Debate takeaways: From the opening handshake, Harris and Trump spar on economy, abortion
Donald Trump and Kamala Harris faced each other on the debate stage Tuesday night for the first and possibly the last time.
The Democratic vice president opened the faceoff with a power move, marching across the stage to Trump맥스카지노s lectern to shake his hand.
맥스카지노Kamala Harris,맥스카지노 she said, introducing herself as the pair met for the first time ever. 맥스카지노Let맥스카지노s have a good debate.맥스카지노
맥스카지노Nice to see you. Have fun,맥스카지노 the former Republican president responded.
The exchange set the tone for the 90-minute debate to come: Harris controlled the conversation at times, baiting Trump with jabs at his economic policy, his refusal to concede his 2020 election loss and even his performance at his rallies.
Trump, while measured early on, grew more annoyed as the night went on.
Some takeaways on a historic night:
From the opening handshake, Harris took the fight to Trump in a way that Biden could not
The vice president walked across the stage and introduced herself, 맥스카지노Kamala Harris,맥스카지노 before reaching out and grabbing Trump's hand in the opening moments.
In her first answer, Harris said Trump맥스카지노s trade tariffs would effectively create a sales tax on the middle class. She soon accused Trump of presiding over the worst attack on American democracy since the Civil War 맥스카지노 the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021. And she charged the former president with telling women what they could do with their bodies.
But Harris may have got under Trump's skin the most when she went after his performance at his rallies, noting that many people often leave early.
Trump was largely calm when he defended himself against each charge, but he showed annoyance with her comment about his rallies. He insisted his events were larger than hers and he seemed to grow angrier at times as the debate continued.
Harris frequently shifted her message from Trump back to the American people.
맥스카지노You will not hear him talk about your needs, your dreams and your needs and your desires,맥스카지노 Harris said of Trump맥스카지노s rallies. 맥스카지노And I맥스카지노ll tell you, I believe you deserve a president who actually puts you first.맥스카지노
Video below: Fact-checking the presidential debate between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris
Trump had a label for Harris: 맥스카지노She is Biden맥스카지노
Trump was often on defense, but he did drive the core message of his campaign: inflation and immigration are hammering Americans.
Immigrants, Trump said, have 맥스카지노destroyed the fabric of our country.맥스카지노
He repeatedly tied Harris to Biden.
맥스카지노She is Biden,맥스카지노 he said.
맥스카지노The worst inflation we맥스카지노ve ever had,맥스카지노 Trump added. 맥스카지노A horrible economy because inflation has made it so bad. And she can맥스카지노t get away with that.맥스카지노
Harris responded: 맥스카지노Clearly, 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.맥스카지노
Trump on race and Harris on the attack
ABC moderator David Muir asked Trump point blank about his allegation last month that Harris had belatedly 맥스카지노turned Black.맥스카지노 Harris is Black and South Asian and a graduate of Howard University a historically Black school in Washington.
Trump tried to play down the matter. 맥스카지노I don맥스카지노t care what she is, you make a big deal out of something, I couldn맥스카지노t care less," Trump said.
Harris, however, had her opening and she rattled off a long list of Trump맥스카지노s racial controversies: his legal settlement for discrimination against prospective Black tenants at his New York apartment buildings in the 1970s; his ad calling for the execution of Black and Latino teenagers 맥스카지노 who were wrongly arrested 맥스카지노 in the Central Park jogger case in the 1980s; and his false claims that former President Barack Obama was not born in the United States.
맥스카지노I think the American people want something better than that, want better than this,맥스카지노 Harris said.
Trump accused Harris of trying to 맥스카지노divide맥스카지노 people and dismissed her claims as dated and irrelevant.
맥스카지노This is a person that has to stretch back 40, 50 years ago because there맥스카지노s nothing now,맥스카지노 he said.
Both candidates dig in on abortion
Harris came out swinging in defense of abortion rights, perhaps the strongest issue for Democrats since Trump맥스카지노s nominees created a Supreme Court majority to overturn the constitutional right to an abortion. Her sharp arguments provided a vivid contrast to President Joe Biden's rambling comments on the issue during his June debate with Trump.
