Harris and Trump’s five biggest moments from their aggressive presidential debate

During their heated presidential debate on Tuesday night, Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump sparred over the economy, immigration, foreign policy, and abortion. This was their first—and maybe their only—time on the same platform during this shortened campaign.

Trump and Harris faced off in Philadelphia with the goal of gaining the support of voters who are still unsure of their choice and who will decide the result of the presidential election in November in crucial battleground states.

Polls taken before the event revealed a very tight race between Trump and Harris, with the latter coming within a hair’s breadth of error in several of the swing states and almost tied in the national popular vote.

The debate rules, which were set while Biden was still in the race, prohibited both open microphones and audiences, yet both candidates found time to criticize and interrupt one another’s statements during a rapidly escalating encounter.

Harris made the surprising decision to shake Trump’s hand to start the evening, one that would have received little attention in the past. However, as a testament to how polarizing and abrasive American politics have become, it has been eight years since the last handshake in a presidential debate.

The handshake also helped Harris set up his debate tactic, which was to consistently and early knock Trump off balance.

Harris approached Trump after they had both taken the platform, held up her hand, and made a loud introduction.

“Kamala Harris,” she greeted him with a handshake. “Let’s have a good debate.”

Trump shook her hand and remarked, “Nice to see you.”

Then the two positioned themselves behind their own podiums.

Trump seemed at ease throughout the opening of the debate, looking primarily straight ahead and dropping his head when Harris talked.

As he spoke, Harris often turned to face him and shook her head or smiled. But when Harris made personal attacks on him, Trump’s behavior shifted, and as the evening dragged on, he sounded more agitated and enraged.

Harris Presents the Contest as the Past versus the Future

Harris presented the race as a clear-cut option between Trump’s divisive history and her more forward-looking strategy, even if it has been lacking in specific policy ideas, throughout the discussion. She is placing a wager that the more attention she can devote to Trump during the race, the more effectively she will be able to remind people of his turbulent administration.

Harris steered the debate away from Trump’s strong point of immigration, which was the subject of the moderator’s questioning, by bringing up his rally speeches about “fictional characters like Hannibal Lecter” and noting that many people leave before he finishes speaking.

“I’m going to do something unusual and invite you to one of Donald Trump’s rallies,” Harris remarked. “People leave early, out of boredom and exhaustion.”

Trump gave in to the temptation

Instead of returning the focus to the matter at hand, which is that people believe he can manage more than Harris, he defended his rallies, stating that no one leaves and that no one shows up to Harris’s events.

Then he turned back to immigration, but instead of talking about his border policies or comparing them to those of the Biden administration, he launched into a protracted tirade regarding an unsubstantiated rumor making the rounds in conservative media regarding Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, and their “eating the pets” of locals.

“In Springfield, they’re eating the dogs; the people that came in, they’re eating the cats,” Trump stated.

In one of the few real-time fact-checks, moderator David Muir promptly shot back, claiming that the town’s municipal manager has refuted any reliable allegations of such instances.

There was more bait to be grabbed as the discussion went on. When questioned about his regrets over the events on January 6, 2021, Trump said, “No.” He said, “I had nothing to do with that,” denying any involvement in the Capitol riot and shifting the blame by blaming Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of neglecting to guard the Capitol.

Reminding the audience that she was there at the assault on the Capitol, Harris took a minute to emphasize that Trump had been charged and impeached “for exactly that reason.”

Trump Reconsiders Abortion and Verifies the Information

Regarding his previous remarks on reproductive problems, such as IVF and abortion, Trump came under intense criticism during the abortion portion of the discussion.

Regarding JD Vance’s position on a federal abortion ban, which Vance said Trump wouldn’t veto, Trump clarified that he wasn’t endorsing it. “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,” he said, declining to commit to vetoing a nationwide abortion ban. Not that I would have to.”

Trump also praised the six conservative justices who delivered the decisive votes in the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. He then launched an assault on Harris, reiterating the false accusation that Democrats favor abortion even after a baby is born and using remarks made by former Virginia Governor Ralph Northam discussing the palliative care of newborns born with grave problems.

Falsely claiming that “[Democrats] have abortion in the ninth month,” Trump said. Erroneously citing “the previous governor of West Virginia,” he said that the state would choose “what to do with the baby” after its birth. Trump was fact-checked by moderator Linsey Davis, who clarified that “no state in this country allows the killing of a baby after it is born.”

“Her vice presidential pick, Tim Walz, says abortion in the ninth month is fine,” Trump said, escalating the intensity of his assertion. Additionally, he is in favor of execution upon childbirth—abortion ends once the infant is born.” ABC maintained the heat on the microphones for the duration of this discussion, giving Trump and Harris the opportunity to speak candidly on a topic that has grown to be a Democratic rallying cry.

Trump questioned Harris on the topic of abortion rights, specifically how late in pregnancy she would permit them—a query that his advisors had long believed to be beyond the reach of Democrats. However, the moderators advanced to the next portion before Harris could answer.

Trump Ignores the Attack Line in Afghanistan

Prior to the debate, Vice President Kamala Harris faced criticism from Trump and his Republican supporters for her part in the 2021 U.S. departure from Afghanistan, which resulted in the Taliban seizing control of the country and the suicide attack at Kabul airport that claimed the lives of thirteen U.S. military personnel.

Trump had turned this into a major point of attack, particularly around the third anniversary of the pullout, with support from Gold Star families who said Harris had turned down their request to honor their departed loved ones.

Despite this, Trump seldom brought up Afghanistan or the latest House report, which was sponsored by Republican Representative Michael McCaul and was published on Sunday, criticizing the United States’ withdrawal from the 20-year conflict.

In response to a question about her accountability for the withdrawal’s course, Harris said, “I support President Biden’s choice to withdraw from Afghanistan. Joe Biden fulfilled the promise made by four presidents.”

The Trump administration’s agreement with the Taliban, which established the parameters for the U.S. withdrawal that Biden implemented, was next on Harris’s agenda.

“Trump invited the Taliban to Camp David, a place of storied significance for us as Americans,” she remarked.

In response, Trump emphasized that the Taliban now had military hardware worth billions of dollars that the United States had left behind.

Trump and his Republican supporters have been attempting to tie Harris to the tumultuous events of August 2021, almost since she emerged as the Democratic candidate.

The vice president claimed to be the “last person in the room” when Biden made the decision to withdraw the soldiers, something that the Trump campaign has brought up several times. However, such line of attack was not used successfully throughout the argument.

Trump Was Serious About Debating Biden

Throughout the evening, Trump made many nearly nostalgic allusions to President Biden, claiming that the erstwhile opponent—who withdrew in July—was eliminated from the campaign “like a dog.”

Part of it was probably due to the fact that Trump, at 78, became the oldest presidential candidate right away when 81-year-old Biden withdrew from the race.

When her opponent called her employer back, Harris was prepared to inform him just who he was now running 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 added forcefully.