US Debate: Kamala Harris Gives Trump Branding Lesson

Donald Trump has his name on buildings all over New York. He also famously coined the phrase “you’re fired” on his former TV show, “The Apprentice.” But in his first — and perhaps only — debate against opponent Kamala Harris, it was she who delivered a masterclass in branding.

With her calm and controlled performance during a debate in which high tension prevailed, the Democratic Party candidate showed herself to be as skilled as any marketing executive in creating impactful phrases and images.

Harris did some epic branding on stage, taking a lesson from Trump’s own playbook and borrowing his name to create catchphrases. Early on, during a question about the economy, she compared her opponent’s stance on tariffs to a “sales tax.”

It’s an idea she’s mentioned at recent rallies, but in this case she went further. When she mentioned the proposed tariffs a moment later, she called them “Trump’s sales tax,” a phrase that quickly went viral on social media.

Harris threw her “Trumpian” phrase around lightly, and it bothered him. The Republican candidate used the first words of his answer to bluntly declare, “I don’t have a sales tax!”

The next time Harris linked an idea to the former president’s name, the impact may have been even more significant. When asked about the 2022 reversal of the abortion rights ruling, she referred to the bans now in effect in many U.S. states as “Trump’s abortion bans.”

As demonstrated by the 2022 midterm elections, widely seen as a referendum on the Supreme Court’s decision, abortion is perhaps Trump’s weakest point. Linking him to it by name is a devastating attack, again delivered in a seemingly casual manner.

A GAME OF CONTRASTS

Later, Harris sought to further contrast Trump and herself with an evocative rhetorical flourish. She described her leadership goals as “lifting people up,” while her opponent, she claimed, is a proponent of “tearing people down.” It was a values-based line that will likely continue to be quoted after the campaign.

Harris not only used the speech to mark her differences with Trump, but also showed a keen understanding of context, using the split-screen format as an opportunity to create a visual distinction between herself and her opponent.

As Trump became increasingly agitated, staring straight into the camera, Harris responded to his responses by turning toward him, with a series of smiles, sneers, raised eyebrows of disbelief and many other facial expressions that would become gifs.

This collection of gestures, each of which felt very natural at that very moment, reveals an understanding of how the world of memes works.

Harris seemed in command of her image throughout the night, as she created several potential new slogans. Even one of Trump’s attempts to provoke her relied on inverting a phrase she has recently made famous: “I’m talking now,” Trump said. “Sound familiar?”

While it was intended as a dig at the phrase, “I’m speaking” — which Harris recently used when she was interrupted during a speech — it only highlighted how much attention her speeches have been getting lately.

But Trump shouldn’t worry too much about his ability to come up with a catchphrase. During the debate, his new catchphrase, “sex change operations on illegal immigrants in prison,” began trending on X/Twitter.