I'll take that question to you and also to Gita do you think where do you think kamla possibly scored a point and where do you think uh Donald Trump perhaps kept his confidence in this debate on on many counts I think that uh Harris did quite well uh he she did manage to Corner uh um Donald Trump when it comes to Performance and economy itself she had number to show for uh when it comes to abortion uh we know that you know it's a it's a really divided house and she tried to put uh Trump on the mat but it is when the IVF conversation that she brought in uh maybe uh on hindsight she could have done without because abortion itself was a big Reproductive Rights itself is a big big uh win for uh for the Democrats uh but the moment she brought that in he actually turned it around and in his uh in his rebuttal spoke of how he's been an advocate of IVF so on and so forth as well and that uh almost fact checked her immigration another very important area where uh where uh a strong point for Trump but I think kamla Harris also made her points quite uh clearly so in terms of what the policies are and uh the entire thing about gun control and taking guns off the shelves is not going to happen much to the dismay maybe of many people who are actually wanting that uh but uh but a clear policy decision there again you know Republicans and those fenor would be listening to what uh kamla Harris as the Democratic presidential candidate is saying um the race issue dictators uh Medicare and climate change all of them I think climate change he also said that you know he had earlier said it's it was a hoax it's not it's a reality yes so gaita stay on with you because Lena also continues to be with us Lena um it was interesting when he tried to also pin her down with that blatant uh the the word that he used and if I'm correct he said she hates Israel and he realized what he was saying because that clearly has a certain support base in America or as a policy uh has been as history has been with regard to America's decision to support Israel that he said she doesn't want Israel to exist if they continue Israel will blow up in fact in fact if I could just add Lena she actually goes on he actually went on to say that in uh Harris did not attend the joint session of the Congress when Netanyahu was there and that she refused to meet Netanyahu so she he was he was backing it with the with what happened during netanyahu's visit to the United States of America that I felt was a direct charge because that is one big polarizing issue in USA isn't it uh definitely it's a huge issue and I have friends who are Democrats and don't like Cala Harris just because of this topic because of Gaza and Palestine and Israel they told me they don't want to vote for Harris because they think she's not doing enough to achieve peace and that she's letting the people in Gaza to get massacred on the other hand uh Donald Trump uh he pointed out that of course she was not present at the speech of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu which is which is a big deal and he as you also said uh he predicted that Israel could disappear within two years if she would uh become the president so she's having tough time of balancing this sort of position of first of all making happy the Arab Americans and also making happy the Jewish population which is quite large in the United States and she's sometimes not making happy any of those two groups because she's somewhere in the middle one time saying this another time saying that I would like also to mention that uh the ABC reporters uh they rather teamed up against Donald Trump they were factchecking him on the spot they were almost uh going back towards him with all the questions and some of the questions also felt like they were opinionated against him I personally didn't enjoy it I I I felt frustrated and it was painful to watch their moderation so it was not a over yeah okay for Trump that's that's that goes without saying uh the Biden Trump uh debate was an absolute disaster and if you look at that and you look at this uh Harris knew exactly what she was coming in with she had a plan uh the questions both sides must have prepared and prepped up but I do think that she landed a few good punches and she definitely I think compared to Biden came across as someone who could also challenge Trump a lot rather than like you said give a walk over like it did happen sort of previously between Biden and Trump let's talk about issues and we'll of course over the course of next one hour constantly play out excerpts for you because I understand it was early morning India Today Was live earlier than usual this morning G and I constantly listening bit to bit but gaita what do you think perhaps was the highlight of this debate do you think it was immigration it was the global Regional conflicts Ukraine Russia Israel Hamas or do you think it was the local issues of America that Americans are listening and then taking a view on it I think everything was uh in a way localized because they were catering to the domestic audience and their voters so everything was how it impacts you and how it is going to look uh for you uh the the one of the key things that I saw where she actually made a huge difference in the Biden Harris Administration to Harris the vice presidential candidate was when she told him that this is you're not speaking to bid you're speaking to kamla Harris here so she made that distinction because that distinction was important everybody before the uh debate Puja was talking about how she's coming with an Administration baggage the anti-incumbency the fact that people are questioning and are tired but I think there were a few important takeaways when it comes to the economy that I think was very important because both sides needed to put uh what they think are they're going to do uh while she said that we have these plans he said I don't have an exact plan I can spell out right now but when when I'm President we will have that I do have ideas for what things should look like and how they should go there was a lot of factchecking also that was happening along the way uh when it comes to um jobs unemployment because Trump did hit out part where she did come back he appeared to be more confident consistently was the war situation the regional conflict because kamla Harris was where Donald Trump tried to pin her down or the Biden Administration down saying look what Iran has become it's richer than it was or the I the the conflict I I like how he constantly rated saying if I'm president-elect even before I take oath I will ensure that the war is over now of course there's a certain confident rhetoric to it more than whether it can happen or not but do you think that's one of the planks because the regional Wars have bothered Americans that they are sort of part of a conflict which is not direct do you think and polarized also and polarized and really made a huge uh impact on how these elections are going to look like because a lot of a lot of uh Democrats uh and fencers who might not be very happy with the situation in Gaza have questioned the Harris Administration she really needed convincing them that uh that she will you know chart her own path when it comes to these wars but also talking about and putting him on the mat on how he's friends with uh with all these dictators and strong men like men and dictators and that's why you know things were different when he and they they take cues from him to which he actually said that it's actually not that they're scared of me is the reason why there were no Wars and the fact that you are incompetent one very important thing over here Puja was also the fact that they were mute buttons but both of them were constantly on air you know with being seen so while there was no cross talk happening you saw a lot of expressions from kamla Harris every time Trump spoke she would shake her head say no he's lying and she would mime he's lying all the time he's lying that's not true that's not correct and the usual Trump expression too and Trump's expression was a smoke or or a little irritated she used that space that space of quiet on a window when he's speaking to shake her head or say it's it's a lie I think that also well I I could say fact silent fact this is confirmed that mute buttons are not only for Indian news channels but also as much in America gaita but uh like you mentioned I think it was as much about local issues but Regional issues that impact local views as well uh within America stay on with me let's go across now to Washington DC remember India Today is the only Indian news Channel right now that's been live since morning from the ground zero as well that's where Rohit Sharma a journalist is joining me right now Rohit so a mark difference like we have been discussing uh not many memes possibly this time over the debate but a lot of talk over the issues what is the sentiment on the ground what are you picking up about the chatter in America well first things first this is not Washington DC where I'm standing right now is the debate Center here Del it's more everybody know that we at yeah and I think you know very interesting debate very St contrast from what we saw in June uh very different opponent uh you know first things first I mean J Harris goes and shakes hands with President uh president Trump s off a little bit he wasn't expecting that I don't think he was uh very different competitor she was forceful she had prepared well she was in Pennsylvania for five days and she I think it came across that she was very well prepared I think prop trying to Wing some of his answers and he's always done that this was his seventh presidential debate he just came and you know he thought he could just get away by saying things and he was corrected at least five times I counted at least five times by the moderator and obviously multiple times like Harris so I think Prim of face I think it's a good night for KLA Harris you know the expectations were low she didn't have to you know nobody expected her to do as well as she did and nobody expected Don Trump to lose this debate I think you know at the end of the day both the campaigns will have will take a lot of talking