Trump also focused his attacks on Harris over her assignment by Biden to deal with the root causes of illegal migration.
They’re the threat to democracy.” Trump has in recent days ramped up his threats of retribution if he returns to the White House, saying he would prosecute lawyers, donors, and other officials whom he deems to “cheat” in the election.
“Donald Trump was fired by 81 million people,” Harris said, “So let’s be clear about that.
Trump leaned on familiar falsehoods and signaled a shift on Ukraine Trump attacked Harris for the inflation seen under the Biden-Harris administration, a major liability for the vice president.
“Talk about extreme,” Harris said after Trump talked about dogs and cats being eaten.
“Kamala Harris,” she said, extending her hand to Trump, who received it in a handshake — the first presidential debate handshake since the 2016 campaign.
Harris, Trump and Biden plan to all be at ground zero in lower Manhattan and the Flight 93 National Memorial near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, on Wednesday.
Harris and Biden will also visit the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, later in the day for a ceremony there.
Trump at one point launched into an attack on Biden, questioning his mental acuity by making the claim that Biden “doesn’t even know he’s alive.” Harris quickly tried to turn it around to make Trump look less than sharp.
“First of all, I think it’s important to remind the former president, you’re not running against Joe Biden.
In their first and possibly only debate before the presidential election, Kamala Harris made a strong case against Donald Trump on Tuesday. The exchange, which highlighted their radically divergent views of the nation on immigration, abortion, and American democracy, saw her repeatedly provoke him.
In an attempt to highlight the Republican former president’s part in the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn the right to an abortion nationwide two years ago, the Democratic vice president teased Trump by reminding him of the 2020 election defeat, which he continues to deny, and by making mocking remarks about his false claims. With his usual rambling personal attacks and digressions, which his advisors and supporters have tried to steer him away from, Trump tore into Harris, accusing her of being too liberal and of continuing Biden’s unpopular administration.
In the debate, which took place just hours before Alabama’s first early ballots are mailed out on Wednesday, the repeatedly upset presidential race was given its clearest glimpse to date, less than two months before Election Day.
By almost all measures, Harris’ performance appeared to be the complete opposite of President Joe Biden’s in June. While Biden occasionally sounded confused, halting, and incoherent, Harris provided pointed, targeted responses meant to highlight the differences between her and Trump. Instead of adopting Biden’s slack-jawed expression when Trump attacked him, Harris confronted him with body language and facial expressions, expressing that she found his answers absurd, humorous, or both.
Trump seemed to be put on the defensive by Harris’s persistent probing, which underscored her intention to position herself as a respite for voters looking to escape Trump’s caustic politics.
Harris abruptly turned to face Trump, telling him that in her capacity as vice president, she had spoken with foreign leaders who “are laughing at Donald Trump” and that in her conversations with military leaders, “they say you’re a disgrace.”. “.
The 59-year-old Harris—the first woman, Black person, and person of South Asian descent to serve as vice president—made a pointed gesture toward Trump as the 78-year-old president continued to question her race. She then said, “I think the American people want better than that, want better than this.”. “.
As vice president, Harris was asked why she hadn’t implemented her ideas, and Trump attempted to associate her with the still-unpopular Biden. Trump also directed his criticism towards Harris because Biden had given her the task of addressing the underlying causes of illegal immigration.
After three and a half years, he questioned, “Why hasn’t she done it?”.
Harris declared that she would work to reinstate the federally guaranteed right to an abortion, which the Supreme Court had reversed two years prior. She also promised tax cuts targeted at the middle class. Trump claimed that the proposed tariffs would benefit the U.S. S. put an end to allies’ trade deception and pledged to work quickly to put an end to the Russia-Ukraine conflict; however, he twice declined to state that he thought it was best for America for Ukraine, which has the support of both parties in Congress, to prevail in the conflict.
When a throng of Trump supporters stormed the U.S. election stage four years ago, Trump once more denied that he had lost to Biden. S. On the basis of fictitious or unproven allegations of voter fraud, Capitol will attempt to halt the certification of his defeat. In an attempt to turn the debate around, he said that criticism of him might be connected to the July assassination attempt that he narrowly avoided.
“I believe that I was shot in the head due to the negative remarks made about me,” he stated. “They discuss democracy, but I pose a danger to it,”. They pose a danger to democracy. “.
As he prepares to return to the White House, Trump has escalated his threats of retaliation, claiming he will bring legal action against donors, attorneys, and other officials he believes to have “cheated” on the election.
Let’s be clear about this: 81 million people fired Donald Trump, Harris stated. And it’s obvious that he is finding it extremely difficult to take that in. “.
