PHILADELPHIA, Sept 11 (Askume) – Democrat Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump held their first and possibly only debate on Tuesday, a debate that, polls suggest, will have a major impact on the Nov. 5 election .
Here are the highlights of the debate:
inciting opponents
As her campaign predicted, Harris tried to upset Trump — and it worked.
He urged viewers to come to Trump rallies, where he said Trump would say bizarre things like that windmills cause cancer (which he actually did), and he also taunted attendees that people would complain because they were tired and bored and leave the meeting (which in fact they have already done).
Trump, who prided himself on the crowds he attracted, was visibly angry.
“My rally was the largest rally in political history, the most incredible rally,” he said, accusing Harris of bringing people to her rallies.
Trump then falsely claimed that immigrants living illegally in the country were killing and eating people’s pets in Springfield, Ohio; a baseless claim that circulated on social media and was linked to Trump’s vice presidential candidate J.D. Vance also advocates this.
“In Springfield, they’re eating dogs! People who come in, they’re eating cats!” Trump said. “They’re eating the pets of the people who live there.”
Springfield city officials said the reports were false, which were reported by ABC anchors after Trump’s comments.
“Talk about extremism,” Harris replied, laughing.
Defensive play
Another goal for Harris, a former California prosecutor, is to hold Trump accountable for his past actions, particularly his efforts to overturn the 2020 election.
After an hour of debate, it seems that his strategy is proving effective. Trump is in a defensive position.
When asked about the siege on the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, he insisted he had “nothing to do with it except they asked me to give a speech.” He also falsely claimed he won the 2020 election.
Harris used Trump’s behavior as an argument to motivate the country to write a new chapter, and she did so throughout the night.
“Donald Trump was voted out by 81 million people, so we have to be clear about that, and obviously it’s hard for him to accept this, but we cannot tolerate a president of the United States who is trying to do his job by subverting a free and fair election in the past,” Harris said.
The vice president stepped up his attacks on Trump, saying world leaders were “laughing” at him and calling him a disgrace — language that Trump himself has used at rallies about what the country thinks of Joe Biden becoming president.
Minutes later, Trump exploded, claiming Harris “didn’t get the votes” for the Democratic nomination and suggesting her replacement with Biden was part of some sort of coup.
“He hates him. He can’t stand him,” Trump said of Biden.
The exchange may have bolstered Harris’ argument that Trump lacks the “temperament” to be president.
“Weaponized” justice
Trump and Harris have accused each other of conspiring to “weaponize” the Justice Department to suppress their enemies.
Trump said the impeachment charges against him, including conspiring to overturn his 2020 election defeat and mishandling classified documents – and falsifying documents related to payments to porn stars – were all part of a conspiracy hatched by Harris to bring about the consequences. There is no evidence to support this statement.
Harris hit back, saying Trump has promised to prosecute his enemies if he wins a second term.
“You have to understand, and I quote, this is a man who has said publicly that he wants to abolish the Constitution,” Harris said.
The heated debate underscored how existentially important both Harris and Trump consider this election. Both described their opponents as a threat to democracy.
Racial divisions
The issue of race also came up during the debate. Trump was asked why he publicly questioned Harris’ dual heritage as a black and South Asian woman.
He responded: “I don’t care what it is. I read that she was black. Then I read that she wasn’t black.”
Asked to respond, Harris accused Trump of using race to divide Americans throughout his career. She recalled how she and her father evicted black tenants in the 1970s and how Trump had acquitted five young black and Latino men who attacked a jogger in New York’s Central Park in 1989, sparking public outrage.
Harris said she has also publicly questioned whether President Obama, who was born in the United States, is a U.S. citizen.
“I think it’s a tragedy that we have an ambitious president who has spent his entire career using race to divide the American people,” he said.
“I think the American people deserve better than that,” Harris said. “We don’t want a leader who forces Americans to constantly blame each other.”
Instead of trying to defend his record, Trump focused on the economy and tried to pin Biden’s economic policies on Harris. “She’s trying to distance herself from Biden,” he said.
to shake hands
As the debate began, a question arose: How would Harris and Trump, who have never met, greet each other.
Harris addressed the issue decisively. She walked up to Trump on stage, extended her hand, and introduced herself as “Kamala Harris.”
It was a reassuring way to approach a man who had insulted him with racist and sexist attacks for weeks . Trump had no choice but to accept the gesture.
Economic debate
In the opening minutes of the debate, Trump and Harris sparred over the issue that matters most to voters: the economy.
Harris detailed the economic policies she has introduced in recent weeks, including a massive tax credit for small startups . Trump’s comments focused on tariffs, which he said would protect the U.S. economy from unfair foreign competition.
There were attacks from both sides, but Harris first got the opportunity to speak on the subject of how she lags behind Trump in voter trust. She appeared to hit back at the former president, who has gone on the defensive on one of his strongest issues.
After Harris’s initial remarks, Trump said, “They don’t have a plan. It’s like run, find, run.”
Disagreement over abortion
The two candidates also had a heated debate on abortion, with polls showing Harris had an edge on the issue.
Trump has defended a 2022 U.S. Supreme Court decision that would eliminate constitutional protections for abortion and send the issue back to the states, arguing incorrectly that it would be a conflict between Republicans and Democrats over what both parties want. Democrats have long supported a constitutional right to abortion.
Trump said, “By doing this I have made a huge contribution. It takes courage to do this.”
Trump argued that some states allow abortions after birth, a viewpoint corrected by ABC News host Lindsey Davis.
Harris expressed some displeasure at Trump’s claim that abortion had become a states’ rights issue, a welcome outcome, referring to states that had passed restrictive bans.
“Is this what people want?” Harris asked, “Are people being denied emergency room care because their health care providers are afraid of being sent to jail?”
Trump was asked if he would veto a federal abortion ban if Congress passed it. He says a federal ban will never happen.
A world of difference
One of the most heated policy discussions occurred when Trump and Harris clashed over how to handle Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
The two candidates’ answers revealed how fundamentally different they see America’s role in the world.
Trump refused to say he wanted Ukraine to win the war, and when ABC host David Muir pressed him on the issue he said only that he wanted the conflict to end quickly.
Harris responded that Trump actually wanted Ukraine to surrender quickly and unconditionally.
“If Donald Trump were president, (Russian President Vladimir) Putin would be sitting in Kyiv right now,” Harris said.
She also denied Trump’s claim that Biden had sent her to talk to Putin to resolve the conflict. Harris has never met Putin but has met Ukrainian President Zelensky on several occasions.
“I said at the beginning of the debate that you were going to hear a lot of lies from this man, and those were lies,” Harris said.
