Insights from the first presidential debate between Harris and Trump – NBC New York

Kamala Harris and Donald Trump clashed in their first presidential debate in Philadelphia on Tuesday, less than two months before Election Day.

Before the debate, Harris seemed to have more to gain – and more to lose. A New York Times/Siena poll found that 28 percent said they “need to know more about Kamala Harris,” compared to just 9 percent who said the same about Trump. Overall, Trump was one percentage point ahead of Harris among likely voters, while 5 percent were unsure or did not support either.

The debate covered a wide range of topics and was marked by a series of intense exchanges between the two bitter rivals. Harris presented herself as a pragmatic problem solver and denigrated Trump as a would-be dictator who could not captivate his rally participants. Trump attacked Harris as a radical and repeatedly returned to his topic of criticism of migration, sometimes drifting into conspiracy theories.

Here are five key takeaways from the debate.

Harris quickly moves to cut costs

Harris used the first question to highlight her plan for an “economy of opportunity.” She sought to narrow Trump’s lead among swing voters by presenting herself as a middle-class candidate while simultaneously calling Trump a corporate tax cutter.

“I grew up a middle-class kid, and I’m actually the only person on this stage who has a plan that supports middle-class and working people in America,” Harris said. “We know we have a shortage of homes and housing, and that housing costs are too high for far too many people. We know young families need support to raise their children, and I intend to give those families a $6,000 tax credit, the largest child tax credit we’ve given in a long time, so those young families can afford a crib, a car seat, and clothes for their children.”

Trump, for his part, sharply criticized the Biden-Harris economy, saying, “I’ve never seen a worse time.” He also defended his tariff plans and called Harris a “Marxist,” although he accused her of copying his policies: “I wanted to send her a MAGA hat.”

Both candidates want the mantle of change

In the opening minutes of the debate, both rivals tried to claim the reputation of bringing about change in a country with many voters who crave it.

“In tonight’s debate, you’re going to hear the same old, tired script: a lot of lies, complaints and name-calling,” Harris said of Trump. “What you’re going to hear tonight is a detailed and dangerous plan called Project 2025 that the former president plans to implement if elected.”

Harris returned to that message later in the debate: “The American people are tired of the same script over and over again.” Harris returned to it later when she criticized Trump for inciting the Jan. 6 riots.

“Let’s start a new chapter. Let’s not go back,” she said.

Trump, meanwhile, tried to portray Harris as a continuation of President Joe Biden on immigration and economic issues.

Regarding the migrants entering the United States illegally, Trump said: “These are the people that you and Biden brought into our country, and they are destroying our country. They are dangerous.”

And on the economy, Trump said: “It copied Biden’s plan. And it’s about four sentences. Run, discover, run.”

Trump attacks, Harris defends political change

A major weakness of Harris’s 2024 campaign was the left-wing positions she took as the Democratic presidential candidate in 2020, which she has since abandoned or moved away from – such as banning fracking, a mandatory buyback of semi-automatic firearms and decriminalizing border crossings. She was asked again about her development.

“I made it very clear in 2020 that I would not ban fracking,” Harris said. “As vice president, I did not ban fracking. In fact, I was the one who was the deciding vote on the Inflation Reduction Act that opened up new leases for fracking.”

Harris added: “My values ​​have not changed.”

Trump tried to capitalize on this.

“She wants to perform transgender surgery on illegal immigrants who are in prison. That’s what a radical left-wing liberal would do. She wants to confiscate your guns and she will never allow fracking in Pennsylvania,” Trump said. “If she wins the election, fracking will end in Pennsylvania on day one.”

Trump evades veto against nationwide abortion ban

Trump and Harris engaged in a lengthy dispute over the abortion issue, during which the former president twice refused to say whether he would veto a federal abortion ban if Congress passed one.

“Well, I don’t have to,” Trump responded. He said he “would not sign” such a ban because there was “no reason for it” and argued that “everyone” was happy with ending Roe v. Wade.

When Trump was told that his vice presidential running mate, Senator JD Vance, had said he would veto such a ban, he contradicted Vance. The Ohio senator made these comments recently on NBC News’ “Meet the Press.”

“Well, to be honest, I haven’t spoken to JD about it. JD – and I don’t mind if he has a certain opinion, but I think he spoke to me,” he said, arguing that Congress would not pass a major abortion bill.

“I promise you: If Congress passes a bill as president of the United States to restore the protections of Roe v. Wade, I will proudly sign it,” she said. “But understand, if Donald Trump is re-elected, he will sign a national ban on abortion.”

Harris lures Trump with missed opportunities

Harris went into the debate hoping to unsettle Trump, and at times she seemed to succeed, provoking the president into a defensive stance rather than highlighting his most important issue: concerns about inflation and the cost of living.

She attacked him for his abortion rights, linked him to the right-wing political concept “Project 2025” and highlighted his praise for Chinese President Xi Jinping at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, both times rushing to his defense. She invited Americans to watch a Trump rally.

“He talks about fictional characters like Hannibal Lecter. He talks about windmills causing cancer. And what you’ll also notice is that people leave his rallies early out of exhaustion and boredom,” Harris said, looking into the camera.

Trump didn’t like that. He said he had “the most incredible rallies in the history of politics” and went on a tangent, citing a debunked conspiracy theory that some migrants eat pets. “They eat the dogs, the people that came in, they eat the cats,” Trump said.

Trump attacks Biden, triggering a strong response from Harris

Trump’s appearance included a wide range of attacks on Biden, who dropped out of a debate against Trump after his disastrous performance in late June. He criticized Biden’s handling of classified documents, attacked him for his opposition to the Keystone XL pipeline and called Biden’s administration “the most divisive presidency in the history of our country.”

“Where is our president? We don’t even know if he’s the president,” Trump said toward the end of the debate. “They kicked him out of the campaign like a dog. We don’t even know. Is he our president? We have a president who doesn’t even know he’s alive.”

Harris responded: “It’s important to remind the former president: You’re not running against Joe Biden, you’re running against me.”

When Trump later said, “She’s Biden,” Harris replied, “I’m clearly not Joe Biden. And I’m certainly not Donald Trump.”

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