Mastering Moments Outweighs Canned Responses

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Canned responses fail to address crucial voter concerns, such as policy differences and past actions, leaving lingering questions. Failing to provide a clear contrast with the current administration can undermine a candidate's appeal. A candidate must demonstrate the ability to navigate difficult questions and perform under pressure, contrasting with opponents by showcasing strategic thinking and consistency. Effectively contrasting oneself with the alternative is essential, as voters will assess candidates based on the perceived risks and benefits of each choice.

Tuesday night was the first — perhaps the only — debate between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris. And it proved one of Harris’s stump speech lines right: Turns out she really does know Trump’s type. She had a theory of who Trump was and how he worked, and she used it to take control of the collision. But this was a substantive debate, too. The candidates clashed on abortion, health care, the economy, energy, immigration and more. And so we delve into the policy arguments to untangle what was really being said — and what wasn’t.

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This episode of “The Ezra Klein Show” was produced by Claire Gordon. Fact-checking by Michelle Harris, with Kate Sinclair and Jack McCordick. Our senior engineer is Jeff Geld. Our senior editor is Claire Gordon. The show’s production team also includes Annie Galvin, Rollin Hu, Elias Isquith, Kristin Lin and Aman Sahota. Original music by Isaac Jones. Audience strategy by Kristina Samulewski and Shannon Busta. The executive producer of New York Times Opinion Audio is Annie-Rose Strasser.