Abortion, economy, cats and...: What Donald Trump, Kamala Harris argued about in US presidential debate

It was expected to be contentious and explosive, and it delivered. Former US President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris, who is also the Democratic nominee for the US elections, squared off in their first, and perhaps, only debate on Tuesday in Philadelphia.

The two American leaders sparred on various issues, including immigration, the economy, abortion over 90 minutes inside Philadelphia’s National Constitutional Centre. For many, this debate was important and high-stakes, as they have not yet agreed to meet for a second time.

Interestingly, NBC News reported that Harris appeared to have more to gain — and more to lose. A New York Times/Siena poll found that 28 per cent said they “need to learn more about Kamala Harris,” compared to just nine per cent who said the same about Trump.

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So, what did we learn from the debate between Trump and Harris? Here’s a look at all the key takeaways from the high-voltage debate, which saw name-calling from both sides.

Handshake sets the tone

The presidential debate is the first time that Kamala Harris and Donald Trump have come face-to-face since Harris became the Democrats’ choice for the White House race. And many were keen to see how the two would greet each other.

Harris set the tone by walking across the six feet separating her podium from Trump’s and reaching out for a handshake. She introduced herself and said, “Let’s have a good debate.” “Nice to see you,” Trump responded.

Notably, this was the first handshake between presidential nominees since 2016 when Trump squared off against Hillary Clinton.

As Reuters reports, following the handshake, the debate settled into an expected groove. Harris painted herself as a forward-looking candidate. She predicted Trump at the debate would pull from the “same tired playbook.”

At many moments during the debate, one could also see Harris emoting through several facial expressions while Trump spoke — she smirked, she laughed, she cringed. In fact, when Trump repeated a myth about Haitian immigrants eating pets in Springfield, Ohio, Harris laughed mockingly while shrugging and pointing at Trump.

Battle over the economy

In the opening moments of the debate, the two leaders sparred over the economy as the moderators put them to questions over the country’s financial health. The first question of the night went to Harris. She was asked if Americans are better off than they were four years ago, a nod to the economic struggles Americans face.

Harris referred to her middle-class beginnings and said she is the only candidate with a plan to lift the middle class. Trump refuted that claim and described the current economy as “the worst in our nation’s history.” It has been a disaster for “the middle class and every class,” he said.

Later, in the debate, she also referred to Trump as someone who received $400 million from his wealthy father.

The 59-year-old also took on Trump over his plan to impose high tariffs on foreign goods, stating incorrectly at one point: “Donald Trump left us the worst unemployment since the Great Depression. What we have done is clean up Donald Trump’s mess.”

However, the former US president responded by saying that Harris and Biden were to blame for the inflation that the country suffers from. He said that “inflation has been a disaster for people, for the middle class, for every class.”

The topic of the economy also saw Trump branding Harris as a “Marxist”.

Harris, however, turned the tables on Trump, saying: “He actually has no plan for you, because he is more interested in defending himself than he is in looking out for you.”

She added, “I will tell you, the one thing you will not hear him talk about is you. And I’ll tell you: I believe you deserve a president who actually puts you first.”

Harris-Trump dig in on abortion

As in any debate, the issue of abortion emerged to be a contentious topic and both — Harris and Trump engaged in a lengthy clash over it.

Harris came out as a huge defender of abortion rights, offering sharp arguments — a vivid contrast to President Joe Biden’s rambling comments on the issue during his June debate with Trump.

“The government, and Donald Trump, certainly should not be telling a woman what to do with her body,” Harris said. She painted a vivid picture of women facing medical complications, gut-wrenching decisions and having travel out of state for an abortion.

Trump defended his stance on the issue, saying he would returned the issue of abortion bans to the states, an outcome he said many Americans wanted. He also uttered a false claim that Democrats support abortion even after babies are born — which was corrected by moderator Lynsey Davis.

“I did a great service in doing that. It took courage to do it,” Trump said of the overturning of Roe v Wade and its constitutional protections for abortion. “And the Supreme Court had great courage in doing it. And I give tremendous credit to those six justices.”

When posed a question about vetoing a bill banning abortion, he refused to answer, saying such legislation would never clear Congress and reach the president. He, interestingly, also broke with his running mate, Ohio Senator JD Vance, suggesting Vance spoke out of turn when he said Trump would veto a national abortion ban. “I didn’t discuss it with JD,” Trump said.

Sparring over immigration

The two leaders battled one another over immigration, which also saw Trump reiterating the false claim that in Springfield, Ohio, immigrants are eating pet dogs and cats.

The former US president also said that immigrants have “destroyed the fabric of our country.” He also sought to showcase Harris as a continuation of President Joe Biden on immigration and the economy.

On migrants coming into the United States illegally, Trump said, “These are the people that she and Biden led into our country, and they’re destroying our country. They’re dangerous.”

Trump’s many missed opportunities

Harris, it seemed came into the debate with one aim — rattle Trump. And it seems that she did just that. She attacked him on abortion rights, linked him to the right-wing policy blueprint Project 2025, highlighted his praise for Chinese President Xi Jinping around the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

She also questioned the success of his rallies, which really peeved Trump, who then engaged in a long rant about the entertainment value of his rallies. Even when the moderators tried to get him back on track on the issues of immigration, Trump refused to let it go. “First, let me respond as to the rallies,” Trump said, first mocking Harris’ crowds, then turning back to his own. “People don’t leave my rallies, we have the biggest rallies, the most incredible rallies in the history of politics.”

He also lost his cool when Harris raised the issue of the several criminal and civil cases against him. He accused Harris and Biden of planting all the cases. “I probably took a bullet to the head because of the things they said about me,” Trump said, referencing the assassination attempt in July by a gunman whose motives are unknown.

Harris’ shift in policy

The one aspect where Harris emerged a bit weak was the positions she has backtracked on since being announced as the Democratic candidate — such as banning fracking, and decriminalising border crossings. She was asked about her evolution again.

“I made that very clear on 2020 I will not ban fracking,” Harris said. “I have not banned fracking as vice president. In fact, I was the tie-breaking vote on the inflation Reduction Act which opened new leases for fracking.”

Harris added, “My values have not changed.”

With inputs from agencies