Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump sparred over the economy, abortion, foreign policy and immigration during their combative presidential debate Tuesday night, marking the first — and possibly only — time during this abbreviated campaign that they shared the same stage.
Harris and Trump squared off in Philadelphia as both candidates aimed to win over undecided voters who will determine the outcome of the November presidential election in key battleground states.
Getty Images
Leading up to the event, polls showed an extraordinarily close race, with Harris and Trump nearly tied in the national popular vote and within the margin of error in many of the battleground states.
The debate rules, established when Biden was still in the race, allowed no audience and no open microphones, but both candidates took moments to interrupt and challenge each other’s remarks in a meeting that quickly grew contentious.
Here are five of the biggest takeaways from the debate:
Harris Immediately Put Trump on Defense
The evening began with Harris walking over to shake Trump’s hand, an unexpected move that in a previous time would not merit much notice. But it’s been eight years since the last handshake at a presidential debate, in a sign of how divisive and caustic American politics has become.
The handshake also served to tee up Harris’ debate strategy: throw Trump off his game early and often.
After both entering the stage, Harris walked over to Trump, extended her hand and introduced herself loudly.
“Kamala Harris,” she said shaking his hand. “Let’s have a good debate.”
“Nice to see you,” Trump said, shaking her hand.
The two then took their positions behind their respective podiums.
At the start of the debate, Trump appeared relaxed, mostly staring straight ahead and glowering when Harris spoke.
Meanwhile, Harris often turned to him, smiling or shaking her head as he talked. But Trump’s demeanor changed as Harris attacked him in personal terms, and he began to sound more irritated and angry as the night wore on.
Harris Frames Contest as Past vs. Future
Throughout the debate, Harris framed the election as a stark choice: Trump’s divisive past versus her more forward-looking approach, even if that approach has been light on policy details. It’s a bet that, the more she can keep the contest focused on Trump, the more she will be able to remind voters about his chaotic term in office.
When the moderator’s questions had centered on immigration, one of Trump’s strong points, Harris pivoted the conversation by referencing his rally speeches about “fictional characters like Hannibal Lecter” and pointing out that attendees often leave before he’s done speaking.
“I’m going to do something unusual and invite you to one of Donald Trump’s rallies,” Harris said. “People leave early, out of boredom and exhaustion.”
Trump couldn’t resist taking the bait.
Rather than bring the conversation back to the issue at hand — one that voters say they trust him more than Harris to handle — he defended his rallies, insisting that no one leaves and adding that no one attends Harris’s events.
He then pivoted back to immigration, but rather than discuss his border policies or contrast them with those of the Biden administration, he went into a long soliloquy about an unfounded claim circulating in conservative media that Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, were “eating the pets” of local residents.
“In Springfield, they’re eating the dogs, the people that came in, they’re eating the cats,” Trump claimed.
Moderator David Muir quickly retorted in one of a handful of real-time fact checks that the town’s city manager had denied any credible reports of such incidents.
As the debate progressed, there was more bait to be taken. Trump was asked if he regretted anything about the events of January 6, 2021. He denied any responsibility for the Capitol riot, claiming, “I had nothing to do with that” and deflecting blame by accusing former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser of failing to secure the Capitol.
Harris took the moment to remind the audience that she was present during the Capitol attack and pointed out that Trump had been indicted and impeached “for exactly that reason.”
Trump Hesitates on Abortion and Gets Fact Checked
During the debate’s segment on abortion, Trump faced tough questioning regarding his recent comments on reproductive issues, including abortion and IVF.
When asked about his running mate JD Vance’s stance on a federal abortion ban, which Vance suggested Trump wouldn’t veto, Trump distanced himself from that position. But he refused to commit to vetoing a national abortion ban by saying: “I’m not in favor of an abortion ban, but it doesn’t matter because this issue has now been taken over by the states. I wouldn’t have to.”
Trump also took credit for the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade and congratulated the six conservative judges who cast the deciding votes. He then launched into an attack on Harris, referencing comments from former Virginia Governor Ralph Northam regarding the palliative care of infants born with fatal complications by repeating the false claim that Democrats support abortion even after babies are born.
“[Democrats] have abortion in the ninth month,” Trump falsely claimed. He also incorrectly referenced “the previous governor of West Virginia,” saying the state would decide “what to do with the baby” after it was born.
Moderator Linsey Davis fact-checked Trump on that, clarifying that “there is no state in this country where it is legal to kill a baby after it’s born.”
Trump continued to escalate his claim, saying, “Her vice-presidential pick, Tim Walz, says abortion in the ninth month is fine. He also supports execution after birth—once the baby is born, it’s no longer abortion.”
Throughout this exchange, ABC kept both candidates’ microphones hot, allowing Trump and Harris to engage directly on an issue that has become a rallying cry for Democrats.
Trump pressed Harris on how late into pregnancy she would allow abortions, a question his advisers have long viewed as difficult for Democrats to answer. However, before Harris could respond, the moderators moved on to the next segment.
Trump Fails to Exploit Afghanistan Attack Line
Before the debate, Trump and his GOP allies criticized Vice President Kamala Harris for her role in the 2021 U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, which led to the Taliban’s takeover and the deaths of 13 U.S. service members in a suicide bombing at Kabul airport.
Trump had made this a central attack point, especially around the third anniversary of the withdrawal, with backing from some Gold Star families who accused Harris of ignoring their invitation to memorialize their fallen loved ones.
Despite this, Trump barely mentioned Afghanistan or the recent House report led by Republican Rep. Michael McCaul, released Sunday, which slammed the U.S. exit from that 20-year war.
When asked if she was responsible for how the withdrawal unfolded, Harris avoided direct responsibility, saying, “I agree with President Biden’s decision to pull out of Afghanistan. Four presidents said they would, and Joe Biden did.”
Harris then shifted focus to the Trump administration’s deal with the Taliban, which set the terms for the U.S. exit that Biden carried out.
“(Trump) invited the Taliban to Camp David, a place of storied significance for us as Americans,” she said.
Trump responded by emphasizing that billions of dollars in U.S. military equipment were left behind and now in the hands of the Taliban.
Almost immediately after Harris became the Democratic nominee, Trump and his GOP allies have tried to make the chaotic events of August 2021 stick to her.
The Trump campaign has repeatedly pointing out that the vice president said she was the “last person in the room” when Biden decided to pull out the troops. But that attack line was not effectively leveled on the debate stage.
Trump Really Wanted to Be Debating Biden
At several points during the night, Trump referenced President Biden almost wistfully, arguing that his former rival—who stepped aside in July—was pushed out of the race “like a dog.”
Part of that is likely because, with the 81-year-old Biden no longer running, Trump, at 78, immediately became the oldest person to run for president.
Harris was ready for her opponent’s callbacks to her boss, firmly telling him who he was now campaigning against.
“First of all, it’s important to remind the former president: you’re not running against Joe Biden, you’re running against me,” she said emphatically.
