The first, and possibly only, debate between presidential candidates Kamala Harris and Donald Trump in the 2024 election has come to an end.
Tuesday’s event in Philadelphia gave Americans their most detailed look at a campaign that’s dramatically changed since the last debate in June. In rapid fashion, President Joe Biden bowed out of the race after his disastrous performance, Trump survived an assassination attempt and both sides chose their running mates.
Moderators from ABC, the network that hosted the debate, asked Harris and Trump for their stances on the economy, abortion, climate change and foreign policy, including the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine and the Israel-Hamas wars.
The debate Tuesday is the only one that’s been firmly scheduled and could be the only time voters see Harris and Trump go head-to-head before the November general election.
Follow the AP’s Election 2024 coverage at: https://apnews.com/hub/election-2024.
Here’s the latest:
Gender dynamics permeated the Trump-Harris debate, experts say
Although the candidates’ genders were not explicitly discussed during Tuesday’s debate, gender dynamics still permeated the conversation, and Harris was able to wield gender fault lines to her advantage, experts said.
“You saw Kamala Harris demonstrate that she was very prepared for the ways in which Donald Trump is easily unraveled when his power is not only questioned or when he is ridiculed, but particularly when that comes from a woman and a Black woman, even more specifically,” said Kelly Dittmar, director of research at the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University.
Harris succeeded in riling Trump in several instances, needling him about rally crowd size and saying that world leaders laugh at him.
“So much of his persona is about not being weak, not being laughed at, all things that align with hegemonic masculinity — an academic term for this,” Dittmar said.
“She found ways to really try to question that, and make him look weak or make him look out of control, kind of mock him in a way, which really gets under his skin,” she added.
Harris also provided more substantive answers for questions about issues that are important for women, including reproductive freedom and abortion access, according to Fatima Goss Graves, president of the National Women’s Law Center Action Fund.
From Harris, “you heard a conversation about care and families and what they are experiencing, especially those with young children. These are the issues that women across this country are talking about and talking about with seriousness,” Goss Graves said.
“I imagine that’s going to be exciting to women around the country,” she added.
Another debate? Trump won’t say
In the spin room shortly after the debate, Trump wouldn’t commit to the rematch the Harris campaign has already offered, saying, “I have to think about it” and that he might do it “if it was on a fair network.”
“The reason you do a second debate is if you lose, and they lost,” he told Fox News host Sean Hannity. “But I’ll think about it.”
If Trump is doing interviews because he’s worried about his performance tonight, he isn’t showing it. He told Hannity he “thought it was a great debate” and came to the spin room because “I just felt I wanted to.”
“I was very happy with the result,” he said. “I just felt we had a great night and I’d come over here.”
Trump says he thought Tuesday’s was his best debate
“I thought this was my best debate,” Trump said.
He said he thought Harris didn’t do very well.
“It was obviously 3-on-1,” he added, repeating a post-debate talking point amongst supporters that the moderators treated him unfairly.
Harris says Democrats are ‘still the underdogs’
In her first appearance after Tuesday night’s debate with Trump, Harris said she and Walz are “still the underdogs” but projected positivity for the remainder of the general election campaign.
Speaking at Cherry Street Pier in Philadelphia, Harris told a crowd that “hard work is good work, and we will win.”
Harris also predicted she would win Pennsylvania because of strong support shown in the battleground state.
As Harris spoke, “The Man” by Taylor Swift was audible in the venue. Just after the debate concluded, Swift, one of the music industry’s biggest stars, said she was endorsing Harris.
Michelle Obama reacts to the debate
“After tonight’s debate there should be no doubt — no room for discussion — @KamalaHarris is the only candidate in this race who is ready to be President,” the former first lady wrote on social media.
Echoing her remarks when she addressed the Democratic National Convention in August, Obama again urged everyone to “do something” to encourage people to vote for Harris. She says “every vote will matter in what will be a close race.”
