Abortion to immigration: Key takeaways from Kamala Harris-Trump’s first debate

The Democratic candidate for the US presidential election, Kamala Harris, and her Republican rival, Donald Trump, held their first presidential debate on Wednesday. The debate, perceived as a crucial moment that could have a significant impact on the campaign for the November election, focused on economic issues, immigration, foreign policy, abortion, crime, and violence, among other topics.

Economy: The 90-minute-long debate began with the leaders targeting each other 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 responded claiming he created one of the greatest economies during his presidency.

• Trump: Look, we’ve had a terrible economy, because inflation, which is really known as a country buster. People can’t go out and buy cereal or bacon or eggs or anything else. The people of our country are absolutely dying with what they’ve done. They’ve destroyed the economy.
• Harris: I believe in the ambition, the aspirations, the dreams of the American people, and that is why I imagine and have actually a plan to build what I call an opportunity economy. My opponent, on the other hand, his plan is to do what he has done before, which is to provide a tax cut for billionaires and big corporations.

Immigration: Trump claimed that immigrants have destroyed the fabric of our country, while Harris pointed out ‘failure’. Trump also falsely accused the immigrants in Ohio of eating cats and pets.

• Harris: I’ll tell you something, he’s going to talk about immigration a lot tonight, even when it’s not the subject that is being raised.
• Trump: Our country is being lost, we’re a failing nation. …In Springfield, they’re eating the dogs! The people that came in, they’re eating the cats!” Trump said. “They’re eating the pets of the people that live there.

Gaza war: Harris stated that the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza must end, while Trump accused her of hating Israel.

• Harris: It must end immediately, and the way it will end is we need a ceasefire deal, and we need the hostages out.
• Trump: She hates Israel. If she’s president, I believe that Israel will not exist within two years from now.
• Harris: That’s absolutely not true. I have my entire career and life supported Israel and the Israeli people.

Ukraine: The Republican candidate claimed “millions” are being killed in the Ukraine war and stated he wanted the war to stop. He also falsely claimed that Harris was dispatched to negotiate with Putin and avert a war between Russia and Ukraine. Harris countered Trump’s stance, saying that the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, would be sitting in the White House if Trump was the President.

• Trump: I want the war to stop. I want to save lives. … I think it’s in the US’ best interest to get this war finished.
• Harris: If Donald Trump were president, Putin would be sitting in Kyiv right now.

Abortion: Harris asserted that if Congress passes a bill to reinstate the protections for abortion that were guaranteed by Roe v. Wade verdict, she would “proudly sign it into law” if elected president. The Republican candidate claimed that Democrats support abortion ‘after birth’.

• Harris: I pledge to you, when Congress passes a bill to put back in place the protections of Roe v Wade as President of the United States, I will proudly sign it into law. … One does not have to abandon one’s faith or deeply held beliefs to agree with the government and Donald Trump, certainly, should not be telling a woman what to do with her body.
• Trump: Now, I believe in the exceptions for rape, incest and life of the mother. … Now states are voting on it. … Each individual state is voting. It’s the vote of the people. Now it’s not tied up in the federal government. He responded to Harris’ charge of plans to ban abortion, “It’s a lie. I’m not signing a ban”.

Capitol Attack: Asked about whether he regretted the Capitol attack, a violent insurrection on January 6, 2021, after Trump lost the election, the Republican nominee said he had nothing to do with it.

• Trump: I had nothing to do with that, other than they asked me to make a speech. …It would never have happened if Nancy Pelosi and the mayor of Washington did their jobs.
• Harris: I was at the Capitol. I was the vice president-elect. I was also a senator and on that day, the President of the United States incited a violent mob to attack our nation’s capital, to desecrate our nation’s capital.

Both the Republican camp and the Democrats claimed victory in the debate. Trump called it his best debate ever, while Democrats said Harris was the winner.