points for this but I think kamla Harris you know I mean we've seen her debate before and I think she was able to show her skills as a debat I think other other thing that a lot of people here and we were all talking and chatting during the commercial breaks but the fact that Donald Trump did not expect a lot of zingers you know these on liners from Kamala Harris and she delivered them with punch there's one Zinger that Trump trump also delivered that landed it was about you know don't disturb me while I'm talking and it you know kind of reminds you of or heard that before so I mean at the end of the day I think gah has gone through the debate uh you know unharmed uh and then you know the the the campaign that person I was speaking with earlier today said that was the goal to make sure that she shimi come across as presentable uh one journalist that I was speaking with noted that she did better than H Clinton 2016 uh and this gives her campaign the Boost that they needed because she was her bump was Tattooing in Poles she was you she was going down in some of the key Battleground States I think her campaign will use this and take it Forward I mean this is not going to me a lot of people said this could be the end of the of the election from does well and she does not do well the election is sealed and I think we'll see a very very competitive race from here on Puja very interesting Rohit stay on with me because we're also joined by journalist Linka white and about the the the discussion that's happening currently in the USA and GA and I constantly analyzing on this Swift who has literally a swifties army of young admirers of the work of Taylor Swift were listening when she shared a social media post right after the debate concluded Taylor Swift announced that she endorses Kamala Harris this was a powerful statement remember and it was a long post where Taylor Swift praised Kamala Harris as a leader who fights for the rights and causes that will make America better she also emphasized that haris has a calm demeanor that she has a steady leadership quality and that's what the country needs calm not Cs and then she also contrasted it with how there have been videos and misinformation about her that she allegedly surounded and supported Trump that is not true so along with this remember when she shared the post she also featured herself with a cat it wasn't just a coincidental image it was a dig at Republican vice president Pig JD W captioning it the childless cat lady a clear J at the past comments made by the running mate of Donald Trump it was in 2021 when once had made a certain comment that there are these childless cat ladies during an interview with Tucker Carlson so this remember is is also now a question can this change the course because when Taylor Swift or someone of that stature makes an endorsement about a politician ahead of Elections and especially hitting at first time voters young voters 18 19 year old she's also mentioned that they need to register early land up early at the polling Booth can that change the cost specifically on lacks of those younger audience that are huge fans of Taylor Swift when she recently held a concert it was fully packed there was also some controversy about it when it came to a worldwide tour with a possible terror attack Gita Mona a foreign affairs editor joining me on the latest on that Gita how significant how big of a highlight do you think is Taylor Swift endorsing kamla haris well it is a massive massive endorsement it comes after a lot of uh speculation so to say not that you would have endorsed Trump and anyway uh but the fact is that when Biden Trump uh presidential debate was to take place there was a lot of question as to whether Taylor Swift will come out and endorse uh Biden or not of the democratic party and even after he stepped down and kamla Harris was nominated as the candidate again there were a lot of questions as to why is it that Taylor Swift is taking so long will she endorse kamla Harris or not and uh one thought that after the DNC it would have happened it did not happen after the Democratic National Convention where she was forly announced the uh nomy for the Democratic uh uh uh party uh and and right now after immediately after the first presidential debate between uh Harris and Trump we see her come out and endorse and not just endorse she is not just any Superstar she's not just any pop star uh Puja she is an influencer she's very influential in fact she's one of the most powerful women in the world not just in the United States of America with a massive following so everybody was waiting to see what she's really going to do and she's made a rather political statement look at the statement that has been put out it very specifically speaks of why she chose to why this time uh the AI generated uh video of hers and uh and Donald Trump using that uh on his uh handle which she has now put to rest saying that this is all false you can only beat uh lies with truth this is her truth her truth is that she's going to vote for uh kamla Harris but she also says that it is for you to choose make your choices do your research and you based on your research you should go ahead and vote she also then goes ahead and says for those who are voting appealing to voters to come out and vote so she's done it all and she signed off uh as uh the uh what did she call herself uh the childless cat lady that childless cat lady the and also if if there's any doubt about why politicians Bank on possibly an endorsement like this according to the Forbes annual listt in 2023 Taylor Swift was marked as the fifth most powerful woman in the world not just in the USA in the world and possibly that's why such an endorsement can it change the course of the elections and kamla Harris thereby could get more Wes it'll be interesting watch thank you very much for now Gita moan tracking all the latest on the US presidential debate the biggest pop superstars who has millions of especially young followers Taylor Swift has endorsed Kamala Harris in fact Gita just informed me about that it's big news remember because she'd been she'd been so to say silent all this while uh Rohit a quick word from you on this that Taylor Swift endorsing Kamala Harris do you think something like this makes a huge difference possibly to the younger audience to the younger person first time voters absolutely all the SS are going to vote for K Harish and Joe Biden in 2020 and look at the things Kam talked about she talked about abortion uh you know females having Reproductive Rights she talked about you know how she has made it in her own story as a female and at the end of the day you've all talked about breaking that glass ceiling one day eventually so this is a very very big deal okay well can I just come in of course very big deal Ro the fact that Taylor Swift and I remember we were discussing this earlier as well and we've done stories on this on how Taylor Swift uh stood uh did not really endorse Biden and there was so much pressure on uh Taylor Swift whether she's going to endorse not endorsed then the debate happened uh a singular disaster for the Democratic team and uh there was no endorsement there then kamla Harris was nominated presidential candidate no endorsement from Taylor with Rohit and finally I suppose she waited to see how kamla Harris will do to really then endorse her is is is the reading right and and Rohit also tell us about the swifties army that she has do you think there are like literally thousands if not millions of swifties in her support who could listen to what Taylor Swift is saying I think I think they do Puja you know you'd be surprised the pop culture falling in the US and look you know I think G made an excellent point here you know she was waiting you know she did not endorse Biden she was waiting and waiting and waiting and this kind of tells you that even she believed and people around kamla Harris believe that she had a strong night to come out and support her right after debate tells you that kamla Harris had a good night uh you know I was just talking to somebody in the spin room right now and I think the general mood is that look Trump was being Trump you know we are all surprised by how well kamah Harris did but B sorry Trump did not have a bad night per se I mean he's he's always had these kinds of nights and he still gets away with that he'll he'll go on the campaign Trail and talk about some of the stuff he'll probably make up some more stuff but I think the the news is that kamla you know did really well and I think that's why we're all talking about kamla Harris right now but Trump did not have a bad night I mean he you know he did TST some facts you know he tried to bring immigration to most of the stuff that he was talking about they talked about January 6 and he brought an immigration they talked about economy he bring the immigration he was trying to H those talking points given by his campaign which are pulling really well in those Battleground States so I think he does not have a that bad of a night but it just happens to be that kamla did well and again do you think according to your assessment and what other journalists around you who have all gathered there in Philadelphia what are they saying is the reason that Kamala Harris appears to have also become the talking point what did she do well if Trump was as usual what is it that she surprised the audience with that Taylor Swift immediately endorsing her other possibly other celebrities could come forth too Rohit well look uh you know I think everybody I mean I think kudos to the Democrats everybody made made sure before the debate that you know she came across as Underdog we had a lot of you know campaign people tell us that you know Trump is so powerful he's his amazing debater and you know kamla is this that so I think they set the expectation bar so low that even if she was to do okay she'd appear as good and actually I think she did good so now everybody's raving about you know how she performed in this debate also the fact that you know know she she has been a good debater in the past I mean some clips of you know her are doing grounds down how she was able to have a great debate against Pence