Trump, Harris spar over dueling platforms during presidential debate

Vice President Kamala Harris met former President Donald Trump for the first time on Tuesday night on the debate stage for the second presidential candidate showdown of the 2024 election. ABC hosted the event where the two candidates sparred over major political topics including the economy, immigration, abortion, and the war in Gaza, to name a few.

Trump returned repeatedly to immigration, insisting that foreign criminals were entering through the southern border and taking jobs from African Americans and Hispanics. Harris barely acknowledged immigration and instead focused on her vision for what she called an “Opportunity Economy,” discussing increased child tax credits and cutting taxes for small startup businesses.

Trump reiterated his support for states deciding their own abortion policies, adding that he supports policy exceptions for rape, incest, and to save the life of the mother. Harris called for the reinstatement of Roe v. Wade and highlighted the emerging issue of pregnant women being denied miscarriage care at hospitals because doctors fear prosecution under pro-life laws. While Trump would not answer whether he would veto a national abortion ban because he claimed it would never come up, Harris would not answer whether she supported late-term abortions.

Harris reaffirmed her belief that Israel has a right to defend itself against Iran and its proxies, qualifying that how Israel defends itself matters. She also clearly labeled Hamas as a terrorist organization that slaughtered 1,200 Israelis. Trump alleged that the war in Gaza would never have happened under his administration because his tariffs left Itan broke and unable to fund terror groups.

The candidates both lobbed personal barbs at each other, with Trump describing Harris as a Marxist and the vice president calling attention to Trump’s 34 felony convictions. One of the most controversial and unexpected talking points of the night was when Trump mentioned rumors that illegal immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, were “eating the pets of the people that live there.” Harris also repeatedly pushed the notion that America “move forward,” “turn the page,” and “chart a course for the future,” without fully answering for the Biden-Harris administration’s failure to deliver on the long-promised student loan forgiveness program or its chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan. Trump also reaffirmed that he has no connection to Project 2025. “I haven't read it, I don't want to read it,” he said.

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