Vance claims Harris is rehearsed, while Trump respects people enough to answer questions
In the spin room post-debate, Republican vice-presidential nominee JD Vance claimed Harris is running on “vibes” and joked it makes him feel like he has “taken some psychedelics.”
He argued to Fox News’ Sean Hannity she repeats slogans instead of answering questions honestly, whereas Trump “actually answers the questions because he respects people enough to treat them like citizens.”
Both Harris and Trump pulled from their stump speeches at times during the debate.
Latino leaders applaud Harris’ performance
Latino leaders are applauding Harris’ debate performance while criticizing comments made by Trump toward Latino and immigrant communities.
Democratic strategist Maria Cardona described Harris’ performance as “a masterclass in presidential debate.”
Immediately after the debate, the Latinos con Harris-Walz WhatsApp channel shared a message to the community: “Quien habla mucho, hace poco … sabemos lo tuyo, Donald. In English, that’s: “He who talks a lot, talks a little … we know about you, Donald.” The message received several laughing emoji reactions from members in the channel.
LULAC CEO Juan Proaño said he felt the debate did not help to move conversations forward on policy issues such as the economy and immigration. Proaño said Harris did a better job addressing issues that specifically affect the Latino community while Trump was simply focused on rhetoric, including false claims about immigrants in Ohio eating pets.
Trump camp says Swift endorsement is evidence Democrats are ‘party of the wealthy elites’
“This is further evidence that the Democrat Party has unfortunately become a party of the wealthy elites,” said spokesperson Karoline Leavitt.
“President Trump is going to continue to fight for hardworking Americans, the forgotten men and women of this country who don’t have the luxury of living in private gated communities and need their local law enforcement,” she said, insisting the endorsement wouldn’t matter.
“There’s many Swifties for Trump out there in America,” she said, herself included.
Rubio among Trump supporters criticizing ABC’s moderators
Florida Sen. Marco Rubio is joining the chorus of Trump supporters criticizing ABC News’ debate moderators.
Appearing on NBC News moments after both candidates left the stage, Rubio said Harris was not pressed hard enough on inflation or her past suggestions of banning hydraulic fracturing.
“There are all kind of things the moderators never asked,” Rubio said.
He added that he wasn’t one to frequently criticize debate moderators, but that doing so was warranted in this case.
Republicans have criticized Harris for “flip-flopping” on the issue of fracking, noting that Harris said in the 2020 campaign that she opposed the technique for drilling for oil or natural gas. Harris has since said repeatedly that she won’t ban fracking if elected, and she reiterated that in Tuesday’s debate.
Taylor Swift backs Kamala
Pop superstar Taylor Swift endorsed Harris in an Instagram post shortly after the debate ended.
“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 signed the message “Taylor Swift, Childless Cat Lady.”
On climate, silence is the story
The last question of the debate focused on climate change, but Harris did not offer specific policy proposals.
Harris noted that Trump has said climate change is a “hoax,” and touched on the realities of extreme weather, but then pivoted to focus on clean energy and hundreds of thousands of manufacturing jobs that she has championed through the Inflation Reduction Act approved by Democrats in Congress.
Trump said Harris and Biden’s polices would help China and said he would put tariffs on electric vehicles and others products made in China. Biden has raised tariffs on EVs from China. Trump did not address he previous comments on climate denialism or moves he made to roll back environmental regulations while in office.
Shapiro calls Trump a ‘rambling man full of nonsense’
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro says that some voters had “brain fog” about how Trump was as president but that Harris reminded them of how it was in a big way.
Shapiro, who was on the short list to be Harris’ running mate, appeared briefly on NBC News moments after the debate ended. He said Trump “was all over the place” and a “rambling man full of nonsense” while Harris demonstrated leadership.
Pressed on if Harris offered enough insight into her policy proposals for a national audience who doesn’t know her well, Shapiro said Harris made it clear that she wants to move the country forward.
Trump reviews himself
No surprise: Trump thinks he did well during the debate.
“People are saying BIG WIN tonight!” he posted on Truth Social, his social media site. He also complained about the moderators.