she had Corner Joe Biden in 2019 primary debate so she had that quality but to be able to contain herself and delivered on big States I think that is the big story tonight going back to Taylor Swift Rohit just before you know I toss it back to uh Puja the fact that the photo is telling it's it's telling because she is a political creature in many ways Rohit Taylor Swift is no not just any pop star she's political she has a mind she knows exactly what she's doing and she's absolutely powerful the photograph also powerful because she signs off as the childless cat lady now that's a real dick that's really laying it down for Donald Trump and jie Van that you cannot make fun of a woman and get away with it so a massive political message not just in the endorsement but also in her sign off I think GA it was over 90 minutes of the discussion was played in full uh we do not intend to anywh right now put out any edited so to say excerpts but we'll constantly be analyzing it India today was completely from beginning to end was on that discussion so you have it in full gaita I just want to bring it in here that at this point the fact that even India is watching it discussing this discussion and debate because it is not just USA's presidential debate it is going to be about world issues why do you think that this debate has been crucial and is being wased worldwide well it is because at the end of the day the United States of America does set the tone and tenor for how the world looks like it is it shapes World policies not just foreign policy of particular country by dealing bilaterally with the United States of America and the debate right now is over but we will show clips of those important uh uh uh B in in a while from now there are massive restrictions that we have worked uh with the fact that that that that we're only allowed to show the debate once and then we have to wait for the clips to come in so in unlike how uh we've had in the past where there have been there has been space of using uh the clips from the inter uh from from the debate through uh the first 3 hours of uh of the debate getting over that's not the case this time around so be patient it'll come to you uh coming back to the question on why is the debate so important uh or why is a presidential election in the United States of America itself so important P I look at the subjects that they covered apart from economy which uh and and domestic policies such as uh abortion immigration fracking Jan 6th there was a massive conversation on what uh happened uh on the 6th of January the insurrection yes and uh and it was not kamla Harris factchecking trump it was it the the anchors were factchecking Trump on many counts you saw that there were certain areas where maybe Harris was not checked as many times as Trump was checked by the ABC anchors uh that certainly happened but look at the other areas and issues that were discussed they should uh they discussed the Israel Hamas War correct affects everyone particularly the region uh they discussed uh the the Russia Ukraine War uh where he actually named Victor Oban and uh spoke of how and why this war was actually not what I do like about Donald Trump in a light-hearted note he constantly claims that people around the world credit him and that people believe that the world is scared of him they would not go to war they would not go to war because of Donald Trump but but do you think there's a certain the certain pattern that he's quoting that he believes because he constantly quoted Iran and he said when I had put sanctions look how weak Iran had become there was not going to be a war but this Administration appears to have taken back the sanctions and look how rich Iran has become so do you think there is certain tenure that he's also quoting you know uh the the discussion over how America has failed in its economic War across the world is for another day but yes uh he did mention Iran and and there is a there is a pattern to what he's done during his presidency he did not take America to war it's a fact he did not he really did try to engage those who they might call dictators but what has what has how has it helped America in calling Putin a dictator or Kim Jong-un and not engaging and uh and and now we're seeing tensions in so many parts of the world that maybe could have been averted or avoided here we're not saying that you know what Trump does is right or wrong because he stepped out of the Paris agreement stepped out of jcpa making the entire West Asia a little unstable with Iran he did all of that but none of the uh Wars that America is right now uh a part of were his doing or his making so he does when he says that I don't take my country to war he does mean it and yes uh when it comes to the uh weapons that are being sent abroad the aid that is going abroad uh the economy over here according to him in a shambles and that could that all this money could have helped America rather than going abroad is certainly are certainly areas that's that uh that Trump uh focused on I think I suppose in their preparation they were very clear what are the areas that they're going to focus on and how they're going to put it and and what they say on those issues can actually make a break the kind of audience that's watching it worldwide but also remember Puja this is the first time they're actually meeting in person they've never met had haris and Trump have never met in person before are you saying never met in any of the official Gatherings never ever that's quite this their first time that the two sides were meeting they must have prepped uh themselves for what the counter could look like but I do think that um Harris did land some very strong ones there when it comes to those punches where she said you're not talking to Biden you're talking to kamla Harris so on and so forth so uh and and GA I just want to because I understand this was such an early morning discussion that we put out debate that was full from beginning to end that was on air on India today so Gita what is your assessment while I was listening to the debate I did think that Donald Trump at some point was surprised because maybe he did not expect Kamala Harris to come this prepared but do you think that she performed better than usual and without saying that I think she did perform better than Joe Biden oh of course she performed better than Joe Biden but but uh over here I think she stood her ground and while we talking about standing uh a very um uh interesting snippet over here Puja if you look at the podiums and you will not be able to make out because there's just those two uh window frame right uh but uh zooming out and we'll get those visuals in as well you will see that Trump's Podium is way higher bigger than uh kamla Harris's Podium which is very small short because uh in in a two window you would not want to show the disproportionate size of a Podium given the size difference between kamla Harris and Trump so they actually made a Podium to her size in fact a fun trivia here uh this is the uh the biggest height difference so to say between two presidential candidates ever in the history of US presidential elections 6.4 ft to 5.4 ft so that's the and to manage that difference the podiums have been made were made different well there is smart camera work at play and I must say there's smart camera work at play here as well we may be covering uh the the presidential debate gaita from uh from Delhi so to say but for the viewer we are fully in Washington DC right outside the White House and maybe you wouldn't have noticed if uh I wouldn't have told you because our extremely brilliant team have ensured that uh they they prepare this beautiful said for us as well but we're looking at these visuals coming in where we are at is basically the Rose Garden in the white house and we are looking at these quotes constantly coming in and as in when the the ex servs the chunks start to come in from that almost 2 hour long debate remember as per guidelines it it's a very specific uh about 2 to three minutes uh there are those guidelines that will have to be followed and India Today is ensuring that for the viewer watching it anywhere across the world right now will have access to those excerts as in one that comes but the focus it started from immigration economy local domestic issues then I think the fireworks really flew into the debate gaita when it came to the regional conflicts do you think that that's when both of them came into their own so these are some of the quotes that we are putting out and we'll constantly discuss what happened what is the chatter like and reactions on it as well remember the world was watching this debate Lena good morning Indian stand time of course heading to midnight for you tell me this about how what was your key takeaway from this debate do you think that um Kamala Harris relied more on domestic issues while Donald Trump relied for his votes coming in primarily on the regional or the global conflict issues as as confidence would that be correct to say here good morning Puja and good morning everyone thank you for having me yes it was definitely a surprising debate to me personally uh Harris did better than expected you know I was expecting this awkward uh laugh she's having every time she's speaking somewhere and she managed to keep it together almost until the end of this on the other hand Donald Trump he's usually very vocal he loves to attack people when they're against him sort of to you know correct them but he was very quiet he was sort of reserved waiting let letting her finish even though she was for example attacking him so both of them they sort of Switched their standard talking style and as you said uh Donald Trump felt very strong on the foreign policy because he truly had no war he truly met with all of the leaders and they publicly some of them publicly as for example the Hungarian prime minister Victor Orban they publicly admire him so he has a strong guard heart on this note on the other hand Harris uh you know she has been sort of hidden under Biden so for her it's way easier to sort of shine because no one really knows what she was doing the past four years no one has any track record except