Compiled from Signal news services
Tuesday night’s debate was the first — and potentially the last — showdown between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump before the election.
The following are highlights of the debate’s segments, in reverse chronological order starting with the closing statements:
Trump Challenges Harris’s Sincerity in Closing Remarks
Trump closed the debate by pointing out that his opponent has had a full term as vice president to implement the changes she promises to make.
“She just started by saying she’s going to do this, she’s going to do that, she’s going to do all these wonderful things. Why hasn’t she done it?” Trump asked.
“She’s been there for three and a half years. They’ve had three and a half years to fix the border. They’ve had three and a half years to create jobs and all the things we talked about. Why hasn’t she done it?”
The United States is “in serious decline,” he said, thanks to the policies Harris helped create.
“We have wars going on in the Middle East. We have wars going on with Russia and Ukraine. We’re going to end up in a third world war, and it will be a war like no other because of nuclear weapons, the power of weaponry,” Trump said.
Also citing the millions of illegal immigrants that have entered the country under the current administration, he called President Joe Biden and Harris “the worst president” and “worst vice president in the history of our country.”
Harris Delivers Closing Statement
In her closing statement, Harris cited the contrast between her and Trump.
“I think you’ve heard tonight two very different visions for our country — one that is focused on the future and the other that is focused on the past and an attempt to take us backward. But we’re not going back,” she said.
“And I do believe that the American people know we all have so much more in common than what separates us, and we can chart a new way forward and a vision, having a plan, understanding the aspirations, the dreams, the hopes, the ambition of the American people.”
Trump had won a coin toss and elected to be the last to speak.
Trump and Harris Spar Over Health Care
Trump reiterated that he would keep the Affordable Care Act, known as Obamacare, unless a suitable replacement is presented.
“If we come up with something, and we are working on things, we’re going to do it, and we’re going to replace it,” he said.
“But remember this: I inherited Obamacare because Democrats wouldn’t change it,” he said. “If they would have done that, we would have had a much better plan than Obamacare.”
Harris defended Obamacare, which the GOP failed to repeal and replace under Trump after he took office in 2017. They eliminated the individual mandate later that year as part of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.
“I absolutely support … private health care options. But what we need to do is maintain and grow the Affordable Care Act,” Harris said.
“Access to health care should be a right and not just a privilege of those who can afford it.”
Trump, Harris Finger-Point Over Afghanistan
Trump, who earlier in the debate said he would have “fired all the generals” involved, called the 2021 Afghanistan withdrawal “the most embarrassing event in the history of the nation” and the reason “why Russia attacked Ukraine — because she and her boss are weak.”
Harris, who frequently describes herself as “the last person in the room” with Biden, reiterated her support for his decision to end the United States’ 20-year war in Afghanistan with a full withdrawal by Sept. 11, 2021.
Harris said the February 2020 Doha Agreement negotiated by the Trump administration fostered the collapse of the Afghanistan government, emboldened the Taliban, and directly led to the Aug. 26, 2021, terror attack at Hamid Karzai Airport’s Abbey Gate that killed more than 180 people, including 13 U.S. service members.
Trump “negotiated one of the weakest deals you can imagine,” she said, noting his administration “bypassed the Afghani government” and “negotiated with a terrorist organization called the Taliban.”
Harris said, “He invited the Taliban to Camp David, a place of significance to us as Americans.”
Trump said he directly participated in the talks when special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo asked him to speak with Taliban political chief Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar
“The Taliban was killing our soldiers. I got involved,” Trump said, recalling telling Baradar, “Abdul, don’t do it anymore,” and then showing him a photo of his house.
“Why do you send me a picture of my house?” Trump said Baradar asked.
Trump said he didn’t need to answer, and “for 19 months, it was good. We were getting out faster than” Biden’s September 2021 deadline.
Trump: ‘I Don’t Care’ About Harris’s Race
Trump said he doesn’t care what race Harris identifies with.
Debate moderator David Muir asked the former president why he thinks “it’s appropriate to weigh in” on Harris’s racial identity, referencing previous comments he made about “when she happened to turn Black.”
“I don’t, and I don’t care,” Trump responded. “I don’t care what she is. … You make a big deal out of something — I couldn’t care less. Whatever she wants to be is OK with me.”
“But those were your words,” Muir prompted.
“I mean, all I can say is, I read where she was not Black … and then I read that she was Black. And that’s OK. Either one was OK with me. That’s up to her,” Trump said.
Harris identifies as both Indian and Black. Her mother was Indian and her father is Jamaican.
Trump and Harris Spar Over Russia’s War Against Ukraine
Trump criticized the billions spent on security assistance for Ukraine and declined to say whether he believed Ukraine’s victory would matter to U.S. national security, saying instead he would seek an immediate end to the war.
Harris underscored that she believed Ukraine’s “sovereignty and territorial integrity” must be upheld.
“We brought 50 countries together to support Ukraine in its righteous defense, and because of our support, because of the air defense, the ammunition, the artillery, the Javelins, the Abrams tanks that we have provided, Ukraine stands as an independent and free country,” she said.
Trump responded that Russian President Vladimir Putin only started the war because he perceived the Biden administration as weak.
“That war should have never started,” he said.
The former president also said that Russia’s nuclear arsenal could spark “World War III,” and that more than 300,000 Russians had been killed in the fighting.
Trump Says Don’t Believe Harris Vow to Ban Fracking
Harris vowed “I will not ban fracking” about 40 minutes into the debate with Trump during a brief skirmish over energy policy.