“I thought that was my best Debate, EVER, especially since it was THREE ON ONE!”
His campaign is criticizing the way ABC moderators ran the debate. Trump campaign spokesperson Brian Hughes accuses the moderators of only rebutting Trump and says they were trying to skew the result.
Harris says she’s ‘ready’ for a second debate
It had been anticipated that Tuesday night’s debate might be the only meet-up for Harris and Trump, but now the Democratic nominee says she’s “ready” for another one.
In a statement put out immediately following the debate’s conclusion, Harris campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillon said the Democrat “commanded” the stage and “is ready for a second debate.”
“Is Donald Trump?” O’Malley Dillon asked.
Trump’s campaign did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment on a possible second meeting. Trump initially balked at the arrangements surrounding the ABC News debate, saying he had made the agreement with Biden before the president ended his reelection bid.
The Harris-Trump debate is over
That’s a wrap on the Philadelphia debate between Harris and Trump.
It had been advertised as a 90-minute debate with two commercial breaks. All told, Tuesday night’s debate lasted for an hour and 45 minutes.
There isn’t a second debate between Harris and Trump scheduled, but one could be.
Closing arguments
Harris and Trump veered in different directions in their closing arguments.
The vice president promised that she was focused on the future while Trump was stuck in the past. She emphasized that she has plans to help the middle class.
Trump criticized Harris for not implementing her plans while she’s in office.
“Why hasn’t she done it?” he said repeatedly.
The 90-minute debate is going longer than advertised
The debate had been advertised as 90 minutes, with two commercial breaks. But it was always possible that ABC News might go longer.
That’s exactly what’s happening.
Harris says she is a gun owner
As she tried to refute Trump’s accusation that she wants to take away owners’ guns, Harris revealed that she is a gun owner, too.
“Tim Walz and I are both gun owners. We’re not taking anybody’s guns away,” she said.
Harris first revealed the news in 2019: “I am a gun owner, and I own a gun for probably the reason a lot of people do — for personal safety,” Harris told reporters in Iowa. “I was a career prosecutor.”
The Affordable Care Act has gotten more popular in polling
One challenge for Trump’s attacks on the ACA: It’s gotten a lot more popular since it was passed in 2010.
A KFF Health Tracking Poll found earlier this year that 62% of U.S. adults have a favorable opinion of the Affordable Care Act, up from 46% in 2010.
More broadly, recent AP-NORC polling gives Harris more of an advantage on the issue of health care. Americans trust her over Trump to better handle health care, 46% to 31%. About 2 in 10 say they trust neither (13%) or both equally (9%).
Trump’s mystery healthcare plan
For years, Trump has been promising a better healthcare plan than the Affordable Care Act. Asked again during the debate, Trump was unable to explain what he would do on healthcare.
“I have concepts of a plan,” he said. “I’m not president right now.”
He said he would reveal the plan “in the not-so-distant future,” something he’s promised before.
Trump again questions Harris’ race but says he doesn’t care about it
Trump again questioned Harris’ racial identity but then repeatedly said that he “does not care” how she identifies.
“I read where she was not Black, … and then I read that she was Black,” Trump said. “I couldn’t care less. Whatever she wants to be is okay with me.”
Harris called it a “tragedy” that Trump, she argued, “has consistently, over the course of his career, attempted to use race to divide the American people.”
When they go low…
Harris has done something a lot of advisers wanted her to do tonight: She has identified herself as someone who uplifts and Trump as someone who weighs down.
She criticized Trump for “belittling” and “name-calling” and said she will instead bring a “sense of optimism” as president.
At the same time, Harris hasn’t shied away from hitting Trump with direct, cutting attacks, both on his actions as president and on his false claims about her record.
Harris notes that Trump called for executing the now-exonerated “Central Park Five”
Harris said Trump has a long history of racial division, going back to when his family’s company was investigated for refusing to rent to Black people decades ago.
