Vice President Kamala Harris made a sharp, fiery case against Republican nominee Donald Trump during a freewheeling debate Tuesday, blasting the former president\u2019s character and preoccupation with himself while pressing him to task on issues including abortion, democracy and foreign policy.<\/p>\n
Trump used the head-to-head event to attack Harris as a \u201cMarxist\u201d masquerading as a moderate and repeatedly turned the subject back to the U.S. southern border \u2014 an issue where polls show voters trust him more than Harris \u2014 often straying from the facts to embrace debunked conspiracy theories about immigration and the 2020 election.<\/p>\n
Both sides went into their first debate, hosted by ABC in Philadelphia, spoiling for a fight after several weeks of attacking one another on the campaign trail and wasted little time launching into harsh attacks. Harris\u2019s barbs landed crisply, while Trump often veered off-message in response to her attempts to bait him on sensitive topics like the size of his rally crowds, his 2020 election loss and his admiration for strongmen.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn this debate tonight, you\u2019re going to hear from the same old tired playbook, a bunch of lies, grievances and name-calling,\u201d Harris said early in the debate, one of several times that she turned to address viewers rather than her opponent. A few minutes later, she said, \u201cDonald Trump actually has no plan for you, because he is more interested in defending himself than he is in looking out for you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Trump dismissed the remark as \u201cjust a sound bite\u201d and went on to accuse Harris of misleading the public about her positions.<\/p>\n
\u201cEverything that she believed three years ago and four years ago is out the window \u2014 she\u2019s going to my philosophy now,\u201d Trump said. \u201cIn fact, I was going to send her a MAGA hat. She\u2019s going to my philosophy. But if she ever got elected, she\u2019d change it and it will be the end of our country.\u201d<\/p>\n
Harris was able to deliver the Democratic case against Trump \u2014 that he is self-involved, unfit and consumed with his own interests \u2014 in a way that President Joe Biden struggled badly to do in the last debate, a little over two months ago. Her performance, and Trump\u2019s often-frustrated reaction, underscored how much the dynamics of race have changed since Biden stepped aside.<\/p>\n
Harris seemed to regularly get under the former president\u2019s skin, sometimes prompting angry or meandering responses. He accused the vice president and the Biden administration of being responsible for inflation, high crime and illegal immigration, but he also went on tangents, such as repeating baseless assertions.<\/p>\n
In one of the most aggressive exchanges from the night, Harris and Trump sparred over abortion, with each casting the other as holding extreme positions.<\/p>\n
Harris said Trump was responsible for the worst of the fallout of abortion bans stemming from the Supreme Court ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, blaming the former president for women \u201cbleeding out\u201d in parking lots and children having to carry a pregnancy resulting from incest.<\/p>\n
Trump said it \u201ctook courage\u201d to overturn Roe v. Wade and falsely claimed that \u201cevery legal scholar\u201d wanted abortion policy to be left up to the states. He also falsely stated that Democrats support abortion after birth, which led to the first of several fact checks from the moderators.<\/p>\n
Trump declared that he would not sign a national abortion ban but dodged when asked whether he would veto such a ban if it passed Congress, saying that would never happen. \u201cI\u2019m not signing a ban, and there\u2019s no reason to sign a ban,\u201d Trump said. As for vetoing it, he said, \u201cI won\u2019t have to.\u201d<\/p>\n
Harris passionately spoke about the need for government to stay out of decisions involving women\u2019s bodies. But she did not answer directly whether she supported any restrictions on abortion, saying instead that she backed reinstating the protections of Roe v. Wade.<\/p>\n
Harris repeatedly goaded Trump with references to people leaving his rallies, his various bankruptcies, the money that he received from his father and other matters where he has shown sensitivity.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe talks about fictional characters like Hannibal Lecter,\u201d Harris said at one point. \u201cHe talks about [how] windmills cause cancer.\u201d<\/p>\n
At one point in the debate, Trump refused to acknowledge that he lost the 2020 election, despite clear evidence that Biden defeated him. When asked about his recent statements that he had \u201clost by a whisker,\u201d Trump said he was being sarcastic.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t acknowledge it at all,\u201d Trump said. \u201cI say that sarcastically. \u2026 Look, there\u2019s so much proof. All you have to do is look at it.\u201d<\/p>\n
