Preparing a 27-point summary of the Trump-Harris presidential debate discussion
Here are 27 remarks to decipher what transpired during their confrontation in Philadelphia.
These utterances miss a few points from both sides, ones with particular factual assertions, but CNN's fact-checking provides suitable context for those.
This is from the middle of the debate, but it's arguably the most critical line because this debate fundamentally differed from the one between Trump and President Joe Biden in June. That debate eventually led to Biden ending his re-election bid. This one granted Harris a chance to mock Trump, label him weak, and irritate him in multiple ways.
Harris repeatedly accused Trump of lying. She also insisted that he falsely portrayed her positions, such as Project 2025, a conservative policy plan proposed by his allies but supposedly unread by him.
He was actually discussing Harris’ “opportunity economy” plan, but this statement, full of insult, reflected Trump's theme for the night – to link Harris to Biden and portray her as overly eager to adjust her policy proposals.
Another instance occurred during a conversation about tariffs. The Biden administration retained some Trump tariffs on China, but Harris is against Trump's plan to institute new tariffs on all foreign goods.
During a heated exchange on abortion, Trump repeated the false claim that Democrats propose to allow pregnancies to term in the ninth month. Harris's response to this statement included:
Harris also made a clarification about abortion rights and freedom:
Trump attempted to argue that by appointing "genius" Supreme Court justices who overturned Roe v. Wade, he unified the country and provided voice back to the states – where voters, when granted the opportunity, have generally supported abortion rights.
Of course, in many other states, abortion rights have been drastically curtailed. The existence of such varying regulations indicates a lack of unity as he claimed.
Trump later attempted to discuss an influx of undocumented migrants by repeating an apparently untrue allegation about migrants consuming dogs and cats in a town in Ohio. Trump's running mate, Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, has acknowledged it was likely not accurate. Harris responded:
She went on to mention that several of Trump's former advisors and associates have warned against his return to the White House.
Trump complained that many of the people who worked with him but now oppose him, like former Secretary of Defense Mark Esper, have penned books about their experiences with him.
Harris was questioned about her role in the highly controversial US withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021 and the deaths of 13 US servicemen at Abbey Gate outside the Kabul airport. Instead of assuming any responsibility, she defended the decision to withdraw:
Trump acknowledged that his administration did negotiate with the Taliban to withdraw US troops from Afghanistan, but he claimed he would have handled things differently than Biden after negotiating an agreement with the Taliban.
Harris belittled Trump's foreign policy and constantly called him "weak." After Trump accused Harris of hating both Israel and Palestinians, she stated:
She also added:
Trump then lavished praise upon Viktor Orban, the autocrat who governs Hungary and who Trump welcomed at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.
The fear he instilled in world leaders, Trump said, made the world a safer place during his presidency.
In another exchange, Harris invited people to attend a Trump rally, a clear attempt to annoy him:
Trump vehemently disagreed:
Trump consistently maintained that Harris would abandon fracking in Pennsylvania and deprive people of their guns. She repeatedly claimed that she would not ban fracking, and argued that the US can simultaneously support fracking and combat climate change, something that will undoubtedly anger environmentalists.
During a conversation about Obamacare, she interrupted her own remarks to make this statement:
The topic that Trump continually revisited was immigration, and his unfounded theory that Democrats intentionally bring migrants to the US.
Trump claimed that migrants were responsible for a rise in crime. When one of the debate moderators pointed out FBI statistics that indicate overall violent crime is declining, Trump declared the statistics were fabricated. Moments later, Harris responded:
Trump's legal predicaments do not suggest respect for the rule of law, she said. Trump argued that the justice system has been manipulated against him.
This was a reference to the Russia investigation during Trump's time in the White House, which now seems like years ago.
Harris advocated for moving on to a new generation and a president who builds up people instead of insulting and belittling them. However, she was not above making disparaging comments about home ownership:
Trump is also proud of his background:
In a separate segment, Trump declared that he still does not accept his 2020 election loss and, despite all the evidence and his failures in legal challenges to the results, he nevertheless believes there is evidence of voter fraud. While he does not understand why individuals involved in the Capitol riot on January 6, 2021, have been targeted by prosecutors, he also feels unconnected to the insurrection:
Trump was also asked about his recent remarks that Harris "randomly became Black" a few years back. One of the debate moderators questioned whether Trump believed it was acceptable to comment on the racial identity of his opponent.
Harris, on the other hand, emphasized that Trump has a history of trying to divide the nation along racial lines. She highlighted that he once advocated for executing the Central Park Five – Black and Latino boys falsely accused of rape in the late 1980s – and that he once questioned former President Barack Obama's citizenship.
Trump insists on the existence of voting fraud despite a lack of concrete proof for a broad-scale conspiracy. He frequently Brings up how he managed to secure the votes of close to 75 million individuals in 2020, implying that it's implausible he could have lost.
Later on, Harris revisited the 2020 election and argued that Trump's tally of votes fell short.
This debate highlighted Kamala Harris's critical role in challenging President Trump's policies, such as his stance on abortion and immigration. For instance, Harris refuted Trump's false claim about late-term abortions, emphasizing that Democrats promote women's rights and freedom of choice. In addition, Harris called out Trump's use of politics to divide people along racial lines, citing his history of making divisive comments like questioning former President Obama's citizenship.