She also mentioned that he called for the death penalty for the “Central Park Five,” who were falsely accused of rape, and spread false “birther” theories about President Barack Obama.
“I think the American people want better than that, want better than this,” Harris said
New York City Council Member Yusef Salaam, a member of the exonerated group of men known as the Central Park Five, will be speaking to journalists after the debate ends.
Trump has to be careful with his personal attacks on Harris
Trump has to be careful with his personal attacks on HarrisTrump has a fine line to walk on personal attacks on Harris tonight. A Pew Research Center poll found that about two-thirds of voters say Trump has been “too personally critical” of Harris.
Slightly fewer than half (45%) of voters say Harris has been too personally critical of Trump. Trump’s supporters are more likely to say he’s too critical of Harris (41% of Trump’s supporters say this) than Harris’ supporters are to say she’s too critical of Trump (12% of Harris supporters say this).
Over time
Both candidates have gone over their allotted time several times during their answers and responses, with Trump ignoring the time clock far more than Harris.
At one point as the debate approached a commercial break around the one-hour mark and as Trump continued to talk about Russia and its president, Vladimir Putin, moderator Linsey Davis cut off Trump with, “President Trump, thank you. We have a lot of issues to get to.”
No audience means no waiting for them to quiet down
Anyone who’s watched a lot of presidential debates knows that a chunk of time is spent quieting down the crowd in between answers.
But no audience being present means that Harris and Trump are likely getting in more speaking time to the questions posed by the ABC News moderators – and reacting to their opponent’s responses.
As was the case with Trump’s June debate with Biden, rules dictate that there is no live audience present for his debate with Harris.
Trump questions value of NATO
Trump has repeatedly questioned the value of NATO, a Western military alliance of largely European countries and the U.S. and Canada that is committed to one another’s defense. Trump complains that many of its 32 members are not meeting their financial commitments to the alliance, claiming that they owe “dues” to the bloc.
On the campaign trail in February, Trump said that not only would he not protect those countries from Russian forces who have invaded Ukraine, he would encourage Russians “to do whatever the hell they want.”
NATO members do not pay “dues” to the alliance. They have committed to spending at least 2% of their gross domestic product on their own defense budgets. A record 23 NATO member nations will hit that target this year, according to estimated figures the alliance released this month.
About Trump’s claims of a possible peace deal between Russia and Ukraine
Trump claiming that he could broker a peace deal on behalf of the United States between Russia and Ukraine before he takes office would create a number of problematic issues. Not least of which is that the U.S. has throughout history operated under the doctrine that there is only one president at a time and that foreign policy decisions are reserved for the current occupant of the White House.
A second issue could be that any Trump effort to negotiate an agreement between Putin and Zelenskyy would likely run afoul of a rarely prosecuted 19th-century law known as the Logan Act, which bars private citizens from conducting foreign policy.
Trump tactic: Always question the numbers
Trump has at several points questioned official government measures to make his arguments.
On the economy, he accused the Biden administration of misrepresenting job creation numbers. He accused the FBI of manipulating crime statistics — and stood by his false claim even when fact-checked by ABC’s David Muir. He’s repeated his false claims that the 2020 election was rigged against him.
He also argued death tolls in Ukraine are “fake numbers.”
Who should win the war in Ukraine?
After a commercial break ended, Trump was asked whether he wanted Ukraine to win the war against Russia.
Trump responded by saying “I want the war to stop,” declining to take sides between Russia and Ukraine.
The answer will likely reverberate in the days to come, especially for a candidate that is viewed as solicitous of Vladimir Putin.
Asked again, Trump said there needs to be a deal to end the war.
An hour in, the Israel-Hamas war comes up
Harris says Israel “has the right to defend itself,” adding “we would” if the United States were attacked.
The vice president went on to advocate for a “two-state solution.”
As he has frequently during the campaign, Trump said the war would have never happened were he president, saying several times that Harris “hates Israel.”
Saying that accusation wasn’t true, Harris said that he is “trying again to divide and distract” from the reality thatTrump is “wrong on national security.”