that she was doing what Biden told her and what he was doing um also Linka stay on with me because I just want to go across to Rohit if he continues to be with us U Rohit do you also think that uh the the whole range of the issues where the confidence came from both of these candidates that for kamla Harris it was about on abortion issues specifically how the administration previously had taken a decision and via the court and on taxes while for Donald Trump it came on I will stop the War I will bring peace why should Americans be involved do you think that was a kind of kind of a distinguished uh rhetoric that they had chosen to speak about well has always spoken pretty well about I think that's that's one of the areas she's very comfortable with she she knows what her policy is going to be uh and the other one you know on foreign foreign policy and I probably she's in the wars I think Trump wanted to Conner Harris because you know as As Trump said there were no Wars when he was the president the war started only after he left the White House and he wanted to Corner them saying that America is involved indirectly in these two Wars and he could probably end these two Wars so yes I think your your s is correct on that but also I also think that KLA wanted to sort of distance herself from Biden policy and she was not able to do it I'll come back to you in just a short while Linka I I'll take that question to you and also to Gita do you think where do you think kamla possibly scored a point and where do you think uh Donald Trump perhaps kept his confidence in this debate on on many counts I think that uh Harris did quite well uh he she did manage to Corner uh um Donald Trump when it comes to Performance and economy itself she had number numbers to show for uh when it comes to abortion uh we know that you know it's a it's a really divided house and she try to put uh Trump on the mat but it is when the IVF conversation that she brought in uh maybe uh on Hind side she could have done without because abortion itself was a big Reproductive Rights itself is a big big uh win for uh for the Democrats uh but the moment she brought that in he actually turned it around and in his uh in his rebuttal spoke of how he's been an advocate of IVF so on and so forth as well and that uh almost fact checked her immigration another very important area where uh where uh a strong point for Trump but I think kamla Harris also made her points quite uh clearly so in terms of what the policies are and uh the entire thing about gun control and taking guns off the shelves is not going to happen much to the dismay maybe of many people who were actually wanting that uh but uh but a clear policy decision there again you know Republicans and those fens itors would be listening to what uh kamla Harris as the Democratic presidential candidate is saying um the race issue dictators uh Medicare and climate change all of them I think climate change he also said that you know he had earlier said it's it was a HX it's not it's a reality yes so gaita stay on with you because Lena also continues to be with us Lena um it was very interesting when he tried to also pin her down with that blatant uh the the word that he used and if I'm correct he said she hates Israel and he realized what he was saying because that clearly has a certain support base in America or as a policy uh has been as history has been with regard to America's decision to support Israel that he said she doesn't want Israel to exist if they continue Israel will blow up in fact in fact if I could just add Lena she actually goes on he actually went on to say that in uh Harris did not attend the joint session of the Congress when Netanyahu was there and that she refused to meet Netanyahu so she he was he was backing it with the with what happened during netanyahu's visit to the United States of America that I felt was a direct charge because that is one big polarizing issue in USA isn't it uh definitely it's a huge issue and I have friends who are Democrats and don't like Kamala Harris just because of this topic because of Gaza and Palestine and Israel they told me they don't want to vote for Harris because they think she's not doing enough to achieve peace and that she's letting the people in Gaza to get massacred on the other hand uh Donald Trump uh he pointed out that of course she was not present at the speech of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu which is which is a big deal and he as you also said uh he predicted that Israel could disappear within two years years if she would uh become the president so she's having tough time of balancing this sort of position of first of all making happy the Arab Americans and also making happy the Jewish population which is quite large in the United States and she's sometimes not making happy any of those two groups because she's somewhere in the middle one time saying this another time saying that I would like also to mention that uh the ABC reporters uh they rather teamed up against Donald Trump they were factchecking him on the spot they were almost uh going back towards him with all the questions uh and some of the questions also felt like they were opinionated against him I personally didn't enjoy it I I I felt frustrated and it was painful to watch their moderation so it was not talk over yeah okay for Trump that's that's that goes without saying uh the Biden Trump uh debate was an absolute disaster and if you look at that and you look at this uh Harris knew exactly what she was coming in with she had a plan uh the questions both sides must have prepared and prepped up but I do think that she landed a few good punches and she definitely I think compared to Biden came across as someone who could also challenge Trump a lot rather than like you said give a walk over like it did happen sort of previously between Biden and Trump let's talk about issues and we'll of course uh over the course of next one hour constantly play out excerpts for you because I understand it was early morning India Today Was live earlier than usual this morning G and I constantly listening bit to bit but gaita what do you think perhaps was the highlight of this debate do you think it was immigration it was the global Regional conflicts Ukraine Russia Israel Hamas or do you think it was the local issues of America that Americans are listen and then taking a view on it I think everything was uh in a way localized because they were catering to the domestic audience and their voters so everything was how it impacts you and how it is going to look uh for you uh the the one of the key things that I saw where she actually made a huge difference in the Biden Harris Administration to Harris the vice presidential candidate was when she told him that this is you're not speaking to Biden you're speaking to kamla Harris here so she made that distinction because that distinction was important everybody before the uh debate Puja was talking about how she's coming with an Administration baggage the anti-incumbency the fact that people are questioning and are tired but I think there were a few important takeaways when it comes to the economy that I think was very important because both sides needed to put uh what they think are they're going to do uh while she said that we have these plans he said I don't have an exact plan I can spell out right now but when when I'm President we will have that I do have ideas for what things should look like and how they should go there was a lot of fact checking also that was happening along the way uh when it comes to um jobs unemployment because Trump did hit out part she did come back he appeared to be more confident consistently was the war situation the regional conflict because kamla Harris was where Donald Trump tried to pin her down or the Biden Administration down saying look what Iran has become it's richer than it was or the I the the conflict I I like how he constantly rated saying if I'm President elect even before I take oath I will ensure that the war is over now of course there's a certain confident rhetoric to it more than whether it can happen or not but do you think that's one of the planks because the regional Wars have bothered Americans that they are sort of part of a conflict which is not direct do you think polarized also and polarized and really made a huge uh impact on how these elections are going to look like because a lot of a lot of uh Democrats uh and fenor who might not be very happy with the situation in Gaza have questioned the Harris Administration she really needed convincing them that uh that she will you know chart her own path when it comes to these wars but also talking about and putting him on the mat on how he's friends with uh with all these dictators and strong men like men and dictators and that's why you know things were different when he and they they take cues from him to which he actually said that it's actually not that they're scared of me is the reason why there were no Wars and the fact that you are incompetent one very important thing over here Puja was also the fact that they were mute buttons but both of them were constantly on air you know with being seen so while there was no cross talk happening you saw a lot of expressions from kamla Harris every time Trump spoke she would shake her head say no he's lying and she would mime he's lying all the time he's lying that's not true that's not and the usual Trump expression too and Trump's expression was a smoke or a little irritated she used that space that space of quiet on a window when he's speaking to shake her head or say it's it's a lie I think that also well I I could say here fact silent fact this is confirmed that mute buttons are not only for Indian news channels but also as much in America gaita but uh like you mentioned I think it was as much about local issues but Regional issues that impact local views as well uh within America stay on with me let's go across now to Washington DC remember India Today is the only Indian news Channel right now that's been live since morning from the ground zero as well that's where Rohit Sharma a journalist is joining me right now Rohit so a mark difference like we have been discussing