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In a city whose business is politics, it was no surprise that people packed D.C.-area bars and restaurants to watch Tuesday’s presidential debate.
Hundreds at The Admiral restaurant and bar in Dupont Circle were glued to 15 big screen TVs to witness Vice President Kamala Harris battle against former President Donald Trump at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia about American democracy, abortion and the economy.
Most of them were in support of Harris and chastised Trump as he endorsed a false claim about migrants eating people’s pets — authorities in Ohio have said there’s no evidence to support that rumor.
Harris supporters at The Admiral believed that she won the debate.
“She focused on the future and what she’s going to do, and Trump’s answer to everything seemed to be ‘That wouldn’t have happened if I was there,'” one person told WTOP.
Some said the debate won’t change any minds.
“I don’t think that will have as much of an impact,” another person said. “I think that unfortunately, a lot of people have already decided and the party lines are drawn.”
Trump calls out local politicians
During the debate, Trump minimized his role in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot and called out Nancy Pelosi and D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser.
“I said ‘I’d like to give you 10,000 National Guard or soldiers.’ They rejected me. Nancy Pelosi rejected me,” Trump said.
That claim is false as Pelosi doesn’t direct the National Guard.
In a post on X, Bowser said the former president “summoned a violent mob and dispatched them to the U.S. Capitol.”
“Unlike Trump, we immediately offered the DC Metropolitan Police Department to support the U.S. Capitol Police,” Bowser said. “We owe the DC Police and the U.S. Capitol Police our never-ending gratitude for saving our Capitol and democracy.”
Trump also appeared to reference comments made by the former democratic governor of Virginia, Ralph Northam, on WTOP in 2019.
“He said the baby will be born and we will decide what to do with the baby. In other words, we’ll execute the baby,” Trump said.
False claims alleged that Northam was speaking in support of infanticide or “after-birth abortions.”
“Northam was giving a hypothetical example of what could happen if a mother whose fetus had severe deformities, or wasn’t otherwise viable, requested an abortion while in labor. His comments came in response to a question about whether he supported state legislation that would have loosened restrictions on abortions later in pregnancy,” Associated Press fact checkers report.
DC-area politicians speak out
Minutes after the debate ended, Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares criticized Harris while speaking out in support of Trump in a post on X, saying he “presented a clear vision for the future of America.”
“VP Harris failed to actually address several key issues: she did not explain her desire to abolish all private health insurance, her support for a ban on gas cars, her role as the deciding vote on the Inflation Explosion Act, or her absolute failure to protect our border,” said Miyares.
Meanwhile, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore reiterated his support for Harris, saying “she’s the leader we need.”
“A leader who can prosecute the case against Donald Trump and his dangerous Project 2025 agenda and puts American families, service, and country above self,” Moore said. “The choice could not be more clear. We are not going back.”
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