She also made it a point to play to the split-screen, sometimes outright laughing at a visibly angry Trump.
At one point, when Trump claimed that Harris’ father was a “Marxist professor,” she broke out into a wide smile and laughed.
Users on X were quick to comment on the expressions, with new memes sprouting up less than 30 minutes into the debate.
fellas when you see this face…….. run #Debate2024 pic.twitter.com/LEQsNXCpMC
— pamela 🎡✨ (@tisthepamseason) September 11, 2024
Harris’ face game distinctly differs from President Joe Biden’s performance during his June debate with Trump.
During that debate, Biden’s vacant, slack-jawed facial expressions sparked a barrage of memes on social media.
“It wasn’t the President’s finest hour. He primarily played into his opponent’s accusations of weakness, and people often view a leader’s speaking performance as shorthand for their leadership style,” Paul Falzon, a Singapore-based public speaking and presentation coach with 20 years of experience, told BI at the time.
Biden’s vacant looks were also mocked for being a “resting 25th Amendment face” by “The Daily Show” host Jon Stewart.
“I’m not a political expert, but while Biden was preparing at Camp David for a week, did anyone mention he would also be on camera on a split screen?” the “Late Daily Show” host said in an episode in June.
For what it’s worth, the split-screen format has also helped candidates, including Biden, in the past. In 2020, Biden managed to draw a sharp — and positive — contrast between himself and Trump.
Representatives for Harris did not immediately respond to Business Insider’s request for comment.
https://www.businessinsider.com/kamala-harris-facical-expressions-lauhging-at-trump-debate-2024-9