Trump falsely claims evidence shows he won in 2020
Donald Trump is repeating his false claim that he beat President Joe Biden in the 2020 election, saying “there’s so much proof. All you have to do is look at it.”
The election was not stolen. The authorities who have reviewed the election — including Trump’s own attorney general — have concluded the election was fair
Trump said he was speaking sarcastically when he acknowledged recently that he did indeed lose the 2020 election.
“I said that?” Trump says when presented with his comment from a recent interview with Lex Friedman that he had lost “by a whisker.” He said the same thing at a Moms for Liberty event without a hint that he was joking.
Trump has spent years refusing to accept his loss, even though there is no evidence of the fraud that he insists took place.
“That was said sarcastically,” he says. “I don’t acknowledge that at all.”
Court records rebut Trump claims on 2020 protests and police reform
Trump suggested that protesters who committed crimes during the 2020 racial injustice protests were not prosecuted.
“When are those people that burned down Minneapolis going to be prosecuted?” Trump asked.
A 2021 Associated Press review of documents in more than 300 federal cases stemming from the protests sparked by George Floyd’s death found that more than 120 defendants across the U.S. pleaded guilty or were convicted at trial of federal crimes including rioting, arson and conspiracy.
More than 70 defendants who had been sentenced by August 2021 had received an average of about 27 months behind bars. At least 10 received prison terms of five years or more.
As it stands: What’s come up, what hasn’t
It’s past the halfway mark of the Harris-Trump debate, and here’s where we are on what’s been discussed — and what hasn’t.
Harris and Trump have talked about issues related to the economy, abortion, fracking, foreign affairs, crime and immigration, to which Trump has pivoted several different answers. There was also a question about the Jan. 6, 2021, attack at the U.S. Capitol, as well as Trump’s loss in the 2020 election.
There hasn’t been much discussion about the environment, climate change, the military or Biden’s departure from the campaign, less than two months ago.
Harris pivots from Jan. 6 to make an ask for votes
With Trump continuing to deny any responsibility for the Jan. 6, 2021, attacks on the Capitol, Harris used the discussion to ask explicitly for a potentially decisive part of the electorate: Republicans disgusted by those mobs and Trump’s role.
Harris looked directly at the camera to say “there is a place in our campaign for you.”
She asked for support from voters who “stand for rule of law” and want to “end the chaos.”
‘I showed up for a speech’
Trump again minimized his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol, which began when a mob of supporters inspired by his false claims that the election had been stolen stormed the building and engaged in violent clashes with law enforcement.
He said he had “nothing to do with that other than that they asked me to make a speech.”
Though it is true that he encouraged his supporters to proceed peacefully to the Capitol, he also beckoned them to come to Washington to protest the election results and to “fight like hell.”
The future or the past?
Harris throughout the debate has pushed language focused on the future, telling viewing audiences, “let’s turn the page on this” and “let’s chart a course to the future.”
But Trump won’t let her forget that she’s already in office as vice president.
He suggested she leave the debate, go to the capital, and work with Biden to pass a law to close down the border.
Muted mics not stopping Harris and Trump from interrupting each other
In the leadup to the debate, Harris’ and Trump’s camps battled over whether the candidates’ mics should be muted when they weren’t speaking.
But both Trump and Harris could be heard speaking over each other at least a few times in the first half of the debate.
When Harris said Biden didn’t have a plan for middle-class Americans, Trump could be heard punching back: “That’s just a soundbite. They gave her that to say.”
A few minutes later as Trump grumbled that the U.S. barely makes semiconductor chips, Harris clapped back, “That’s not true.”
At another point, Trump tried to hush Harris as she tried to interject with a steely, “I’m talking now.”
Trump not moderating his rhetoric about Harris
Just as he does at his rallies, Trump is using over-the-top caricatures of Harris. In the debate’s opening segment, he’s said “everyone knows she’s a Marxist” and that the Biden administration has “destroyed our country with policy that is insane” because “they have to hate our country.”
