Kamala Harris and Donald Trump traded blows in a fiery presidential debate on Tuesday that went off the rails multiple times and saw the former president go on bizarre and often false asides about audience size, immigration policy and abortion rights.
The Philadelphia debate, perhaps the most significant for Harris and Trump since Joe Biden dropped out of the presidential race in July, began amiably: Harris walked up to Trump’s podium and introduced herself with a handshake, an acknowledgment that the two presidential candidates had never met in person before Tuesday night.
But the cordial relationship was short-lived: After a standard tirade about the high inflation seen in the Biden administration’s early days, Trump derided Harris as a “Marxist” and pivoted to promoting the unfounded claim that Democrats wanted to “execute babies” by allowing abortions up to the ninth month of pregnancy.
The false claim was corrected by Harris and ABC News anchor Lindsey Davis, who, along with fellow host David Muir, fact-checked some of Trump’s comments throughout the night. Harris then launched into a scathing attack on Trump’s record on abortion, criticizing his nominations of three of the Supreme Court justices who ruled to overturn Roe v. Wade in 2022.
“No one should have to abandon their faith or deeply held beliefs to agree that the government or Donald Trump should not dictate what women should do with their bodies,” Harris said. “And when Congress passes a bill to restore the protections of Roe v. Wade, I will proudly sign it into law as president of the United States.”
Despite widespread public support for Roe v. Wade, President Trump has touted his role in overturning the decision, praising the Supreme Court’s “great courage” in issuing it, while repeatedly dodging questions about whether he would veto a nationwide ban on abortion as president.
Trump appeared to stumble when the moderator asked him questions about immigration, one of his top priorities, and when pressed about Biden’s handling of the U.S.-Mexico border, Harris shifted the conversation to Trump’s campaign rallies.
“I encourage you to go to a Donald Trump rally, because it’s so entertaining to watch,” Harris said. “At some point, he’ll talk about fictional characters like Hannibal Lecter. He’ll talk about why windmills cause cancer. You’ll also notice people leaving the rally early because they’re tired and bored. And honestly, the only thing you won’t hear him talk about is you.”
The digression seemed like a blatant attempt by Harris to lure Trump into a fight over who was attending her rallies rather than a debate about immigration policy, and it worked: Trump attacked Harris with the baseless accusation that her campaign was paying people to attend their rallies, while also praising his own rallies as “the greatest rallies in political history.”
And instead of highlighting his immigration policy, Trump chose to promote a now-debunked claim that Haitian immigrants in an Ohio city had begun capturing and eating neighbors’ pets.
“They’re eating dogs. The people who come in are eating cats,” Trump said. “They’re eating the pets of the people who live there. This is what’s going on in our country, and it’s unfortunate.”
The remarks drew swift ridicule on social media, with Democrats praising Trump for “doubling down on the crazy uncle vibe,” in the words of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
While some moments of the debate bordered on the absurd, other exchanges on foreign policy and the January 6 riots were thought-provoking. Pressed about his false claims of widespread fraud in the 2020 presidential election, Trump again refused to concede, drawing a stern warning from Harris.
“Donald Trump has been criticized by 81 million Americans, let’s be clear about that, and obviously he has a very hard time accepting that fact,” Harris said, “but we cannot have in our country someone like past presidents who seeks to overturn the will of the voters in a free and fair election.”
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On foreign policy, Harris answered tough questions about the Gaza war, voicing support for Israel’s “right to defend itself” and calling for Palestinians to “have the security, self-determination and dignity they deserve”.
Asked about his position on the war, Trump restated his hyperbolic claim that the wars in both Gaza and Ukraine could have been prevented if he had been in the White House.
“If I were president, this would never have started,” Trump said. “If I was president, Russia would never have done this. I know President Putin well. He would never have invaded Ukraine, and there was never a threat of that, by the way, for four years.”
But when asked directly whether he wanted Ukraine to win a war with Russia, Trump deflected.
“I want to stop the war,” Trump said, “and I think it’s in the best interest of the United States to end this war, to end it. Let’s negotiate a deal, because we’ve got to stop all these destructions of life.”
The debate ended with Harris vowing to be “a president for all Americans” while Trump called her “the worst vice president in the history of our country” — a fitting end for two candidates who offered starkly different visions for the country in what was perhaps their only presidential debate.
A presidential debate has yet to be formally scheduled, so Tuesday’s showdown could be the last time Harris and Trump meet before Election Day. The coming days will tell whether the debate made a lasting impression on undecided voters who will determine the course of what is likely to be a close race.
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