People watch a presidential debate between Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris
| Photo Credit: GABRIELLE LURIE

The entertainment world erupted with support for Vice President Kamala Harris following her highly anticipated debate with Donald Trump on Tuesday night. Just moments after the debate concluded, pop icon Taylor Swift voiced her endorsement for Harris, setting the tone for what would be a night of widespread Hollywood applause.

Among the first to weigh in was Mark Hamill, known to many as Luke Skywalker from Star Wars, chimed in by poking fun at Trump’s rant.

The actor’s lighthearted comment was followed by praise from Avengers alum Mark Ruffalo, who took a more serious tone. Ruffalo admitted feeling anxious before the debate but was impressed by Harris’ composure and intelligence.

Scandal star Kerry Washington, who expressed her admiration for Harris’ performance in the ABC News-hosted debate. Washington, a longtime political advocate, endorsed Harris-Walz by donning a “Madam President” sweater.

Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel also joined the chorus, using Pixar-referenced humor to underscore the emotional rollercoaster many viewers experienced. Kimmel’s remarks teased the contrast between the two debaters, with Harris’ calm standing in stark contrast to Trump’s erraticism.

Not all reactions were lighthearted, though. Former President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama threw their full support behind Harris.

Michelle Obama made a powerful call to action, urging voters to take to the streets and the phones to ensure Harris’ victory, saying, “There’s simply too much at stake.”

President Joe Biden also applauded Harris, emphasizing her leadership and readiness to guide the country.

The debate may be over, but the overwhelming Hollywood support for Harris suggests that she remains a formidable frontrunner in the race for the White House.

Chicago:

Kamala Harris and Donald Trump set out Friday on the final 10-week sprint to election day, with the Democrat surging after an electrifying speech accepting the Democratic Party nomination.

Less than three weeks before the presidential debate between the US vice president and the Republican ex-president — and only a month before early in-person voting begins – polls show the race for the White House is neck and neck.

The former senator and prosecutor leaves Chicago with the wind in her sails, having outraised Trump and erased the polling leads he was enjoying before she replaced President Joe Biden atop the Democratic ticket last month.

But Dan Kanninen, battleground director of the Harris campaign, cautioned at a Bloomberg event on the sidelines of the convention that the race “is not fundamentally changed” and still “very, very tight.”

“We have tremendous enthusiasm — I think momentum is on our side — but we now need to do something with it and engage the electorate effectively this fall,” he said.

Harris accepted her party’s presidential nomination on a glitzy final night in Chicago, buoyed by a galaxy of stars, that set the stage for the gruelling run-in to November 5.

Razor thin margins

The 59-year-old Californian has edged ahead by razor-thin margins in polling, reversing what had started to look like a likely Trump victory against Biden before he dramatically pulled out and endorsed Harris.

In just a month, Harris has raised a record-breaking half a billion dollars, enjoying a political honeymoon that shows little sign of ending.

Party leaders have cautioned that headwinds could still buffet the campaign, however.

These include internal protests over US policy on the Israel-Hamas war and possible shifts in polling with the expected withdrawal on Friday of independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr, who may endorse Trump.

The controversial scion of America’s revered Kennedy clan is planning an announcement in Arizona, while Trump is also campaigning in the state, and promising to showcase a “special guest.”

Analysts are mixed on the effect a Kennedy exit would have.

He is polling in the low single digits and his embrace of conspiracy theories has made him a fringe figure.

However, in a very tight race, it is possible that even a few thousand votes in a crucial swing state could ultimately determine who takes the White House.

Democratic heavy hitters, from Michelle Obama and Bill Clinton to vice presidential nominee Tim Walz, have warned that the party could still lose to Trump’s Republicans if complacency creeps in.

“If we see a bad poll — and we will — we’ve got to put down that phone and do something,” the former first lady told the party faithful in Chicago.

Walz, a former school football coach, used a sporting analogy, saying that Democrats were “down a field goal, but we’re on offense and we’ve got the ball.”

Reaching for the centre

Trump has largely been singing to the choir, mobilizing his right-wing base with apocalyptic warnings about migrant criminals and painting a dark picture of a country in “decline” that only he can save.

Harris and her Democrats have been reaching toward the centre.