Throughout the name-calling and hyperbole, Harris alternated among smiling, shaking her head and looking perplexed.
Trump’s audiences at rallies love his broadsides on Harris. It’s not clear he gains any advantage from such hyperbole when the audience is the broader electorate—- and it offers Harris an opportunity to shatter the caricature.
Harris mentions Trump’s felony conviction in response to his claims on crime rates
Harris responded to Trump’s claims about crime rates by reminding the former president that he is a convicted criminal with several other pending criminal cases.
“I think this is so rich coming from someone who has been prosecuted for national security crimes, economic crimes, election interference, has been found liable for sexual assault,” Harris said. “And his next big court appearance is in November at his own criminal sentencing.”
Trump blamed Harris and President Joe Biden for his legal plight, referring to the cases against him as “weaponization” of the criminal justice system.
Trump was convicted in May of falsifying business records related to a hush money payment made to porn actor Stormy Daniels on the eve of the 2016 election. His sentencing was delayed last week from Sept. 18 to Nov. 26.
“It’s weaponization and they used it, and it’s never happened in this country. They used it to try and win an election. They’re fake cases,” Trump said, adding that he’s confident that his New York conviction will be reversed on appeal.
Trump made multiple false and misleading statement on the cases against him
Trump made multiple false or misleading statements related to the criminal cases against him, including saying he had scored a “complete and total victory” in the prosecution charging him with illegally hoarding classified documents.
It’s true that a Trump-appointed judge dismissed the case, but not because she concluded that he was innocent — rather, the ruling from U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon said that the prosecutor who brought the case, special counsel Jack Smith, was unlawfully appointed.
That decision has been appealed and could well be overturned in the weeks ahead, which would revive the prosecution and put it back in court.
Trump also claimed that Biden was found to be “essentially guilty” in an investigation into his retention of classified documents. But that’s not true: the prosecutor in that investigation said that though there was some evidence that Biden had willfully retained the records, it was insufficient to bring a criminal case
Trump’s legal peril finally comes up
It took more than a half-hour, but Harris found a way, without moderators’ help, to bring up Trump’s legal troubles: his felony convictions, pending indictments and civil liability for sexual assault.
It has spawned a long back-and-forth on who believes more in the rule of law and who is weaponizing the justice system.
At a minimum, it is a notable moment in presidential debate history to have a former and possible future president defend his felony conviction by promising that he will “win on appeal.”
Trump endorses false rumor about immigrants eating pets
Donald Trump is promoting a false rumor that Haitian immigrants in Ohio are abducting and eating pets, using the baseless story as evidence of crimes being committed by immigrants.
“They’re eating the dogs, the people that came in. They’re eating the cats,” Trump said.
There’s no evidence that’s occurring. Authorities in Ohio have said there are no credible or detailed reports to support Trump’s claim.
FBI data shows violent crime is down, despite Trump claims
Trump claimed that “crime is through the roof” under the Biden administration.
In fact, FBI data has shown a downward trend in violent crime since the spike during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Violent crime was down 6% in the last three months of 2023 compared with the same period the year before, according to FBI data released in March. Murders were down 13%.
New FBI statistics released in June show the overall violent crime rate declined 15% in the first three months of 2024 compared to the same period last year. One expert has cautioned, however, that those 2024 figures are preliminary and may overstate the actual reduction in crime.
Trump blasts Biden administration over the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan
The main government watchdog and most independent assessments agree Trump and Biden share the biggest share of the blame for the disastrous end to America’s longest war, which saw the Taliban sweep across all of Afghanistan before the last U.S. troops even flew out of the Kabul airport.
The main U.S. government watchdog for the war points to Trump’s 2020 deal with the Taliban to withdraw all U.S. forces and military contractors as “the single most important factor” in the August 2021 collapse of U.S.-allied Afghan security forces and the Taliban takeover.
Harris touts support from former Trump officials
Analysts expect the vote margins to be tight in this fall’s general election, and Harris is touting her endorsements from Republicans, including former Trump administration officials.
