KUALA LUMPUR – Trump Media & Technology Group Corp stock dropped 14.4% in yesterday’s pre-market trading, according to stock trading data, reported Sputnik.
The media stock, which trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the “DJT” name – taking after Donald J. Trump’s initials – plunged after the Republican presidential candidate debated Democratic contender Kamala Harris on Tuesday night. It closed 3.27% higher on Tuesday.
It is the parent company of Truth Social, also owned by the US former president, who owns more than 50% stake in the group, valued at $3.7 billion.
Trump and Kamala’s first debate of the 2024 election cycle garnered over 67 million viewers, more than the tycoon’s matchup with previous rival Joe Biden in June.
Despite kicking off with a handshake – the first one during a presidential debate in eight years – it can be seen that the two had very different approaches, even from their expressions.
From the split screen, it can be seen that Harris spent most of the time looking directly at her opponent and was seen to be expressively smirking, laughing out loud, or shaking her head as her opponent talks. Trump, meanwhile, was looking straight ahead into the camera and occassionaly shook his head.
According to geostrategist and Senior Fellow at the Nusantara Academy for Strategic Research Azmi Hassan who spoke to Bernama, Kamala argued based on facts while Trump was more emotional.
He opined that Harris was seen as more articulate in her support for Israel, especially concerning the international perspective on the issue, while also showing “some sympathy” for the suffering of Gaza’s residents.
Azmi also said that Trump’s emotionally driven, and politically motivated stance was evident during his previous debate with Biden, where Trump criticised Biden’s handling of the Israel-Palestine conflict and claimed that Hamas would be eliminated if he (Trump) were president, Bernama reported.
In the debate, Trump claimed that Harris “wouldn’t even meet with” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as she was “at a sorority party”. Although she did skip the Netanyahu’s speech, she met the regime leader the following day.
However, Harris also took digs at Trump, notably at the size of his rally crowds and his conduct during the Capitol riot. In an earlier question about immigration, Harris said Americans should go to a Trump rally because they were “illuminating”.
“People start leaving the rallies early out of exhaustion and boredom,” she said.
This apparently rattled the former president, as he then spent most of his answer defending his rally sizes and mocking Harris’, instead of elaborating more on a topic that is considered one of his strengths.
He then went on to talk about Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio abduction and eating their neighbours’ pets, in which he was fact-checked on the spot. The moderator interrupted the debate to quote the city mayor, debunking Trump’s pet-eating claims.
On the issue of abortion, Harris said the Republican candidate would “sign an abortion ban” if re-elected, citing conservative states that prohibit the procedure while allowing limited exceptions.
Trump then countered: “What she says is an absolute lie. I am not in favour of an abortion ban.” He said that he supports exceptions for cases of rape, incest or when the life of the mother is at risk.
However, at one point, he claimed that some babies were being subjected to “executions” after birth. One of the moderators interceded to fact-check him, saying: “There is no state in this country where it is legal to kill a baby after it’s born.”
Meanwhile, during the only mention of the LGBTQ community during the debate, Harris expressed her stance supporting taxpayer-funded medical care for transgender individuals.
Harris noted that as the California state attorney-general, she supported the California Corrections and Rehabilitation Department’s decision to provide gender transition surgery to state inmates.
To which Trump responded: “Now she wants to do transgender operations on illegal aliens that are in prison.”
A CNN poll of debate watchers found that 63% of registered voters thought Harris outperformed Trump.
Meanwhile, public opinion surveys show many US citizens are unhappy with how the Biden administration – of which Harris is a key member – has handled inflation and the economy.
The US presidential election will be held on November 5. – September 12, 2024