uh not many memes possibly this time over the debate but a lot of talk over the issues what is the sentiment on the ground what are you picking up about the chatter in America well first things first this is not Washington DC where I'm standing right now is the debate Center here Del more let everybody know that we at yeah and I think you know very interesting debate very stark contrast from what we saw in June uh very different opponent uh you know first things first I mean Harris goes and shakes hands with President uh president Trump s off a little bit he wasn't expecting that I don't think he was a very different competitor uh she was forceful she had prepared well she was in Pennsylvania for five days and she I think it came across that she was very well prepared I think prop was trying to Wing some of his answers and he's always done that this was his seventh presidential debate he just came and you know he thought he could just get away by saying things and he was corrected at least five times I counted at least five times by the moderators mean and obviously multiple times like Harris so I think Prim of face I think it's a good night for k Harris you know the expectations were low she didn't have to you know nobody expected her to do as well as she did and nobody expected Donald Trump to lose this debate I think you know at the end of the day both the campaigns will have will take a lot of talking points for this but I think kamla Harris you know I mean we've seen her debate before uh and I think she was able to show her skills as a debater I think other other thing that a lot of people oberved here and we were all talking and chatting during the commercial breaks but the fact that Donald Trump did not expect a lot of zingers you know these on liners from Kamala Harris and she delivered them with punch there's one Zinger that Trump trump also delivered that landed it was about you know don't disturb me while I'm talking and you know kind of reminds you of or heard that before so I mean at the end of the day I think K has gone through the debate uh you know unharmed uh and then you know the the campaign that person I was speaking with earlier today said that was the goal to make sure that she she come across as presentable uh one journalist that I was speaking with noted that she did better than Hill Clinton 2016 uh and this gives her campaign the Boost that they needed because she was her bump was Tattooing in Poles she was she was going down in some of the key Battleground States I think her campaign will use this and take it Forward I mean this is not going to mean a lot of people said this could be the end of the of the election from does well and she does not do well the election is sealed and I think we'll see a very very competitive race from here on hja very interesting Rohit stay on with me because we're also joined by journalist Linka white and about the the discussion that's happening currently in the USA and GA and I constantly analyzing on this Swift who has literally a swifties army of young admirers of the work of Taylor Swift were listening when she shared a social media post right after the debate concluded Taylor Swift announced that she endorses Kamala Harris this was a powerful statement remember and it was a long post where Taylor Swift praised Kamala Harris as a leader who fights for the rights and causes that will make America better she also emphasized that Harris has a calm demeanor that she has a steady leadership quality and that's what the country needs calm not cures and then she also contrasted it with how there have been videos and misinformation about her that she allegedly surrounded and supported Trump that is not true so along with this remember when she shared the post she also featured herself with a cat it wasn't just a coincidental image it was a dig at Republican vice president Pig JD W captioning it the childless cat lady a clear Jive at the past comments made by the running mate of Donald Trump it was in 2021 when once had made a certain comment that there are these childless cat ladies during an interview with Tua Carlson so this remember is also now a question can this change the course because when Taylor Swift or someone of that stature makes an endorsement about a politician ahead of Elections and especially hitting at first time voters young voters 18 19 year old she's also mentioned that they need to register early land up early at the polling Booth can that change the cost specifically on lacks of those younger audience that are huge fans of Taylor Swift when she recently held a concert it was fully packed there was also some controversy about it when it came to a worldwide tour with a possible terror attack Gita Mona a foreign affairs editor joining me on the latest on that Gita how significant how big of a highlight do you think is Taylor Swift endorsing kamla Harris well it is a massive massive endorsement it comes after a lot of uh speculation so to say not that you would have endorsed Trump and anyway uh but the fact is that when Biden Trump uh uh presidential debate was to take place there was a lot of question as to whether Taylor Swift will come out and endorse uh Biden or not of the democratic party and even after he stepped down and kamla Harris was nominated as the candidate again there were a lot of questions as to why is it that Taylor Swift is taking so long will she endorse kamla Harris or not and uh one thought that after the DNC it would have happened it did not happen after the Democratic National Convention where she was former announced the uh Nomine for the Democratic uh uh uh party uh and and right now after immediately after the first presidential debate between uh Harris and Trump we see her come out and endorse and not just endorse she is not just any Superstar she's not just any pop star uh Puja she is an influencer she's very influential in fact she's one of the most powerful women in the world not just in the United States of America America with a massive following so everybody was waiting to see what she's really going to do and she's made a rather political statement look at the statement that has been put out it very specifically speaks of why she chose to why this time uh the AI generated uh video of hers and uh and Donald Trump using that uh on his uh handle which she has now put to rest saying that this is all false you can only beat uh lies with truth this is her truth her truth is that she's going to vote for uh kamla Harris but she also says that it is for you to choose make your choices do your research and you based on your research you should go ahead and vote she also then goes ahead and says for those who are voting appealing to voters to come out and vote so she's done it all and she signed off uh as uh the uh what did she call herself uh the childless cat lady that childless cat lady the and also if if there's any doubt about why politicians Bank on possibly an endorsement like this according to the Forbes annual list in 2023 Taylor Swift was marked as the fifth most powerful woman in the world not just in the USA in the world and possibly that's why such an endorsement can it change the course of the elections and kamla Harris thereby could get more votes it'll be interesting you watch thank you very much for now Gita moan tracking all the latest on the US presidential debate the biggest pop superstars who has millions of especially young followers Taylor Swift has endorsed Kamala Harris in fact Gita just informed me about that it's big news remember because she'd been she'd been so to say silent all this while uh Rohit a quick word from you on this that Taylor Swift endorsing Kamala Harris do you think something like this makes a huge difference possibly to the younger audience to the younger first time voters absolutely all the SS are going to vote for k Harris she that Joe Biden in 20120 and look at the things Kam talked about she talked about abortion uh you know females having Reproductive Rights she talked about you know how she has made it in her own story as a female and at the end of the day we've all talked about breaking that glass ceiling one day eventually so this is a very very big deal okay well can I just come in of course very big deal Ro the fact that Taylor Swift and I remember we were discussing this earlier as well and we've done stories on this on how Taylor Swift uh stood uh did not really endorse Biden and there was so much pressure on uh Taylor Swift whether she's going to endorse not endorsed then the debate happened uh a singular disaster for the Democratic team and uh there was no endorsement there then kamla Harris was nominated presidential candidate no endorsement from Taylor with Rohit and finally I suppose she waited to see how kamla Harris will do to really then endorse her is is is the reading right and and Rohit also tell us about the swifties army that she has do you think there are like literally thousands if not millions of swifties in her support who could listen to what Taylor Swift is saying I think I think they do Puja you know you'd be surpris the pop culture falling in the US and look you know I think GA made an excellent point here you know she was you know she did not endorse Biden she was waiting and waiting and waiting and this kind of tells you that even she believes and people around Kam Harris believe that she had a strong night to come out and support her right after debate tells you that KLA Harris had a good night uh you know I was just talking to somebody in the spin room right now and I think the general mood is that look Trump was being Trump you know we are all surprised by how well kamah Harris did but B sorry Trump did not have a bad night per se I mean he he's always had these kinds of nights and he still gets away with that he'll he'll go on the campaign Trail and talk about some other stuff he'll probably make up some more stuff but I think this the news is that kamla you know did really well and I think that's why we're all talking about kamla Harris right now but Trump did not have a bad night I mean he you know he did twist some facts you know he tried to bring immigration to most of the stuff that he was talking about they talked about