Trump faces his own debate fallout

Harris campaign immediately pitched idea of holding a second faceoff

- ADRIANA GOMEZ LICON AND BILL BARROW

N E W Y O R K Donald Trump emerged Wednesday from a rocky debate against Kamala Harris looking to regain his footing with 55 days until Election Day, the first ballots already going out in Alabama and other states on the cusp of early voting.

Not even three months ago, Trump stepped off the debate stage in Atlanta having watched President Joe Biden deliver a disjointed, whispery performance that led the 81-year-old Democrat to end his reelection bid and endorse Harris, his vice-president. By the end of Tuesday night, it was the 78-year-old Trump on the defensive after the 59-year-old Harris controlled much of the debate, repeatedly baiting the Republican former president into agitated answers replete with exaggerations and mistruths. The performance left many Republicans scrambling to pick apart Harris’s performance and insist that Trump still has time to refocus on the economy, immigration and other issues that could sway a closely divided electorate.