Party strategists spent the week in Chicago showcasing a parade of anti-Trump Republicans, including ex-cabinet officials, a small-town mayor and a former statewide officeholder.

“If you vote for Kamala Harris in 2024, you’re not a Democrat, you’re a patriot,” former Georgia lieutenant governor Geoff Duncan said.

While they previously characterised Trump as a demagogue, Democrats have instead begun making fun of the Republican nominee in a manner designed to belittle him and dent his aura of invincibility.

Harris called him an “unserious” person.

Harris, who has no events announced for the weekend, heads back to Washington with Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff on Friday to begin sketching out a battle plan for the next 70-plus days.

“I will be a president who unites us around our highest aspirations,” Harris said in her keynote speech, earning uproarious applause.

“A president who leads and listens, who is realistic, practical and has common sense and always fights for the American people.”

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Donald Trump recently revealed that he once offered United States President Joe Biden $1 million if he could “he could break 100 in a game of golf.” The former President was speaking at a rally in St Cloud, Minnesota. “I said I will take you to any course you want…I would give you $1 million if you could break 100 in a game of golf,” Mr Trump told the audience. He continued, “He turned me down.”

The real estate tycoon added that he changed his offer. “Then I said, I’ll give you ten strokes a side…I’ll give you one million dollars if you could beat me. He had no chance,” he stated. “They talk a good game, but it’s all talk,” Mr Trump added.

Watch the video below:

Donald Trump talks about his video playing golf with @b_dechambeau Trending #1 on YouTube and then brings up how Joe Biden challenged him to a round of golf but then chickened out. pic.twitter.com/ualDgiNa1O

— ALX (@alx) July 28, 2024

Notably, the discussion around golf began early in June, during Mr Biden and Mr Trump’s first presidential debate. Mr Trump said that he had won two club championships and two regular club crowns, despite doubts about his age and level of physical fitness. He claimed that to do so, one must be “very smart” and capable of long-range hitting. “I just won two club championships – not even senior. Two regular club championships. To do that, you have to be quite smart, and you have to be able to hit the ball a long way. He doesn’t do it. He can’t hit a ball 50 yards. He challenged me to a golf match; he can’t hit a ball 50 yards,” he said.

Responding to the same, Mr Biden said, “I’d be happy to have a driving contest. I got my handicap when I was vice president down to a six. By the way, I told you before, I’m happy to play golf with you if you carry your own bag. Think you can do it?”

The 45th President of the US then went on to mock Mr Biden and said that it was a “lie.” “That’s the biggest lie – that he was a six handicap – of all,” he said.

When confronted, Mr Biden withdrew his statement and admitted that he was actually eight handicap. However, Mr Trump did not take his remarks at their value and said, “I’ve seen your swing. I know your swing. Let’s not act like children.”

After a shaky debate performance on Thursday night, political analysts and several US media organisations have been calling for US President Joe Biden to drop out of the 2024 election race. Democratic leaders rallied behind Mr Biden following his poor performance last week, as the White House denied a report he was meeting with family to assess his candidacy. Now, his wife and First Lady Jill Biden has spoken about the debate and has said that they “will continue to fight”.

Talking to Vogue from Camp David where the family was spending the weekend, she told the magazine “will not let those 90 minutes define the four years he’s been president.”

She continued, “We will continue to fight,” and claimed that Mr Biden “will always do what’s best for the country.”

Notably, President Biden’s age is a particular concern with voters and there have been calls from some Democrats for him to step aside for a new candidate. Despite weak poll numbers and questions about his age, he has stuck to his plan to seek a second term.

On June 27, the 81-year-old’s performance in the presidential debate, rekindled calls for him to step away. When responding to a question about the economy posed by a CNN anchor, the POTUS, who is often observed stuttering and freezing during public events, seemed to lose his train of thought. When asked if voters felt “worse off” under his presidency, the Democrat committed yet another error.

Meanwhile, President Joe Biden said after the debate that he would defeat Republican rival Donald Trump in the presidential election, giving no sign he would consider dropping out of the race. He said, “I know I’m not a young man, to state the obvious. I don’t walk as easy as I used to, I don’t speak as smoothly as I used to, I don’t debate as well as I used to.”

“I would not be running again if I didn’t believe with all my heart and soul that I could do this job. The stakes are too high,” he said at a rally.