January 6 and he brought in Immigration they talk about economy he bring in Immigration he was trying to hit those talking points given by his campaign which are pulling really well in those Battleground States so I think he he did not have a that bad of a night but it just happens to be that kamla did well and again do you think according to your assessment and what other journalists around you who have all gathered there in Philadelphia what are they saying is the reason that Kamala Harris appears to have also become the talking point what did she do well if Trump was as usual what is it that she surprised the audience with that Taylor Swift immediately endorsing her other possibly other celebrities could come forth too Rohit well look uh you know I think everybody I mean I think are kudos to the Democrats everybody made made sure before the debate that you know she came across with Underdog we had a lot of you know campaign people tell us that you know Trump is so powerful he's his amazing debater and you know kamla is is this that so I think just set the expectation bar so low that even if she was to do okay she'd appear as good and actually I think she did good so now everybody's raving about you know how she performed in this debate also the fact that you know she she has been a good debater in the past I mean some clips of you know her are doing grounds down how she was able to have a great debate against Pence she had Corner Joe Biden in 2019 primary debate so she had that quality but to be able to contain herself and delivered on big stage I think that is a big story tonight going back to Taylor Swift Rohit just before you know I toss it back to uh Puja the fact that the photo is telling it's it's telling because she is a political creature in many ways Rohit Taylor Swift is no not just any pop star she's political she has a mind she knows exactly what she's doing and she's absolutely powerful the photograph also powerful because she signs off as the childless cat lady now that's a real dick that's really laying it down for Donald Trump and J vans that you cannot make fun of a woman and get away with it so a massive political message not just in the endorsement but also in her sign off I think GA it was over 90 minute of the discussion was played in full uh we do not intend to anyway right now put out any edited so to say excerpts but we'll constantly be analyzing it India today was completely from beginning to end was on that discussion so you have it in full gaita I just want to bring it in here that at this point the fact that even India is watching it discussing this discussion and debate because it is not just USA's presidential debate it is going to be about world issues why do you think that this debate has been crucial and is being watched worldwide well it is because at the end of the day the United States of America does set the tone and tenner for how the world looks like it is it shapes World policies not just foreign policy of particular country by dealing bilaterally with the United States of America and the debate right now is over but we will show clips of those important uh uh uh bits in in a while from now there are massive restrictions that we have worked uh with the fact that that that we only allowed to show the debate once and then we have to wait for the clips to come in so in unlike how uh we've had in the past where there have been there has been space of using uh the clips from the inter from from the debate through uh the first 3 hours of uh of the debate getting over that's not the case this time around so be PA it'll come to you uh coming back to the question on why is the debate so important uh or why is a presidential election in the United States of America itself so important Pua look at the subjects that they covered apart from economy which uh and and domestic policies such as uh abortion immigration fracking Jan 6th there was a massive conversation on what uh happened uh on the 6th of January the insurrection yes and uh and it was not kamla Harris factchecking trump it was it the the anchors were factchecking Trump on many counts you saw that there were certain areas where maybe Harris was not checked as many times as Trump was checked by the ABC anchors uh that certainly happened but look at the other areas and issues that were discussed they uh they discussed the Israel Hamas War correct affects everyone particularly the region uh they discussed uh the the Russia Ukraine War uh where he actually named Victor Oban and uh spoke of how and why this war was actually not what I do like about Donald Trump in a light-hearted note he constantly claims that people around the world credit him and that people believe that the world is scared of him they would not go to war they would not go to war because of Donald Trump but but do you think there's a certain the certain pattern that he's quoting that he believes because constantly quoted Iran and he said when I had put sanctions look how weak Iran had become there was not going to be a war but this Administration appears to have taken back the sanctions and look how rich Iran has become so do you think there is certain tenure that he's also quoting you know uh the the discussion over how America has failed in its economic War across the world is for another day but yes uh he did mention Iran and and there is a there is a pattern to what he's done during his presidency he did not take America to war it's a fact he did not he really did try to engage those who they might call dictators but what has what has how has it helped America in calling Putin a dictator or Kim Jong-un and not engaging and uh and and now we're seeing tensions in so many parts of the world that maybe could have been averted or avoided yeah we're not saying that you know what Trump does is right or wrong because he stepped out of the Paris agreement he stepped out of jcpa making the entire West Asia a little unstable with Iran he did all of that but none of the uh Wars that America is right now uh a part of were his doing or his making so he does when he says that I don't take my country to war he does mean it and yes uh when it comes to the uh weapons that are being sent abroad the aid that is going abroad uh the economy over here according to him in a shambles and that could that all this money could have helped America rather than going abroad is certainly are certainly areas that's that uh that Trump uh focused on I think I suppose in their preparation they were very clear what are the areas that they're going to focus on and how they're going to put it and and what they say on those issues can actually make a break the kind of audience that's watching it worldwide but also remember Puja this is the first time they're actually meeting in person they've never met haris and Trump have never met in person before are you saying never met in any of the official Gatherings never ever that's the first time that the two sides were meeting they must have prepped uh themselves for what the counter could look like but I do think that U Harris did land some very strong ones there when it comes to those punches where she said you're not talking to Biden you're talking to kamla Harris so on and so forth so uh and and GA I just want to because I understand this was such an early morning discussion that we put out debate that was full from beginning to end that was on air on India today so G what is your assessment while I was listening to the debate I did think that Donald Trump at some point was surprised because maybe he did not expect Kamala Harris to come this prepared but do you think that she performed better than usual and without saying that I think she did perform better than Joe Biden oh of course she performed better than Joe Biden but uh over here I think she stood her ground and while we talking about standing uh a very um uh interesting snippet over here Puja if you look at the podiums and you will not be able to make out because there's just those two uh window frame right uh but uh zooming out and we'll get those visuals in as well you will see that Trump's Podium is way higher bigger than uh kamla Harris's Podium which is very small short because uh in in a two window you would not want to show the disproportionate size of a Podium given the size difference between kamla Harris and Trump so they actually made a Podium to her size in fact uh fun trivia here uh this is the uh the biggest height difference so to say between two presidential candidates ever in the history of US presidential elections 6.4 ft to 5.4 ft so that's the difference and to manage that difference the podiums have been made were made different well there is smart camera work at play and I must say there's smart camera work at play here as well we may be covering uh the the presidential debate gaita from uh from Delhi so to say but for the viewer we are fully in Washington DC right outside the White House and maybe you wouldn't have noticed if uh I wouldn't have told you because our extremely brilliant team have ensured that uh they they prepare this beautiful set for us as well but we're looking at these visuals coming in where we are at is basically the Rose Garden in the white house and we are looking at these quotes constantly coming in and as in when the the exerts the chunks start to come in from that almost 2 hour long debate remember as per guidelines it it's a very specific uh about two to three minutes uh there are those guidelines that will have to be followed and India Today is ensuring that for the viewer watching it anywhere across the world right now will have access to the excepts as in one that comes but the focus it started from immigration economy local domestic issues then I think the fireworks really flew into the debate Gita when it came to the regional conflicts do you think that that's when both of them came into their own so these are some of the quotes that we are putting out and we'll constantly discuss what happened what is the chatter like and reactions on it as well remember the world was watching this debate Lena good morning Indian stand under time of course heading to midnight for you tell me this about how what was your key takeaway from