Donald Trump and Kamala Harris Debate

The first presidential debate between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris occurred Sept. 10 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at the National Constitution Center and was hosted by ABC News.

The debate was moderated by ABC’s David Muir and Linsey Davis and had over 67.1 million viewers, according to Nielson Data. The event marked the first, and possibly only time, that the presidential nominees went head-to-head and explained why they are the best option for the American people.

The debate between Trump and Harris touched on topics such as the economy, foreign policy, immigration, abortion, the Israel/Hamas war as well as policies relating to gun-control. According to BBC, Harris “went on the offensive from the outset” and criticized Trump’s reputation by mentioning his ongoing criminal trial as well as how he had responded to the COVID-19 pandemic under his administration.

Further on in the conversation, Trump tried to argue that Harris’ stance on immigration and inflation has been harmful to the United States. According to BBC, Trump claimed that the Biden-Harris administration has “destroyed” the country and labeled her as a “Marxist.”

Harris retorted by switching the topic to the candidates’ differing rally sizes. While Harris said that “People start leaving his rallies early out of exhaustion and boredom,” Trump said that “People don’t go to her rallies. There’s no reason to go,” in a report by BBC.

After the moderators turned the discussion towards the economy, Harris emphasized her goal of implementing an economy that focuses on the interests of American citizens, according to Reuters.

“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,” Harris said, according to a report by Reuters.

While Harris discussed her plan for the future economy, Trump focused on the current situation of the country’s economy and how people are being affected by inflation. 

“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,” Trump said, according to a report by Reuters.

As the debate continued, Trump said that he had “concepts of a plan” to find an alternative policy in regards to substituting the Affordable Care Act, according to BBC. Closer to the end of the discussion, Trump argued that Harris wants to ban gun ownership. However, Harris rebutted by saying that she and vice presidential nominee and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz have their own guns, according to BBC.

With less than two months until Nov. 5, some polls suggest that voters may favor Harris more than Trump since the debate. According to a poll by Reuters/Ipsos, 53% of the registered voters who had some knowledge of the debate feel Harris was more successful while 24% think Trump did better.

The same poll also showed that 91% of Democratic voters felt that Harris performed the best in the debate while 53% of Republican voters thought Trump was the winner. The poll conducted by Reuters/Ipsos included a survey pool of 1,690 adults across the United States, with 1,405 people identifying as registered voters, according to Reuters.

Since the debate’s end, Harris has called for another debate while Trump announced he will never debate his opponent again, according to CNBC.

Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social on Sept. 12: “KAMALA SHOULD FOCUS ON WHAT SHE SHOULD HAVE DONE DURING THE LAST ALMOST FOUR-YEAR PERIOD. THERE WILL BE NO THIRD DEBATE!”

President Joe Biden has reportedly stayed out of the spotlight, save for an appearance on Sept. 11 at a memorial when all three politicians called a ceasefire to honor the fallen together.

Next up on the election countdown is the vice presidential debate, which will be hosted by CBS in New York City. Walz and Ohio Sen. JD Vance will undergo the same scrutiny as their running mates. According to CNN, the event is scheduled for October 1.

All facts of this story were accurate as of Sept. 16.

Barber is the off-campus news editor for the Liberty Champion. Davis is the editor-in-chief.