“I think the choice is clear in this election,” she said.
Trump responded, “I fired most of those people,” adding, as he has frequently of the Biden-Harris administration, “They never fire anybody.”
At Tuesday’s debate, two former Trump administration officials are appearing as Harris’ guests.
Trump notes Biden and Harris’ failure to deliver student loan forgiveness
Trump slammed President Biden and Harris for failing to deliver on student loan forgiveness, one of Biden’s campaign promises.
Some borrowers have gotten relief but parts of the plan have been hampered by Republican opposition and lawsuits. Earlier this month, the Supreme Court declined to lift an injunction that would have allowed one of the student loan forgiveness plans to be implemented.
Harris’ tactic on hard questions: Compare herself to Trump
The vice president has used that same tactic on perhaps the two toughest topics: inflation and the economy under Biden, and the migrant flow across the U.S.-Mexico.
Both times, she opened her answer by saying “I’m the only person on this stage who …” — a clear way to pivot the question to a comparison between her and Trump.
For the economy, it was to note her middle-class upbringing. She then used that as a bridge to talk about policy.
On the border and immigration, she talked about prosecuting transnational gangs, a reference to her tenure as California attorney general.
Trump says he ‘won’t have to’ veto a national abortion ban
He didn’t agree with GOP foe Nikki Haley on a lot of things during the primary season, but it sounds like Trump does likely agree with his former United Nations ambassador on the ultimately future of a national abortion ban.
Asked if he would veto a national abortion ban, Trump said “I won’t have to” because “they could never get this approved” in Congress.
When she was vying against Trump for the Republican nomination, Haley reluctantly committed to signing a national abortion ban if elected president but said passing one would be unlikely without more Republicans in Congress.
Trump speaks on IVF
Trump repeated his support for IVF access during Tuesday’s debate, calling himself “a leader on IVF.”
This comes about two weeks after he announced plans, without additional details, to require health insurance companies or the federal government to pay for the common fertility treatment.
The announcement shows the former president’s realization that reproductive rights may be a significant vulnerability for Republicans. But it also is at odds with the actions of much of his own party as many Republicans have been left grappling with the innate tension between support for the procedure and for laws passed by their own party that grant legal personhood not only to fetuses but to any embryos that are destroyed in the IVF process.
Efforts by the GOP to appear united on IVF have been undercut by state lawmakers, Republican-dominated courts and anti-abortion leaders within the party’s ranks.
Trump says he brought abortion “back to states”
Trump leaned on his catchall response to questions on abortion rights, saying the issue should be left up to the states.
In states allowing the citizen initiative and where abortion access has been on the ballot, voters have resoundingly affirmed the right to abortion. But voters don’t have a direct say in about half the states. In states that will have abortion on the ballot this year, anti-abortion groups and their Republican allies are using a wide array of strategies to counter proposed ballot initiatives.
Trump has repeatedly shifted his position on abortion while boasting about appointing the three Supreme Court justices who helped overturn the constitutional right to abortion, unleashing a wave of restrictions on the procedure across Republican-led states.
Abortion is a central campaign issue in the 2024 presidential election as Trump seeks a more cautious stance on the issue, which has become a vulnerability for Republicans and has driven turnout for Democrats.
Trump repeats misinformation on abortions later in pregnancy
Trump parroted common misinformation narratives about abortions later in pregnancy during Tuesday’s debate.
The former president has repeatedly made false claims about states allowing abortions after birth. This is false. Infanticide is criminalized in every state, and no state has passed a law that allows killing a baby after birth.
Abortion rights advocates say terms like this and “late-term abortions” attempt to stigmatize abortions later in pregnancy. Abortions later in pregnancy are exceedingly rare. In 2020, less than 1% of abortions in the United States were performed at or after 21 weeks, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Abortions later in pregnancy also are usually the result of serious complications, such as fetal anomalies, that put the life of the woman or fetus at risk, medical experts say. In most cases, these are also wanted pregnancies, experts say.
