5 takeaways from the Trump-Harris debate

Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump met for their first — and potentially only — debate on Tuesday, at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia.
It was also the first time the two met in person. In an interview with CNN’s Dana Bash, Harris said she and Trump had never met. The only time they were in the same room was when she attended Trump’s State of the Union addresses as a senator.
The two did shake hands before the debate, before lobbing attacks at one another over issues like the economy, immigration and abortion.
Tuesday’s debate was hosted by ABC News, with moderators David Muir and Linsey Davis, anchors of “World News Tonight.”
The candidates spent more time discussing past policy positions than what they would do in the next four years on issues like the economy, immigration and foreign policy. There were no questions about their competing plans on taxes, despite some of the Trump tax cuts expiring in the next year.
The first question of the night was on the economy. Muir asked, “do you believe Americans are better off than they were four years ago?” It was also the last question of the night on the economy, despite voters saying it is their top issue in multiple polls.
In response to the question, Harris said she and Biden were handed an economy in shambles, and they’ve spent the past four years trying to rebuild. She did not address historic inflation rates that have driven up the cost of living for many Americans.
Trump did address inflation, saying, “this has been a disaster for people.” He also defended his position on tariffs, which Harris called a “Trump sales tax.”
On abortion, Trump called Harris extreme because she wants abortion to be legal through nine months of pregnancy. Harris said Trump put Supreme Court justices in place who would overturn Roe v. Wade, and called states’ laws limiting abortion “Trump abortion bans.” Trump said he would not sign a national ban.
On immigration, the two candidates sparred over the Biden administration’s role in the spike in illegal migration over the past few years, but Trump made unsubstantiated claims about migrants eating pets in Ohio, and was sidetracked by Harris’ comments about people leaving his rallies.
Multiple times over the course of the debate, Trump was unable to stay on message after getting distracted by criticism from Harris.
Instead of landing critiques of Harris’ actions on inflation, foreign policy and immigration, Trump spoke about his relationship with Hungarian President Victor Orban, the size of his rallies, and his claims that he won the 2020 election.
He also struggled to land a clear answer on the Jan. 6, 2021, riots at the U.S. Capitol, saying, “I had nothing to do with that, other than they asked me to make a speech.”
Harris pivoted away from questions related to her changing positions on issues like fracking and immigration, and on the botched U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, and was able to instead put Trump on the defensive on multiple issues.
Going into the debate, many conservatives questioned whether the ABC News moderators would be fair, given evidence of bias on the network.
After the debate, many commentators panned the performance of Muir and Davis, with critiques centered on their interjections to fact check Trump several times, while never fact checking Harris. Others defended their performance.
The questions asked during the debate seemed to favor Harris, and did not include anything about the attempted assassination of Trump this summer.
After the debate, Trump said he thought he did well even though it was “three on one.”
The questions about foreign policy — including on Ukraine, Israel and the withdrawal from Afghanistan — did show a clear contrast between the two candidates.
Trump said the Biden-Harris administration has been weak on foreign policy, which led to Ukraine being invaded by Russia and Hamas launching an attack on civilians in Israel. He also criticized the administration for allowing Iran to get closer to having a nuclear weapon, and Harris for not meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu when he was in Washington, D.C.
Harris said Trump would capitulate to Russian President Vladimir Putin, and said the nation’s defense of Ukraine was necessary. She also said the U.S.’ membership in NATO was critical, and criticized Trump for “adoring strongmen.”
On Afghanistan, Harris was asked about the U.S.’ withdrawal from the country and whether she bore any responsibility for the botched withdrawal.
Harris said she supported the U.S. leaving the country, then pivoted to criticizing Trump for the agreement he made to withdraw.
Trump said the Biden administration “blew it” on the withdrawal from Afghanistan, calling it one of “the most embarrassing moments in the history of our country.”
While many on the left and the right said Harris won the debate, whether her performance would give her a bump among the dwindling supply of undecided voters remains to be seen.
Both candidates made pitches to those voters in their closing statements.
In her closing statement, Harris returned to her earlier theme that she would support middle class families. She also said she would support the U.S. military, and said she would be a “president for all Americans.”
In his closing statement, Trump focused on Harris’ role as vice president, and asked her why she hasn’t implemented her ideas over the past three-and-a-half years that she has been in power. Trump said the country is in decline, and called Harris the “worst” vice president in the history of the country.
What may end up helping Harris more than her debate performance was the announcement by singer Taylor Swift at the end of the night that she was supporting Harris.
“I will be casting my vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in the 2024 Presidential Election. I’m voting for @kamalaharris because she fights for the rights and causes I believe need a warrior to champion them,” she said in a statement released on social media. She signed the statement, “Taylor Swift, Childless Cat Lady.”