The 2024 Debate's Worst Dressed Isn't Who Everyone Thinks It Is
As Donald Trump and Kamala Harris debated for the hearts of undecided voters, Americans couldn't help comparing their policies, body language, and, of course, outfits. And as it turns out, neither presidential candidate will be taking the worst-dressed award home because they've been massively outdone by ABC moderator Linsey Davis. The broadcaster's outfit for the debate seems to have been an attempt at a power suit but looks more like a Beetlejuice costume. It featured stripes in unsuitable gray shades that make her look pale. Not to mention the unsettling, oddly pointed shoulders.
ABC moderator Linsey Davis fact checks Trump, after he claims falsely that doctors kill babies after they're born. This is miles better than the CNN debate where he repeated the same lie and the moderators just let it fly by (and so did Biden, to my extreme frustration) pic.twitter.com/N3boqSkL4T
— Arlen Parsa (@arlenparsa) September 11, 2024
While the dull outfit might have been an attempt to keep the spotlight on the stars of the night, it's done quite the opposite, as the debate moderator was trending — for the ensemble as well as Davis' ruthlessly fact-checking of Donald Trump's litany of lies. Interestingly, her jacket had a select group of fans on X, formerly known as Twitter, who praised the nice structure of the shoulders as fabulous. But in general, most commenters seem to agree with one X user who hilariously posted, "I know it's not the most important thing right now, but what the f**k is going on with Linsey Davis' shoulders? Is it the jacket, or has she swallowed a coat rack?"
Kamala Harris's power suit screamed ready for battle
Fortunately, Kamala Harris did considerably better with her chosen debate wardrobe. In between the vice president's stinging jabs at Donald Trump, we caught close-ups of her debate fit, and we are sold. The black suit and white blouse with a statement bow is arguably one of Harris's boldest and sharpest looks. We also got a sneak peek at the slim-legged pants that gave her a more youthful and war-ready look.
The Democratic candidate kept her accessories simple with pearl earrings, a few rings, and a couple of bracelets. Noticeably, her jacket had an American flag pin — perhaps an attempt to disprove the GOP accusations that Dems don't like the American flag.
Trump's outfit, on the other hand, was rather typical for him. While his blue suit and red tie made Harris' opponent stand out more, this might not be a good thing, as Trump's puffy red eyes had everyone staring.
Her outfit sparked wild allegations that she cheated at the debate
Unfortunately, others have an entirely different take on Kamala Harris's jewelry. Multiple pro-GOP influencers on X claimed that her pearl earrings were microphones in disguise. To back up this claim, they shared photos of the NOVA H1 Audio Earrings, a relatively new technology that fuses earrings and AirPods. One Republican influencer gave the bizarre rumor a platform on her X page by writing, "Rumors are circulating that Kamala Harris was wearing audio earrings and being fed lines. Isn't this against the debate rules?" Luckily, the VP has an entire website dedicated to her outfits at events.
Rumors are circulating that Kamala Harris was wearing audio earrings and being fed lines.
Isn't this against the debate rules? pic.twitter.com/3sRTvp20DW
— TaraBull (@TaraBull808) September 11, 2024
WhatKamalaWore.com shows that the earrings are actually 18K gold South Sea Pearl Earrings from Tiffany HardWear. The website also features multiple pictures of Harris wearing this exact pair to at least two other events. Additionally, the presidential candidate is known to favor pearls. Back in 2020, Glenda Glover, the international president of her sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha, confirmed that pearls signify a deeper meaning to Harris.
It took me less than 10 minutes to find these earring examples in a simple "Kamala Harris" image 🔍 .
She favors pearl earrings: large gold trimmed pearl buttons, black pearl studs & the pearl earrings she wore tonight.
Call out her policy failures.Those also are verifiable. 🙄 pic.twitter.com/lTqVwn1InM
— EyezontheHorizon 👁 👁 🇺🇸 🇻🇦 (@Gunz_go_boom) September 11, 2024
As she informed Vanity Fair, "The strand of pearls speaks to solidarity among the [sorority's] members." It's also not the only time that the Democratic politician has worn pearls to a major first-time event either. Harris notably donned pearls for her graduation from Howard University, her Vice Presidential debate, and her swearing-in event, to name just a few. However, there doesn't seem to be any chance of convincing naysayers, as other GOP influencers also wildly claimed that ABC had given Harris the debate questions in advance.