Democratic candidate Kamala Harris forced her Republican rival Donald Trump to get defensive in a combative presidential debate, according to Reuters. (Updated 11 September at 11:20 a.m.)
A former prosecutor, Harris, 59, repeatedly prompted Trump, 78, to deliver a series of responses about his suitability for office, support for abortion restrictions, and legal challenges.
Eight weeks before the election and days before early voting begins in some states, the debate offered both candidates a rare opportunity to make their case to a television audience of tens of millions of voters. The candidates clashed on immigration, foreign policy, and health care, but the debate contained few specifics.
Instead, Harris managed to focus on Trump, leading her allies to cheer and some Republicans to acknowledge Trump’s challenges. He repeated his claim that his defeat in the 2020 election was due to fraud, called Harris a “Marxist” and argued that migrants have caused a surge in violent crime.
The candidates also traded accusations about the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, though neither gave specifics on how they would seek to end each conflict.
How it proceeded
The debate, hosted by ABC in Philadelphia, began at 01:00 GMT on Wednesday with a surprise handshake between the two opponents, who had never met before. Harris approached Trump at his lectern, introducing herself by name, marking the first handshake at a presidential debate since 2016.
The candidates began the debate by focusing on the economy, an issue that opinion polls showed favoured Trump. Harris criticised Trump’s intention to impose high duties on foreign goods, while praising her plan to give tax breaks to families and small businesses.
Harris lambasted Trump over his criminal conviction for hiding secret cash payments to a porn star, as well as other charges and a civil judgement finding him guilty of sexual assault. Trump denied guilt and again accused Harris and Democrats of orchestrating all of the cases without evidence.
The vice president delivered a lengthy criticism of abortion restrictions, speaking passionately about women who did not receive emergency care and incest victims who could not terminate their pregnancies because of state-level bans. She also stated that Trump would support a national ban.
Harris also tried to link Trump to Project 2025, a conservative political plan proposing to expand executive power, repeal environmental regulations, and make it illegal to transport abortion pills across state lines. Trump responded that he had “nothing to do” with Project 2025.
In turn, he criticised Harris for constant inflation during the Biden administration’s term. He said it “has been a disaster for people, for the middle class, for every class.”
Meanwhile, American musician Jonnie King suspected Harris of cheating, accusing her of using an audio earring.
Kamala Harris war wearing Nova H1 Audio earrings tonight whic are wireless earphones during her debate with Donald Trump. This is why she was seen continuously taking notes with her pen during the debate, when it was explicitly agreed upon before that there would be NO notes.
Early outcomes
Pop star Taylor Swift told her 283 million Instagram followers immediately after the debate that she would support Vice President Harris and her running mate Tim Walz in the 5 November election.
Online prediction market PredictIt 2024 showed that the likelihood of Trump winning during the debate dropped to 47% from 52%. Harris’ chances, meanwhile, rose to 55% from 53%. The polls also show that the vast majority of Americans have already made up their minds, leaving a small portion of undecided voters.
In a sign of confidence in the outcome of the debate, Harris’ campaign staff challenged Trump to a runoff in October. Afterwards, Trump took the rare step of going to a nearby “spin room.” He later stated:
This was my best debate. She wants it because she lost. I have to think about it, but if you won the debate, I sort of think maybe I shouldn’t do it. Why should I do another debate?
The meeting was particularly important for Harris, as opinion polls showed that more than a quarter of likely voters felt they did not know enough about her. She entered the race just seven weeks ago after President Joe Biden left office.
Presidential debates do not necessarily change voters’ minds, but they can carry profound implications. Biden’s poor performance against Trump in June forced him to abandon his campaign on 21 July.