He then falsely claimed that \u201cno judge looked at it,\u201d even though several courts dismissed his claims of voter fraud as lacking merit.<\/p>\n
Harris, meanwhile, took the opportunity to say Trump was \u201cfired\u201d by the American people in 2020. \u201cDonald Trump was fired by 81 million people, so let\u2019s be clear about that and clearly he\u2019s having a very difficult time processing that,\u201d Harris said. \u201cWe cannot afford to have a president of the United States who attempts as he did in the past to upend the will of the voters in a free and fair election.\u201d<\/p>\n
It was one of several times Harris tried to get under Trump\u2019s skin. She referenced people at his rallies experiencing \u201cexhaustion and boredom,\u201d saying that he seemed \u201cconfused\u201d and that \u201che admires dictators.\u201d<\/p>\n
Trump often responded with defensive and unclear retorts, providing the kind of split-screen image the Harris campaign was hoping for.<\/p>\n
Shortly after Harris taunted him about people leaving his rallies early, Trump warned of World War III, then brought up a false claim that immigrants in Ohio are eating Americans\u2019 pets.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn Springfield, they\u2019re eating the dogs, the people that came in, they\u2019re eating the cats, they\u2019re eating the pets of the people that live there and this is what\u2019s happening,\u201d Trump said, as Harris began to laugh. \u201cAs far as rallies are concerned \u2026 the reason they go, they like what I say.\u201d<\/p>\n
David Muir interjected, saying the city manager had told ABC that there have been \u201cno credible reports of specific claims of pets being harmed, injured or abused by individuals within the immigrant community.\u201d<\/p>\n
Trump interjected: \u201cI\u2019ve seen people on television. The people on television say, \u2018My dog was taken and used for food.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Harris laughed and said: \u201cTalk about extreme.\u201d<\/p>\n
Beyond the policy differences, both candidates faced pressure heading into the debate to present a reassuring demeanor. Polls suggest that Harris particularly remains little-known to many voters, and Tuesday was expected to give her a rare opportunity to showcase a presidential, moderate image.<\/p>\n
Tuesday\u2019s event was originally scheduled to be the second of two faceoffs between Trump and Biden, who was seeking reelection at the time and was viewed as the all-but-certain Democratic nominee. But Biden\u2019s halting performance during the first debate in June amplified concerns among many Democrats about his age and mental acuity, ultimately leading him to drop out and endorse Harris.<\/p>\n
Over the course of about 50 days, Harris claimed the Democratic nomination, selected a running mate, raised more than $540 million, filled large arenas, and closed the gap in polling that had opened up between Trump and Biden. The frenzy of activity has shaken up a race that has also been rocked by Trump\u2019s felony conviction and an assassination attempt against him.<\/p>\n
Polls now show a tight, margin-of-error race with the momentum of Harris\u2019s candidacy appearing to settle in recent days. Her campaign has sought to present her as the \u201cunderdog,\u201d and Trump\u2019s campaign has declared that her \u201choneymoon\u201d period is over.<\/p>\n
Both candidates on Tuesday sought to appeal to undecided voters, a shrinking group of Americans who play an outsize role and tend to embrace more moderate positions than the party faithful on either side. Harris embraced a tougher position on immigration and expressed her support for small businesses while Trump said he supported in vitro fertilization, calling himself \u201ca leader on fertilization IVF.\u201d<\/p>\n
Harris faced questions from the moderators \u2014 and attacks from Trump \u2014 over several liberal policy positions she once held. Her campaign has disavowed some of her more progressive positions from her presidential run in 2019, saying she no longer supports a ban on fracking, a Medicare-for-all policy, mandatory gun buyback initiatives or removing penalties for those who cross the border illegally.<\/p>\n
She did not directly answer but turned her response into another attack on Trump.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy values have not changed, and what is important is that there is a president who actually brings values and a perspective that is about lifting people up and not beating people down and name-calling,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
She also sought to use a question about the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol to make a broader point about her push to move beyond the Trump-dominated era of American politics. \u201cFor everyone watching who remembers what January 6th was, I say, we don\u2019t have to go back,\u201d she said. \u201cLet\u2019s not go back. We\u2019re not going back. We\u2019re turning the page.\u201d<\/p>\n