this debate do you think that uh Kamala Harris relied more on domestic issues while Donald Trump relied for his votes coming in primarily on the regional or the global conflict issues as as confidence would that be correct to say here good morning Puja and good morning everyone thank you for having me yes it was definitely a surprising debate to me personally uh Harris did better than expected you know I was expecting this awkward uh laugh she's having every time she's speaking somewhere and she managed to keep it together almost until the end of this on the other hand Donald Trump he's usually very vocal he loves to attack people when they're against him sort of to you know correct them but he was very quiet he was sort of reserved waiting let letting her finish even though she was for example attacking him so both of them they sort of Switched their standards talking style and as you said uh Donald Trump felt very strong on the foreign policy because he truly had no war he truly met with all of the leaders and they publicly some of them publicly as for example the Hungarian prime minister Victor Orban they publicly admire him so he has a strong guard card on this note on the other hand Harris uh you know she has been sort of hidden under Biden so for her it's way easier to sort of shine because no one really knows what she was doing the past four years no one has any track record except that she was doing what Biden told her and what he was doing um also Linka stay on with me because I just want to go across to Rohit if he continues to be with us U Rohit do you also think that uh the the whole range of the issues where the confidence came from both of these candidates that for kamla Harris it was about on abortion issues specifically how the administration previously had taken a decision and via the court and on taxes while for Donald Trump it came on I will stop the War I will bring peace why should Americans be involved do you think that was a kind of kind of a distinguished rhetoric that they had chosen to speak about well the Govern has always spoken pretty well about and I think that's that's one of the areas she's very comfortable with she she knows what her policy is going to be uh and the other one you know on on foreign foreign policy and I probably she in the wars I think Trump wanted to Conner Harris because you know as As Trump said there were no Wars when he was the president the war started only after he left the White House and he wanted to partner them saying that America is involved indirectly in these two Wars and he could probably end these two Wars so yes I think your your s is correct on that but also I also think that K wanted to sort of distance herself from Biden policy and she was not able to do it I'll come back to you in just a short while Linka I I'll take that question to you and also to Gita do you think where do you think kamla possibly scored a point and where do you think uh Donald Trump perhaps kept his confidence in this debate on on many counts I think that uh Harris did quite well uh he she did managed to Corner uh um Donald Trump when it comes to Performance and economy itself she had numbers to show for uh when it comes to abortion uh we know that you know it's a it's a really divided house and she try to put uh Trump on the mat but it is when the IVF conversation that she brought in uh maybe uh on hindsight she could have done without because abortion itself was a big Reproductive Rights itself is a big big uh win for uh for the Democrats uh but the moment she brought that in he actually turned it around and in his uh in his rebuttal spoke of how he's been an advocate of IVF so on and so forth as well and that uh almost fact checked her immigration another very important area where uh where uh a strong point for Trump but I think kamla Harris also made her points quite uh clearly so in terms of what the policies are and uh the entire thing about gun control and taking guns off the shelves is not going to happen much to the dismay maybe of many people who are actually wanting that uh but uh but a clear policy decision there again you know Republicans and those fens itors would be listening to what uh kamla Harris as the Democratic presidential candidate is saying um the race issue dictators uh Medicare and climate change all of them I think climate change he also said that you know he had earlier said it was a HX it's not it's a reality so gaita stay on with you because Lena also continues to be with us Lena um was very interesting when he tried to also pin her down with that blatant uh the the word that he used and if I'm correct he said she hates Israel and he realized what he was saying because that clearly has a certain support base in America or as a policy uh has been as history has been with regard to America's decision to support Israel that he said she doesn't want Israel to exist if they continue Israel will blow up in fact in fact if I could just add Lena she actually goes on he actually went on to say that in uh Harris did not attend the joint session of the Congress when Netanyahu was there and that she refused to meet Netanyahu so she he was he was backing it with the with what happened during netanyahu's visit to the United States of America that I felt was a direct charge because that is one big polarizing issue in USA isn't it uh definitely it's a huge issue and I have friends who are Democrats and don't like Kamala Harris just because of this topic because of Gaza and Palestine and Israel they told me they don't want to vote for Harris because they think she's not doing enough to achieve peace and that she's letting the people in Gaza to get massacred on the other hand uh Donald Trump uh he pointed out that of course she was not present at the speech of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu which is which is a big deal and he as you also said uh he predicted that Israel could disappear within two years years if she would uh become the president so she's having tough time of balancing this sort of position of first of all making happy the Arab Americans and also making happy the Jewish population which is quite large in the United States and she's sometimes not making happy any of those two groups because she's somewhere in the middle one time saying this another time saying that I would like also to mention that the ABC reporters uh they rather teamed up against Donald Trump they were factchecking him on the spot they were almost uh going back towards him with all the questions uh and some of the questions also felt like they were opinionated against him I personally didn't enjoy it I I I felt frustrated and it was painful to watch their moderation so it was not walk over yeah okay for Trump that's that's that goes without saying uh the Biden Trump uh debate was an absolute disaster and if you look at that and you look at this uh Harris knew exactly what she was coming in with she had a plan uh the questions both sides must have prepared and prepped up but I do think that she landed a few good punches and she definitely I think compared to Biden came across as someone who could also challenge Trump a lot rather than like you said give a walk over like it did happen sort of previously between Biden and Trump let's talk about issues and we'll of course uh over the course of next one hour constantly play out excerpts for you because I understand it was early morning India Today Was live earlier than usual this morning G and I constantly listening bit to bit but Gita what do you think perhaps was the highlight of this debate do you think it was immigration it was the global Regional conflicts Ukraine Russia Israel Hamas or do you think it was the local issues of America that Americans are list Ing and then taking a view on it I think everything was uh in a way localized because they were catering to the domestic audience and their voters so everything was how it impacts you and how it is going to look uh for you uh the the one of the key things that I saw where she actually made a huge difference in the Biden Harris Administration to Harris the vice presidential candidate was when she told him that this say you're not speaking to Biden you're speaking to kamla Harris here so she made that distinction because that distinction was important everybody before the uh debate Puja was talking about how she's coming with an Administration baggage the anti-incumbency the fact that people are questioning and are tired but I think there were a few important takeaways when it comes to the economy that I think was very important because both sides needed to put uh what they think are they're going to do uh while she said that we have these plans he said I don't have an exact plan I can spell out right now but when when I'm President we will have that I do have ideas for what things should look like and how they should go there was a lot of fact checking also that was happening along the way uh when it comes to um jobs unemployment because Trump did hit out part he did come back you're he appeared to be more confident consistently was the war situation the regional conflict because kamla Harris was where Donald Trump tried to pin her down or the Biden Administration down saying look what Iran has become it's richer than it was or the I the the conflict I I like how he constantly rated saying if I'm President elect even before I take oath I will ensure that the war is over now of course there's a certain confident rhetoric to it more than whether it can happen or not but do you think that's one of the planks because the regional Wars have bothered Americans that they are sort of part of a conflict which is not direct do you think that's polarized also and polarized and really made a huge uh impact on how these elections are going to look like because a lot of a lot of uh Democrats uh and fenor who might not be very happy with the situation in Gaza have questioned the Harris Administration she really needed convincing them that uh that she will you know chart her own path when it comes to these wars but also talking about and putting him on the mat on how he's friends with uh with all these dictators and strong men like strong men and dictators and