Blog: Updates from the Trump-Harris debate

10:46 ET Tuesday - Moments ago, Trump and Harris gave their closing statements.

Harris characterized Trump’s platform as one focused on the past while hers is focused on the future. She said her administration is focused on creating an Opportunity Economy to invest in small businesses and new families. She also said her administration would garner international respect for the country and the military. Harris reaffirmed her support for abortion, characterizing it as a woman’s right to control her own body. She said any new president will have to look beyond party labels and implied that Trump is only concerned about himself.

Trump questioned why Harris hasn’t fulfilled her commitments in the past three-and-a-half years during her term as vice president. He again said Harris doesn’t believe in fracking and wants to get rid of fossil fuels. He said Germany already tried green energy and they’ve moved back to fossil fuels. He said America has lost the respect on the international stage and a Harris administration would bring about World War III. He accused Biden and Harris of being the worst president and the worst vice president in the history of the country.

The debate has now ended.

10:18 ET Tuesday - Trump was asked about the Russia-Ukraine war. When asked if he wants Ukraine to win the war, he answered only that he wants the war and the killing to stop. He said he wants to get the war settled and he has a good relationship with both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. He said the war could lead to World War III and it needs to be settled by negotiating a deal.

When asked the same question, Harris said the reason Trump says the war would be over in 24 hours after he made phone calls is because he would just give Ukraine up. She called NATO one of the greatest military alliances we have ever known. She said if Ukraine falls, Putin will cast his eyes on Poland and the rest of Europe.

Trump pointed out that Putin has nuclear weapons, despite the fact that no one wants to talk about. He said Harris oversaw three days of negotiations between Putin and Zelenskyy and they ended with the Russian invasion.

Harris denied ever meeting Putin.

10:03 ET Tuesday - Harris was asked how she would help forge a cease-fire deal to end the Israel-Hamas war. She affirmed Israel’s right to defend itself, but added that how it does matters. She said too many Palestinian civilians are being killed. She promised to work around-the-clock for a deal that ends in a cease-fire and the release of Israeli hostages. She also affirmed her support for a “two-state solution” that would provide the Palestinians with a homeland.

Trump, in answer to the same question, said the war would never have started if he had still been president. He added that the Russia-Ukraine war would not have begun. Trump added that Harris hates Israel and noted that she refused to attend Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech to Congress. He predicted that Israel would no longer exist two years into a Harris presidency. If elected, he promised to end the Israel-Hamas conflict and the Russia-Ukraine conflict before even assuming office.

Harris denied the claim that she hates Israel. She said Trump would allow Putin to do whatever he wanted in Ukraine and would be a dictator if president. She said multiple former members of Trump’s cabinet have told her Trump is a disgrace.

9:51 ET Tuesday - Trump was asked if he regrets anything about the events of Jan. 6. He said no one on the other side was killed, but Ashli Babbitt, a Trump supporter, was killed. He moved the discussion to immigration policy, where he accused the Biden-Harris administration of allowing millions of illegal immigrants into the country to commit crime. He wanted to know when they would be prosecuted.

He was again asked if there was anything he regretted about that day. He said he had nothing to do with the Capitol riots and all he did was make a speech. He said the violence that day wasn’t committed by him, but by others. He blamed former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the mayor of Washington for, in his view, failing to do their jobs by calling in the National Guard.

Harris said she was at the Capitol on Jan. 6. She accused Trump of inciting a violent mob to attack the nation’s Capitol. She pointed out that Trump has been indicted and impeached in connection with Jan. 6. She brought up violent clashes at a 2019 white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, when Trump said there were “very fine people on both sides.” Trump countered that the story had been debunked by conservative hosts Sean Hannity and Laura Ingraham.

9:44 ET Tuesday - Harris was asked about her shifting positions on fracking and other issues. She denied that her values have changed. She said she made it clear in 2020 that she would not ban fracking. She said the future president has to be someone who has values and builds people up, rather than calling them names.

Trump said Harris has been against fracking for 12 years. He accused her of giving up more than a dozen policies before running for president. He accused her of wanting to do transgender operations on criminals who are in prison. If she won the election, he said, fracking would end in Pennsylvania on the first day of her administration.

9:37 ET Tuesday - Trump was asked about his shifting views on abortion.

Trump said some states are allowing abortion up until birth. He said Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz agrees that abortion in the ninth month is fine, as is execution of babies after birth. Trump said he succeeded in moving the abortion issue from the federal government to the states, through his Supreme Court justice pics. He added that he supports exceptions.

Moderator Linsey Davis maintained that no abortions are taking place in the ninth month or after birth.

Harris said we will hear a bunch of lies in the debate. She said Trump would sign a national abortion ban. Trump denied this. He wouldn’t say if he would veto a national ban on abortion because he said he wouldn’t have to. Harris declined to identify how late abortions should legally take place.

9:14 ET Tuesday - Former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris began the debate by shaking hands – something Trump and President Joe Biden did not do in the last debate.

The first question was on the economy. Harris was asked if Americans are economically better off than they were four years ago. She responded that she has a plan to build an “Opportunity Economy.” She said she wants to help with housing prices and increase the child tax credit for expecting families. She said she wants to help small businesses startups by providing them with a $50,000 tax deduction. Harris accuses Trump of wanting to provide a tax cut for billionaires and a 20 percent sales tax on everyday goods that would cost middle class families an extra $4,000 a year.

Trump replied that he supports no sales tax and that’s an incorrect statement. He said inflation has ravaged the economy and it’s been a disaster for every class. He said millions of illegal aliens are pouring into the country and taking jobs from minorities and union members. He cited Springfield, Ohio, and Aurora, Colorado as cities where illegals are taking over.

Harris responded that Trump’s administration ended in the worst unemployment in the history of the country, as well as the worst attack on the country’s democracy since the Civil War. She said the Biden administration had to clean up Trump’s mess. She accused Trump of being behind Project 25.

Trump denied any connection with Project 25 and said he hasn’t even read it. He said he plans to cut taxes and create a great economy and he did a phenomenal job handling the pandemic. Trump said the only jobs the Biden administration got were bounce-back jobs and Harris’ economic plan was just a copy of Biden’s plan.

8:57 ET Tuesday - Check back here for regular updates on the Trump-Harris debate.

Former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris will debate Tuesday at 9 p.m. ET from the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia. The debate will mark the first event between Harris and Trump since President Joe Biden dropped out of the 2024 race in July. Biden’s performance in the first presidential debate in June prompted the Democratic Party to pressure the incumbent candidate to leave the race.

ABC News will host the debate, with network anchors David Muir and Linsey Davis moderating. The event is scheduled to last 90 minutes with two commercial breaks, according to ABC. The network will stream the debate across ABC platforms, including ABC News, Disney+, and Hulu. C-Span will also stream Tuesday’s debate.

What are the rules of conduct for candidates? Many of the rules governing the first Biden/Trump debate will remain in place for Tuesday’s showdown. The debate will take place without a live studio audience to ensure candidates maximize their debate time and candidates’ microphones would be muted unless it is their turn to speak. The Harris campaign initially requested that candidate mics to remain on continuously, despite Biden’s campaign requesting the opposite for the last debate. Harris’ campaign alleged that muting candidate mics would protect Trump from direct exchanges with Harris.

Candidates are not permitted to make opening statements, but closing statements are allowed. Only moderators are permitted to ask questions. Participants will receive a pen, a blank pad of paper, and a water bottle behind their podiums. Pre-written notes or props are prohibited, as are all interactions with staffers.

Dig deeper: Read my report on the vice president debate scheduled between Democratic Gov. Tim Walz and Republican Sen. J.D. Vance.