맥스카지노The government, and Donald Trump, certainly should not be telling a woman what to do with her body,맥스카지노 Harris said. She painted a vivid picture of women facing medical complications, gut-wrenching decisions, and having to travel out of state for an abortion.
Trump was just as fierce in defense, saying he returned the issue to the states, an outcome he said many Americans wanted. He struggled with accuracy, however, repeating the false claim that Democrats support abortion even after babies are born. He stuck to that even after he was corrected by moderator Lynsey Davis.
맥스카지노I did a great service in doing that. It took courage to do it,맥스카지노 Trump said of the overturning of Roe v. Wade and its constitutional protections for abortion. 맥스카지노And the Supreme Court had great courage in doing it. And I give tremendous credit to those six justices.맥스카지노
Polls have shown significant opposition to overturning Roe and voters have punished Republicans in recent elections for it.
Trump refused to say whether he would veto a bill banning abortion nationwide, saying such legislation would never clear Congress and reach the president. He also broke with his running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, suggesting Vance spoke out of turn when he said Trump would veto a national abortion ban.
맥스카지노I didn맥스카지노t discuss it with JD,맥스카지노 Trump said.
Who's talking now?
Trump took a Harris talking point and directed it right back at her.
It happened when he objected after Harris interrupted him 맥스카지노 an interjection that he could hear but viewers could not because her microphone was muted according to the rules of the debate.
맥스카지노Wait a minute, I맥스카지노m talking now,맥스카지노 Trump said. He was putting his spin on a line she used famously against Mike Pence in the 2020 vice presidential debate.
맥스카지노Sound familiar?맥스카지노 Trump added.
Four years ago, Harris rebuked Pence for interrupting, saying: 맥스카지노Mr. Vice President, I맥스카지노m speaking.맥스카지노
A restrained Trump 맥스카지노 except when he wasn맥스카지노t
Democrats hoped and Republicans feared that Trump would lose his cool on stage. He generally did not, but when Harris annoyed him, he went to some dark places.
Trump amplified false rumors that Haitian immigrants in Ohio are eating pets 맥스카지노 ABC's Muir noted that local officials say that is not happening 맥스카지노 as he argued that the Biden-Harris administration was admitting dangerous immigrants.
When Harris pressed him on the array of criminal and civil cases against him, Trump similarly fumed. He accused Harris and Biden of planting all the cases.
맥스카지노I probably took a bullet to the head because of the things they said about me,맥스카지노 Trump said, referencing the assassination attempt in July by a gunman whose motives are unknown.
When pressed on whether he had any responsibility for the Capitol riot, Trump raised his voice, blaming both Democratic Rep. Nancy Pelosi of California, who was the House speaker at the time, and the Democratic mayor of Washington. He said the rioters have 맥스카지노been treated so badly맥스카지노 and once again denied he lost the 2020 election.
Harris replied: 맥스카지노Donald Trump was fired by 81 million people, let맥스카지노s be clear about that, and clearly he맥스카지노s having a very difficult time processing that.맥스카지노
An early skirmish on the economy
The debate opened with an unexpectedly wonky exchange on the economy: Harris took on Trump for his plan to put in place sweeping tariffs and for the trade deficit he ran as president; Trump slammed Harris for inflation that he incorrectly said was the worst in the country맥스카지노s history.
The back-and-forth ended up with some of Trump맥스카지노s traditional bombast. He said Harris was a 맥스카지노Marxist맥스카지노 even though she had just cited positive reviews of her economic plans from Wall Street investment bank Goldman Sachs and the University of Pennsylvania맥스카지노s Wharton School of Business. But it was particularly notable for Harris맥스카지노 effort to turn the tables on Trump.
Trump noted that people look back on his presidency맥스카지노s economy fondly. 맥스카지노I created one of the greatest economies in the history of our country,맥스카지노 he said. Harris flatly told viewers: 맥스카지노Donald Trump has no plan for you.맥스카지노
Americans are slightly more likely to trust Trump over Harris when it comes to handling the economy, according to an .