Gloves were off when Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump entered the debate stage Tuesday night.
Sparring on politics and personality, Harris and Trump showcased their starkly different visions for the country as they met for the first time for perhaps their only debate.
It was a high-pressure opportunity for the candidates after a tumultuous campaign summer where President Joe Biden bowed out of the race after a disastrous debate performance and Trump was nearly assassinated during a rally.
Here are some key takeaways from Tuesday’s debate:
Harris came out swinging
It was the first time they met in person and Harris started with an unexpected handshake and an introduction — “I’m Kamala Harris.”
The first question was on the economy and was tossed to Harris, who promptly went on the attack.
“Donald Trump gave us the worst unemployment since the Great Depression,” Harris said. “Donald Trump left us the worst public health epidemic in a century. Donald Trump left us the worst attack on our democracy since the Civil War. And what we have done is clean up Donald Trump’s mess. What we have done, and what I intend to do is build on what we know are the aspirations and the hopes of the American people.
Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump shakes hands with Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)AP
“But I’m going to tell you in this debate tonight, you’re going to hear from the same old, tired playbook, a bunch of lies, grievances and name-calling. What you’re going to hear tonight is a detailed and dangerous plan called Project 2025 that the former president intends on implementing if he were elected again,” she said.
After Harris detailed her plan for tax cuts for the middle class, more affordable housing, and tax breaks for entrepreneurs, Trump insisted she doesn’t have an economic plan.
“It’s like four words. Run, Spot, run,” Trump said.
“We’ve had a terrible economy because of inflation,” he said. “This has been a disaster for people … (and) on top of that we have millions of people pouring into our country.”
Trump added: “I created one of the greatest economies in the history of our country.”
Trump is fact-checked on abortion
After saying that liberals are killing babies after they were born, moderator Linsey Davis told Trump, “There is no state in this country where it is legal to kill a baby after it’s born.”
Trump argued that America wanted Roe v. Wade overturned and that he “did something that for 52 years … and through the genius and heart and strength of six Supreme Court justices, we were able to do that.”
Trump said that he brought abortion decisions to the states to decide.
Harris responded that “Trump hand-selected three members of the United States Supreme Court with the intention that they would undo the protections of Roe v Wade, and they did exactly as he intended. And now in over 20 states there are Trump abortion bans, which make it criminal for a doctor or nurse to provide health care in one state, it provides prison for life Trump abortion bans that make no exception, even for rape and incest.”
Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a presidential debate. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)AP
Harris gave one of her most impassioned answers as she described the ways women have been denied abortion care and other emergency care and said Trump would assign a national abortion ban if he wins.
Trump declared it “a lie,” and said, “I’m not signing a ban and there’s no reason to sign a ban.”
Trump has said he wants the issue left to the states.
They’re eating dogs!
Trump brought up a debunked rumor that Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, are kidnapping and eating pet cats and dogs — as Harris laughed.
Moderator David Muir pointed out that Springfield officials — the police and city manager — insisted there have been no reports of such acts.
The right-wing rumor was given oxygen by GOP vice presidential candidate J.D. Vance, who said on Monday “pets [were being] abducted and eaten by people who shouldn’t be in this country.”
Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks during a presidential debate with Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris at the National Constitution Center, Tuesday, Sept.10, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)’AP
According to the Washington Post, the baseless notion that immigrants are hurting animals in Springfield appears to come from a viral Facebook post first shared in a Springfield Facebook group in which a user claimed that their neighbor’s daughter’s friend had found her lost cat hanging from a branch at a home where a Haitian neighbor lives.
Nevertheless, in a post shared on Twitter, the Trump War Room said Trump, if elected, “will deport migrants who eat pets. Kamala Harris will send them to your town next. Make your choice, America.”
Republican Eric Ericson scolded his right-wing colleagues who fed the ridiculous pet lie to Trump.
“You stupid [bleep] just got Trump to repeat your lie about the pets,” he tweeted. “Congrats on setting the news stories tomorrow by lying so Trump picks it up and says stupid sh*t.”
Trump: ‘I had nothing to do’ with the insurrection
When asked: Do you regret anything about January 6, Trump responded, “I had nothing to do with that, except that I showed up for a speech.” He added: “I wasn’t responsible for security. [Then Speaker of the House] Nancy Pelosi was responsible. She didn’t do her job.”
Hundreds of Trump supporters have been convicted of crimes they committed on that day, and Trump — who has called them “heroes” and “patriots” — has pledged to pardon them.
Harris, who was the vice president-elect and an acting senator, reminded voters of what happened on Jan. 6.
“On that day, the President of the United States incited a violent mob to attack our nation’s capital, to desecrate our nation’s capital. On that day, 140 law enforcement officers were injured and some died. And understand the former president has been indicted and impeached for exactly that reason.”
She added: “So for everyone watching, who remembers what Jan. 6 was, I say we don’t have to go back. … And if that was a bridge too far for you, well, there is a place in our campaign for you to stand for country, to stand for our democracy, to stand for rule of law and to end the chaos.”
Getting personal
Harris hit Trump over the size of his rallies and said people leave the events “out of boredom” because he goes off script and rants about things like windmills and the movie character Hannibal Lecter.
“I believe you deserve a president who puts you first,” Harris said.
“People don’t go to her rallies,” Trump shot back. “People don’t leave my rallies. We have the biggest rallies. The most incredible rallies.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Matt Arco may be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at @MatthewArco.
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Publish date : 2024-09-10 23:44:00
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