Donald Trump’s and Kamala Harris’ debate answers show one candidate looking ahead and one looking back.
In an analysis of both candidates’ debate transcripts, PredictionNews analyzed the keywords that each candidate said the most and least. Trump’s most common keyword was “back” while Harris’ was “plan.”
The transcript analysis matches both candidates’ campaigns. Trump’s insistence on “making America great again” looks to the past to find solutions to the country’s problems. One of Harris’ campaign slogans is, “We are not going back.” She explicitly looks to the future and how she can implement new policies to address American challenges.
Harris’ Vision and Trump’s Grievances
Both candidates had their own challenges in their Sept. 10 debate. Harris had to clarify the policy goals she would pursue in office and how she would accomplish them. Trump had to defend his presidential record and prove he could be presidential. Both candidates also had to integrate attacks against each other into their answers to show why their opponents were wrong to lead the country.
“Plan,” “Believe,” “Women,” “Care,” and “Homes,” show the focus Harris brought to her answers about economic issues and abortion. Abortion is one of the Democrats’ strongest issues. Her answer on abortion policy offered concrete examples of women seeking healthcare and being unable to obtain it due to abortion restrictions. Her economic answers also included plans for tax cuts and pledges to “address” the housing shortage.
Trump spent many of his answers on the offensive. “War,” “Bad,” “Biden,” and “Millions” show how focused Trump was attacking the Biden administration and his vision of a Harris presidency. Trump used “millions” to describe:
- The number of migrants crossing into the United States illegally.
- The number of votes he and Biden won in 2020
- The amount of money Biden allegedly received from foreign governments
Many of Trump’s claims were false. Trump said he “believe[d] 21 million people” were “pouring into our country” illegally in the United States. An October 2023 press release from the House Committee on Homeland Security found that Customers and Border Patrol recorded 3.2 million encounters with non-legal citizens in the 2023 fiscal year.
Trump falsely claimed he won the 2020 election and that Biden was forced out of office even though he received 14 million votes in the Democratic primary. Biden faced pressure to resign but chose to step down himself. The delegates who voted for Harris were elected to represent their voters and could legally choose to support whoever they wanted. They chose Harris after Biden withdrew from the race.
Biden also never received money from Russia or China. “Millions” says more about Trump’s tendency to lie and exaggerate than it does about his plans for the United States.
