Vice President Kamala Harris and former US President Donald Trump engaged in their first-ever debate on September 10 at Philadelphia’s National Constitution Centre.
The event, broadcast live by ABC News, marked a crucial moment in the 2024 US presidential race, with polls indicating a narrow lead for Harris among registered voters nationwide.
Here’s a look at some of the key moments from the debate.
Trump and Harris shake hands
The debate began with a handshake between the two presidential candidates and it was also their first time to ever meet in person. They could have met during current US President Joe Biden’s inauguration in 2021, however Trump broke tradition in 2021 by skipping the event.
Shortly after the handshake, the debate very quickly devolved into sharp exchanges and personal attacks.
Abortion rights
The debate saw intense discussion on reproductive rights, with Harris criticising Trump’s role in appointing Supreme Court justices who overturned Roe v. Wade.
“Pregnant women who want to carry a pregnancy to term, suffering from a miscarriage, being denied care in an emergency room because their healthcare providers are afraid they might go to jail and she’s bleeding out in a car in the parking lot. She didn’t want that. Her husband didn’t want that,” Harris said.
“A 12- or 13-year-old survivor of incest being forced to carry a pregnancy to term. They don’t want that.”
The former president defended his actions, stating he wouldn’t sign a national abortion ban. “It’s a lie,” he said in response to Harris’s claim that he would enact a national ban.
“I’m not signing a ban and there’s no reason to sign a ban because we’ve gotten what everybody wanted,” he added. “It’s the vote of the people now. It’s not tied up in the federal government. I did a great service in doing it. It took courage to do it. And the Supreme Court had great courage in doing it.”
Harris pledged to “proudly” sign a bill into law if Congress passes one that reinstates the protections guaranteed by Roe v. Wade.
Immigration and controversial claims
Trump made headlines with an unsubstantiated claim about Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, alleging, “They’re eating the dogs. They’re eating the cats. They’re eating the pets of the people that live there.”
This statement, echoing a debunked internet rumor, was immediately challenged by moderator David Muir. Harris expressed visible disbelief at these remarks, responding, “Talk about extreme…”
Economic and foreign policy clashes
The candidates sparred over the state of the nation, with Trump portraying the US as a “failing nation” on the brink of “World War III.”
Harris countered by highlighting her own record on various issues and attempting to distance herself from the current administration. She proposed several bold economic measures including “a first-ever federal ban on grocery price gouging, expanded down-payment assistance for first-time home buyers, and providing $6,000 per child to families for the first year of the child’s life.”
Trump defended his plan to enact tariffs on imports from other countries, stating, “We’re doing tariffs on other countries. Other countries are going to finally, after 75 years, pay us back. The tariff will be substantial in some cases.”
Trump’s Taliban negotiations with ‘Abdul’
Trump shared an anecdote about his negotiations with the Taliban prior to the 2021 US troop withdrawal from Afghanistan.
In response to Harris’ criticism of his dealings with the Taliban, Trump recounted a conversation he allegedly had with a Taliban leader he referred to as “Abdul.” According to Trump, he addressed the issue of Taliban snipers targeting US soldiers:
“I told Abdul don’t do it anymore, you do it anymore you’re going to have problems. And he said why do you send me a picture of my house? I said you’re going to have to figure that out, Abdul. And for 18 months we had nobody killed,” Trump claimed.
It’s believed that Trump was referring to Abdul Ghani Baradar, a prominent Taliban commander who now serves as Afghanistan’s first deputy prime minister. However, Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada, often referred to as Haibatullah Akhunzada, holds the position of supreme leader in Afghanistan under the Taliban’s internationally unrecognised regime.
This elicited laughter from Harris and quickly became a source of amusement online. Social media users have been creating and sharing memes, many of which humorously imagine the awkward situation “Abdul” might have found himself in upon supposedly receiving a photo of his own house from the US President.
Personal attacks and rebuttals
Harris sought to portray herself as a “middle-class kid” in contrast to Trump, whom she characterised as self-absorbed. At one point, Harris firmly stated, “First of all, I think it’s important to remind the former President, you’re not running against Joe Biden. You’re running against me.”
Trump attempted to connect Harris to some of Biden’s more unpopular policies.”Remember this: She is Biden. You know, she’s trying to get away from Biden. ‘I don’t know the gentleman,’ she says. She is Biden,” he claimed, adding that Biden’s presidency has been “the most divisive” in the country’s history.
Harris responded with a laugh: “Clearly, I am not Joe Biden and I am certainly not Donald Trump. And what I do offer is a new generation of leadership for our country.”
2020 election controversy
The debate reignited discussions about the 2020 election results. Trump attempted to walk back a recent statement where he admitted losing “by a whisker,” claiming it was sarcastic. When asked about this, Trump insisted, “I said that?” and maintained that his comment “was said sarcastically.”
Harris condemned Trump’s continued denial of the 2020 election results.”Donald Trump was fired by 81 million people. Clearly he is having a very difficult time processing that,” she said.
Foreign policy and national security
On the conflict in Ukraine, Trump notably avoided directly addressing whether he wanted Ukraine to win its war against Russia, instead focusing on his desire to end the conflict. “I want the war to stop, I want to save lives,” Trump said, without elaborating on how he would achieve this.
Harris condemned Trump’s stance. “If Donald Trump were President, Putin would be sitting in Kyiv right now,” she argued. Harris also claimed that Trump has a record of cosying up to dictators and undermining democratic values.
Regarding the Middle East, Harris maintained her previous stance on the war in Gaza, condemning Hamas’ October 7 attack while expressing support for a ceasefire and a two-state solution.
Trump claimed that Hamas would not have launched the attack if he had been President at the time and predicted, without evidence, that “Israel will not exist within two years from now” if Harris were to be elected President.
Fact-checking and moderation
ABC News moderators Muir and Davis notably fact-checked several claims made during the debate, particularly those from Trump. This approach drew both praise and criticism from various observers. Some applauded the real-time fact-checking, while others accused the moderators of bias.
Minutes after the debate ended, Harris’ campaign challenged Trump to a second presidential debate.
“Under the bright lights, the American people got to see the choice they will face this fall at the ballot box: between moving forward with Kamala Harris or going backwards with Trump,” the campaign said in a statement after the debate. “That’s what they saw tonight and what they should see at a second debate in October. Vice President Harris is ready for a second debate. Is Donald Trump?”
Trump took to his social media platform, TRUTH Social, where he stated: “People are saying BIG WIN tonight!” and “I thought that was my best debate, EVER, especially since it was THREE ON ONE!”
As the campaign season intensifies, both candidates will likely continue to refine their strategies and messaging in the lead-up to the November election. The stark contrasts between Harris and Trump on key issues such as abortion, immigration, and the economy were clearly on display, setting the stage for a highly contentious final stretch of the presidential race.
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