With a dig at Trump’s running mate, Ohio Sen., megastar Taylor Swift dubbed herself a “childless cat lady” in her endorsement of her campaign, which concluded the debate by saying it was open to another meeting in October. JD Vance, as she urged her followers to cast their ballots.
Proponents of center-left shifts like Harris prioritize abortion.
In an effort to portray herself as pragmatic, Harris attempted to justify her departure from liberal causes and adoption of more centrist positions on issues like fracking, Medicare for All, and mandatory gun buyback programs. She even backed off from her earlier belief that plastic straws ought to be outlawed.
In response to a question concerning her shifting stances on various topics, she stated, “My values have not changed,” twice in an attempt to downplay it. “.
In the meantime, Trump swiftly criticized Harris for renouncing some of her earlier liberal stances, declaring, “She’s going to my philosophy now.”. I had planned to send her a MAGA hat, actually. Harris grinned widely and chuckled.
Focusing on a primary area of vulnerability for Trump in the election, Harris effectively ended the federally guaranteed right to an abortion by holding Trump accountable for his involvement in the nomination of three U.S. s. Court justices who reversed Roe v. Wade, leaving what she referred to as “Trump abortion bans” in more than 20 states nationwide. “.
After describing how women have been denied access to emergency care and abortion care since that ruling, Harris delivered one of her most passionate responses, claiming that if Trump is elected, he would enact a nationwide ban on abortion.
It is a lie, according to Trump, and there is no justification for him to sign a ban. “.
The Republican has stated that he believes the states should handle this.
Trump has persisted in calling Harris a “Marxist” and asserting, “Everyone knows she’s a Marxist,” in an attempt to portray the vice president as an out-of-touch liberal and win over voters who are dubious about his suitability for a return to the White House. “.
Harris’s eyebrows shot up, and she gave him a funny look while putting her hand to her chin and staring at him.
Invoking well-worn lies, Trump hinted at a change in position regarding Ukraine.
One of the vice president’s biggest liabilities, Trump criticized Harris for the inflation that occurred during the Biden-Harris administration. He swiftly changed the topic of his response to a warning against immigration to the United States, one of his campaign’s main themes.
He described his proposed tariffs as an easy way to force other nations to make up for what he has long maintained is an unfair imbalance that harms the U.S. S. Harris referred to the tariffs as a “national sales tax in effect.”. With little delay, Trump responded, labeling it “an incorrect statement.”. “.
Trump has focused extensively on immigration throughout his campaign, a topic that has plagued Biden and Harris due to an increase in unauthorized border crossings and the influx of thousands of people seeking refuge in cities with Democratic mayors. He charged Democrats with encouraging a high volume of illegal crossings, even though the Biden administration’s new asylum restrictions have contributed to a recent decline in these crossings.
However, Trump repeated a number of unfounded statements or unverified claims regarding migrants, as he frequently does at rallies and on social media. A disproven rumor that Trump and his allies had been spreading online in recent days claimed that Haitian immigrants living in a town in Ohio were killing and consuming pets was one of those accusations. There is no proof of that occurring, according to Springfield, Ohio, officials.
Following Trump’s remarks regarding dogs and cats being eaten, Harris remarked, “Talk about extreme.”.
The split-screen displayed Harris’s expressions.
The first time the two had ever met—since Trump had skipped her inauguration in 2021—was when Harris approached Trump’s podium to introduce herself as the debate got underway. “Kamala Harris,” she said, reaching out to shake hands with Trump. This was the first time the two had shaken hands during a presidential debate since the 2016 election.
Trump has occasionally resorted to using gender and racial stereotypes, fabricating claims that Harris, a graduate of an historically Black university, concealed her race from her employer.
When questioned about remarks that questioned Harris’ race, Trump responded, “I read where she was not Black, and then I read that she was Black.” He added this a minute later. Twice, he stated, “That’s up to her,” giving the impression that she could choose her race. “.
“I believe it’s tragic that a candidate for president has continuously attempted to divide the American people based on race throughout their career,” Harris retorted.
The candidates may not see each other again until Wednesday, when they both commemorate the 23rd anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, even though their meeting on Tuesday may be their final one on the debate platform. On Wednesday, Harris, Trump, and Biden intend to be present at both the Flight 93 National Memorial close to Shanksville, Pennsylvania, and ground zero in lower Manhattan. Later in the day, Harris and Biden are scheduled to attend a ceremony at the Pentagon located in Arlington, Virginia.
At one point, Trump attacked Biden, accusing him of lacking mental clarity and saying that he “doesn’t even know he’s alive.”. “.
In a swift attempt to make Trump appear less than competent, Harris tried to flip it.
“First and foremost, it’s crucial, in my opinion, to remind the former president that you are not challenging Joe Biden. You’re competing with me,” she remarked.
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