Americans give Harris an edge over Trump on abortion policy
As debate turns to issues of abortion, recent polling shows that this topic is a strong one for Harris.
About half of Americans (51%) say they trust Harris to do a better job of handling abortion policy than they do Trump (27%), according to an AP-NORC poll from August.
This is also an issue where Republicans give Trump relatively low marks, signaling some possible displeasure from his own party. Only about 6 in 10 Republicans trust Trump over Harris on these issues. About 15% trust Harris more, and about 1 in 10 trust both candidates equally.
Harris: I’m for the middle class. Trump is for the rich guy.
Harris is leaning into her middle-class background and her plans to create an “opportunity economy” while lashing out at Trump as out-of-touch.
“Donald Trump has no plan for you. And when you look at his economic plan, it’s all about tax breaks for the richest people,” she says.
Trump for his part pushing back that Harris is an empty vessel when it comes to the economy. “She doesn’t have a plan. She copied Biden’s plan.”
Harris on Trump’s proposed tariffs
Harris claimed that “economists have said that that Trump’s sales tax would actually result for middle class families in about $4,000 more a year.” She was referring to Trump’s proposal to impose a tariff of 10% to 20% on all imports — he has mentioned both figures — and up to 60% on imports from China.
Most economists do expect it would raise prices on many goods. The Center for American Progress Action Fund, a progressive advocacy group, has calculated that the higher tariffs would cost households an extra $3,900 a year. However, Trump has said the tariff revenue could be used to cut other taxes, which would reduce the overall cost of the policy.”
Harris forecasts ‘lies, grievances and name-calling’ from Trump
Harris has been viewing Trump with a somewhat skeptical look on her face, and she says she’s not expecting much truth from him during this debate.
Harris says she expects to hear “a bunch of lies, grievances and name-calling” from her GOP opponent during their 90-minute debate.
Trump again distances himself from Project 2025
Trump is again distancing himself from Project 2025, the Heritage Foundation project crafted by dozens of his former administration officials.
“I haven’t read it. I don’t want to read it, purposefully. I’m not going to read it,” he says.
Democrats have made the deeply conservative proposals a centerpiece of their attacks against Trump.
Harris focuses on middle class in first answer; Trump pivots to immigration
With the White House under pressure on the economy, Harris said she was “raised as a middle class kid” and would be focused on creating an “opportunity economy.”
She also sharply criticized Trump for policies that she said would increase costs for Americans.
Trump rejected the description, and he said he would focus on tariffs on imports from foreign countries.
He also swiftly shifted focus to immigration, saying people were “pouring into the country.”
First question of the debate is on the economy
Many voters say it’s the top issue for them in this election, and the economy is the first question during the Harris-Trump debate.
Americans are slightly more likely to trust Trump over Harris when it comes to handling the economy, according to an AP-NORC poll from August.
Views about the economy aren’t especially rosy. About 6 in 10 U.S. adults say economic conditions in the country are “getting worse,” according to a recent Gallup poll. And slightly fewer than half (45%) rate the U.S. economy as “poor” while 31% describe it as “only fair.” About one-quarter call it excellent or good.
By one measure, Americans are not better or worse off than four years ago. Earlier Tuesday, the Census Bureau released an annual report that showed inflation-adjusted U.S. median household income in 2023 rose for the first time since 2019 to $80,610 — about the same as it was four years ago, in 2019.
The Harris-Trump debate has begun
It may be the one and only time Harris and Trump meet onstage, and their presidential debate is now underway.
The Democratic and Republican nominees have taken the stage at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia.
For the next 90 minutes, Harris and Trump will be going one-on-on to make their arguments to American voters. They’ll be standing behind podiums about 6-8 feet apart in a small, blue-lit amphitheater.
As with the Biden-Trump debate earlier this summer, there’s no live audience in the room. That means that there will be no rowdy applause, cheers or jeers.
The debate is hosted by ABC News.
Harris and Trump shook hands as they took the stage for their debate.
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