that's why you know things were different when he and they they take cues from him to which he actually said that it's actually not that they're scared of me is the reason why there were no Wars and the fact that you are incompetent one very important thing over here Puja was also the fact that they were mute buttons but both of them were constantly on air you know with being seen so while there was no cross talk happening you saw a lot of expressions from kamla Harris every time Trump spoke she would shake her head say no he's lying and she would mime he's lying all the time he's lying that's not true that's not cor and the usual Trump expression too and Trump's expression was a SM or or a little irritated she used that space that space of quiet on a window when he's speaking to shake her head or say it's it's a lie I think that also make well I I could say fact silent fact this is confirmed that mute buttons are not only for Indian in news channels but also as much in America gaita but uh like you mentioned I think it was as much about local issues but Regional issues that impact local views as well uh within America stay on with me let's go across now to Washington DC remember India Today is the only Indian news Channel right now that's been live since morning from the ground zero as well that's where Rohit Sharma a journalist is joining me right now Rohit so a marked difference like we have been discussing uh not many memes possibly this time over the debate but a lot of talk over the issues what is the sentiment on the ground what are you picking up about the chatter in America well first things first this is not Washington DC where I'm standing right now is the debate Center here Del it's more everybody know that we at yeah and I think you know very interesting debate very stark contrast from what we saw in June uh very different opponent uh you know first things first I mean Harris goes and shakes hands with President uh president Trump s off a little bit he wasn't expecting that I don't think he was uh very different competitor she was forceful she had prepared well she was in Pennsylvania for five days and she I think it came across that she was very well prepared I think was trying to Wing some of his answers and he's always done that this was his seventh presidential debate he just came and you know he thought he could just get away by saying things and he was corrected at least five times I counted at least five times by the moderator mean and obviously multiple times like Harris so I think Prim of face I think it's a good night for k Harris you know the expectations were low she didn't have to you know nobody expected her to do as well as she did and nobody expected Donald Trump to lose this debate I think you know at the end of the day both the campaigns will have will take a lot of talking points for this but I think kamla Harris you know I mean we've seen her debate before uh and I think she was able to show her skills as a debater I think other other thing that a lot of people observed here and we were all talk talking and chatting during the commercial breaks but the fact that Donald Trump did not expect a lot of zingers you know these on liners from Kamala Harris and she delivered them with punch there's one Zinger that Trump trump also delivered that landed it was about you know don't disturb me while I'm talking and you know kind of reminds you of or heard that before so I mean at the end of the day I think K has gone through this debate uh you know unharmed uh and then you know the the the campaign that person I was speaking with earlier today said that was the goal to make sure that she shim she come across is presentable uh one journalist that I was speaking with noted that she did better than H Clinton in 2016 uh and this gives her campaign the Boost that they needed because she was her bump was Tattooing in Poles she was you she was going down in some of the key Battleground States I think her campaign will use this and take it Forward I mean this is not going to me a lot of people said this could be the end of the of the election you know from does well and she does not do well the election is sealed and I think we'll see a very very competitive race from here on Puja very interesting Rohit stay on with me because we're also joined by journalist Linka white and about the the discussion that's happening currently in the USA and gaita and I constantly analyzing on this Swift who has literally a swifties army of young admirers of the work of Taylor Swift were listening when she shared a social media post right after the debate concluded Taylor Swift announced that she endorses Kamala Harris this was a powerful statement remember and it was a long post where Taylor Swift praised Kamala Harris as a leader who fights for the rights and causes that will make America better she also emphasized that haris has a calm demeanor that she has a steady leadership quality and that's what the country needs calm not Cs and then she also contrasted it with how there have been videos and misinformation about her that she allegedly surrounded and supported Trump that is not true so along with this remember when she shared the post she also featured herself with a cat it wasn't just a coincidental image it was a dig at Republican vice president Pig JD W captioning it the childless cat lady a clear Jive at the past comments made by the running mate of Donald Trump it was in 2021 when once had made a certain comment that there are these childless cat ladies during an interview with Tucker Carlson so this remember is also now a question can this change the course because when Taylor Swift or someone of that stature makes an endorsement about a politici ahead of Elections and especially hitting at first time voters young voters 18 19 year old she's also mentioned that they need to register early land up early at the polling Booth can that change the cost specifically on lacks of those younger audience that are huge fans of Taylor Swift when she recently held a concert it was fully packed there was also some controversy about it when it came to a worldwide talk with a possible terror attack Gita Mona a foreign affairs editor joining me on the latest on that Gita how significant how big of a highlight do you think is Taylor Swift endorsing Kamala Harris well it is a massive massive endorsement it comes after a lot of uh speculation so to say not that you would have endorsed Trump in anyway uh but the fact is that when Biden Trump uh uh presidential debate was to take place there was a lot of question as to whether Taylor Swift will come out and endorse uh Biden or not of the democratic party and even after he stepped down and kamla Harris was nominated as the candidate again there were a lot of questions as to why is it that Taylor Swift is taking so long will she endorse kamla Harris or not and uh one thought that after the DNC it would have happened it did not happen after the Democratic National Convention where she was formed announced the nomy for the Democratic uh party uh and and right now after immediately after the first presidential debate between uh Harris and Trump we see her come out and endorse and not just endorse she is not just any Superstar she's not just any pop star uh Puja she is an influencer she's very influential in fact she's one of the most powerful women in the world not just in the United States of America America with a massive following so everybody was waiting to see what she's really going to do and she's made a rather political statement look at the statement that has been put out it very specifically speaks of why she chose to why this time uh the AI generated uh video of hers and uh and Donald Trump using that uh on his uh handle which she has now put to rest saying that this is all false you can only beat uh lies with truth this is her truth her truth is that she's going to vote for uh kamla Harris but she also say that it is for you to choose make your choices do your research and you based on your research you should go ahead and vote she also then goes ahead and says for those who are voting appealing to voters to come out and vote so she's done it all and she signed off uh as uh the uh what did she call herself uh um the childless cat lady that childless cat lady the and also if if there's any doubt about why politicians Bank on possibly an endorsement like this according to the Forbes annual list in 2023 Taylor Swift was marked as the fifth most powerful woman in the world not just in the USA in the world and possibly that's why such an endorsement can it change the course of the elections and kamla Harris thereby could get more votes it'll be interesting to watch thank you very much for now Gita moan tracking all the latest on the US presidential debate the biggest pop superstars who has millions of especially young followers Taylor Swift has endorsed Kamala Harris in fact Gita just informed me about that it's big news remember because she had been she'd been so to say silent all this while uh Rohit a quick word from you on this that Taylor Swift endorsing Kamala Harris do you think something like this makes a huge difference possibly to the younger audience to the younger first time voters absolutely all the SS are going to vote for K Harish she that go Joe Biden in 2020 and look at the things Kam talked about she talked about abortion uh you know females having Reproductive Rights she talked about you know how she has made it in her own story as a female and at the end of the day you've all talked about breaking that glass ceiling one day eventually so this is a very very big deal okay well can I just come in of course very big deal Rohit uh the fact that Taylor Swift and I remember we were discussing this earlier as well and we've done stories on this on how Taylor Swift stood uh did not really endorse Biden and there was so much pressure on uh Taylor Swift whether she's going to endorsed not endorsed then the debate happened uh a singular disaster for the Democratic team and uh there was no endorsement there then kamla Harris was nominated presidential candidate no endorsement from tlor Swift Rohit and finally I suppose she waited to see how kamla Harris will do