Trump responded with his own harsh critiques of Harris. \u201cShe doesn\u2019t have a plan. She copied Biden\u2019s plan,\u201d he said of Harris\u2019s economic policies. \u201cIt\u2019s like four sentences, like, \u2018Run, Spot, run.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Harris responded to one of Trump\u2019s attacks on crime by pointing out that the former president is being prosecuted on multiple charges. Trump said he had been the victim of a weaponized government, alleging without evidence that a July assassination attempt stemmed from Democrats\u2019 rhetoric about him.<\/p>\n
\u201cI probably took a bullet to the head because of the things that they say about me,\u201d Trump said. Police have not found a political motive for the shooter.<\/p>\n
At one point, the moderators asked Trump about his recent baseless comment that Harris had only recently begun embracing her Black heritage. Harris is Black and Indian American.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhatever she wants to be is okay with me,\u201d Trump said.<\/p>\n
Harris responded with a rare comment on racial issues, accusing Trump of using race to divide people throughout his career. \u201cI think the American people want better than that, want better than this,\u201d she said. \u201cWe see in each other a friend. We see in each other a neighbor. We don\u2019t want a president who wants to constantly see Americans point a finger at each other.\u201d<\/p>\n
The debate began cordially, at least before the candidates began speaking. Harris walked on to the stage and approached Trump with an outstretched arm, ultimately making her way over to his podium.<\/p>\n
\u201cKamala Harris,\u201d she said, introducing herself and shaking his hand. \u201cLet\u2019s have a good debate.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHave fun,\u201d Trump said.<\/p>\n
The window for the candidates to make their case is closing fast, as mail-in ballots in some states will begin going out as soon as next week. Surrogates for both candidates wasted little time trying to put the most positive light on the evening.<\/p>\n
Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) said Harris failed to answer substantive questions about the shifts on her record or how she would govern.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Kamala Harris answer the question of, do the Democrats have a nominee who looks the part? Yeah. But there was no substance,\u2019 he told reporters in the spin room. \u2018It was all fluff it was all shown it was all vibes, not concrete answers the American people need. It\u2019s as if, frankly, I was re watching her convention speech. That\u2019s what I saw.\u201d<\/p>\n
Both candidates planned to return to the campaign trail after taking time Wednesday to mark the anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Harris will campaign in North Carolina and Pennsylvania this week while Trump plans to travel to Arizona, Nevada and California.<\/p>\n
It is not clear if they will debate again, as neither candidate has committed yet to another meeting. Their running mates, Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, are slated to debate Oct. 1.<\/p>\n
Maeve Reston, Cleve Wootson, Jeff Stein and Patrick Svitek contributed to this report.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Vice President Kamala Harris made a sharp, fiery case against Republican nominee Donald Trump during a freewheeling debate Tuesday, blasting the former president\u2019s character and preoccupation with himself while pressing him to task on issues including abortion, democracy and foreign policy. Trump used the head-to-head event to attack Harris as a \u201cMarxist\u201d masquerading as a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":9336,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9335","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstriumphs.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9335","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstriumphs.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstriumphs.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstriumphs.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9335"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/businesstriumphs.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9335\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstriumphs.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9336"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstriumphs.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9335"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstriumphs.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9335"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstriumphs.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9335"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}