'Worst and dumbest sentence': New Republic editor reveals key moment Trump lost the debate

During her Tuesday night, September 10 presidential debate with Donald Trump at Philadelphia's National Constitution Center, Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris vigorously attacked the GOP nominee on everything from abortion to foreign policy to tariffs and tax policy. Harris also slammed Trump's position on healthcare, arguing that he would abolish the Affordable Care Act of 2010 (also known as Obamacare) without having a replacement in mind.

One of Trump's Obamacare-related comments, New Republic editor Michael Tomasky argues in an article published the following day, may be the thing that did the most to sink his debate performance.

Trump said of a possible Obamacare replacement, "I have concepts of a plan" — a line Tomasky slams as especially embarrassing.

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"While 'I have concepts of a plan' was the worst and dumbest sentence he uttered," Tomasky argues, "a close second would have to be, 'Now she wants to do transgender operations on illegal aliens that are in prison.' The only thing he left out of that sentence is that she plans to steer the catering contract to Comet Ping Pong."

"I have concepts of a plan," according to Tomasky, "is going to go down in presidential debate lore as one of the most pathetic lines in debate history."

"Kamala Harris was really good Tuesday night — really, really good," Tomasky writes. "She accomplished everything she needed to accomplish. She sliced and diced him. She dangled bait, and he leapt at the hook. But as good as she was, Trump was more bad than Harris was good."

Tomasky also argues that if Trump opts to "complain about the moderators" of the debate, that will only "reinforce everything that was unappealing, worn out, and out of touch about him at the debate."

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"Of course, there's a chance Trump will turn it around," the New Republic editor writes. "But we may have just witnessed the beginning of a downward spiral that's going to get weirder and worse over the next 55 days. Pass the popcorn."

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Michael Tomasky's full article for The New Republic is available at this link.