The first 90-minute presidential debate between Democrat Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump has taken place, with both candidates focusing on key topics such as the economy, migration, abortion, and foreign policy in relation to Ukraine. The event, hosted by ABC in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and moderated by the network’s anchors David Muir and Linsey Davis, was seen as crucial for the outcome of the November election.
Leading up to the debate, Trump led Harris by just 1% among likely voters (48% to 47%), with 5% being on the fence, according to a New York Times/Siena College poll. The survey also found that 28% of respondents said they wanted to learn more about Harris, even though she has served almost four years as Joe Biden’s vice president.
The key takeaways from the debate are as follows.
Economy: Kamala Harris began by laying out her vision for an opportunity economy, which includes making housing more affordable, expanding the child tax credit, and implementing tax deductions for start-up small businesses. However, she failed to directly answer a question about whether she believed “Americans are better off than they were four years ago.
In response, Trump blamed America’s economic struggles on inflation and pointed out that he would impose trade tariffs on countries such as China. He also criticized the Biden administration’s policies on immigration, claiming that immigrants are “taking over the towns… they’re going in violently.
Immigration: Trump repeated internet rumors suggesting that some Haitian migrants are abusing and killing animals. Faced with criticism over the Biden administration’s immigration policies, Harris remarked that she had supported a bill that would have enhanced border security but was blocked by Trump-friendly congressmen.
Ukraine conflict: Trump reiterated his pledge to end hostilities between Moscow and Kiev even before being sworn into office. He claimed that he could have prevented the conflict altogether because he had good relations with both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky. However, Harris pushed back, accusing Trump of a penchant for caving in to “dictators.
Abortion: The debate highlighted the two candidates’ stark differences on abortion, with Harris vowing to do her best to reinstate women’s rights guaranteed by Roe v. Wade. Meanwhile, Trump emphasized that the legal status of abortions should be decided on the state level.
In the aftermath of the face-off, Trump said he had just had his “best debate” to date, suggesting though that the ABC moderators were “very unfair” to him. Former US President Barack Obama argued that Harris had shown in the debate that she would be “a president for all Americans.” The vice president herself, however, was more cautious, telling her supporters that “we’re still the underdogs in this race.
According to a CNN flash poll, 63% of US voters said they believed Harris had delivered a better performance than Trump at the debate, while 37% disagreed.