Claiming she’s never supported a blanket ban on fracking, which a president and Congress can only impose on federal lands, Harris noted she cast the deciding vote in the adoption of the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act “that opened new leases for fracking.”
While Harris’s energy policies essentially perpetuate Biden’s emphasis on renewable energy, she said her primary policy goal will be “to reduce reliance on foreign oil.”
Trump said Harris has talked about banning fracking for at least 12 years and would impose a ban if elected. On “day one,” he said, he’d rescind every Biden “green energy” executive order and reduce the regulatory burden on the nation’s oil and gas industry.
“They will go back to windmills and solar where they need whole deserts” to generate unreliable, expensive power that natural gas can inexpensively supply, he said.
Trump Suggests Biden-Harris Could Fix Border Immediately
Trump said Harris and Biden could address the border quickly and without Congress.
Most recent U.S. immigration policy has been shaped by executive orders issued or rescinded by Trump and Biden. The rescission of Trump-era executive orders at the onset of the Biden administration marked a significant change in border policy. Encounters at the southern border surged.
“They don’t need bills,” Trump said, suggesting executive authority is enough to fix the border issue.
Trump Denies Wrongdoing on Jan. 6
Trump reiterated that he did nothing wrong on Jan. 6, 2021.
When asked by the moderators whether he had any regrets about his actions that day, Trump suggested that he didn’t organize the rally, emphasizing that he told attendees to protest at the Capitol “peacefully and patriotically” ahead of the Capitol breach.
Trump noted that no police officers were killed that day, and referenced the fatal shooting of Ashli Babbitt “by an out-of-control police officer that should have never, ever shot her.”
“I had nothing to do with [the Jan. 6 rally], other than they asked me to make a speech,” Trump said.
Trump also noted that, ahead of the event, he offered additional security of up to 10,000 National Guard troops to both then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-California, and Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser, but both denied the assistance.
Harris Explains Why She Changed Her Stance on Some Policies
Harris reiterated that her “values have not changed” when it comes to her stance on issues such as fracking, a major issue in Pennsylvania, where the debate was taking place.
In 2019, she was in favor of banning fracking. She has since moved away from that position and cast the tie-breaking vote to pass the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, which included the expansion of fracking leases.
“My values have not changed, and what is important is that there is a president who actually brings values and objectives that is about lifting people up and not beating people down and name calling,” she said. “I intend to be that president.”
Trump Says He Won’t Sign an Abortion Ban
Trump responded to Harris’s claim that he would support a national abortion by calling it “a lie.”
“I’m not signing a ban, and there’s no reason to sign a ban because we’ve gotten what everybody wanted,” he said.
Reaffirming his stance that abortion is a states’ rights issue, Trump touted his role in nominating three of the justices who overturned Roe v. Wade and the federal right to abortion.
“I did something that nobody thought was possible. Now, the states are voting,” he said.
Harris has consistently said that abortion constitutes a fundamental right for women and expressed support for legislation to restore a federal right to abortion as per Roe v. Wade. She has not articulated a position on late-term abortion.
Trump was also asked to clarify his recent statements regarding a Florida ballot initiative that aims to establish a constitutional right to abortion in the state.
He said he does not support the initiative because it would allow “abortion in the ninth month,” which he says is too “radical.”
Candidates Clash on Project 2025
The Heritage Foundation’s controversial Project 2025 policy playbook was bound to come up during the debate.
Harris chose to bring it up on the first question.
“What you’re going to hear tonight is a detailed and dangerous plan called Project 2025 that the former president intends on implementing if he were elected … again,” Harris said.
Trump was quick to shoot down that notion.
“I have nothing to do, as you know, and as she knows better than anyone, I have nothing to do with Project 2025,” he said. “That’s out there. I haven’t read it; I don’t want to read it — purposely. I’m not going to read it.”
Trump has been vocal in his denunciation of the plan, though that has not stopped Democrats from trying to link him to it.
“Everybody knows I’m an open book. Everybody knows what I’m going to do: cut taxes very substantially and create a great economy like I did before,” Trump said.
Harris, Trump Kick Off Debate Talking About Economy
The presidential candidates kicked off the debate by talking about the economy.
Harris asked if Americans are better off now than they were four years ago.
Harris briefly outlined some of her economic plans, including a $6,000 child tax credit and a tax deduction for small businesses.
“Here’s the thing, we know that we have a shortage of homes and housing, and the cost of housing is too expensive for far too many people,” she said. “We know that young families need support to raise their children.”
Trump reiterated his policy to introduce a universal 10% tariff.
“Other countries are going to finally, after 75 years, pay us back for all that we’ve done for the world, and the tariff will be substantial,” Trump said. “In some cases, I took in billions and billions of dollars, as you know, from China.”
He noted that the current administration didn’t remove the tariffs because the levies generated “so much money.”
In his first term, Trump implemented several rounds of tariffs on various countries, including China, Canada, Mexico, and the European Union. The Trump administration also imposed multiple levies on Chinese goods, such as aluminum, solar panels, steel, and washing machines.
“When I had it, I had tariffs, and yet I had no inflation,” Trump said.
Citing 16 Nobel laureates and economic forecasts, Harris warned that Trump’s policies would “invite a recession.”
Compiled from reports by Jacob Burg, Samantha Flom, Jackson Richman, John Haughey, Andrew Thornebrooke, Nathan Worcester, Joseph Lord and Andrew Moran.
