Trump-Harris debate updates: Candidates go on the attack in zinger-filled showdown
The first presidential debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump turned into a heated matchup that lasted more than 90 minutes.
The night started with a handshake initiated by Harris, but quickly escalated as the vice president bashed Trump over his policies and comments, contending that it was time to "offer is a new generation of leadership for our country."
Trump criticized Harris throughout the debate on topics such as Afghanistan and immigration issues, drawing comparisons between the vice president and President Joe Biden.
With Election Day just eight weeks away, the debate came at a critical point as polls show a neck-and-neck race between the candidates.
Latest Developments
Sep 11, 12:44 AM
'Wasn’t even close': Biden reacts to debate
President Joe Biden reacted to the debate in a post on X early Wednesday morning.
"America got to see tonight the leader I've been proud to work alongside for three and a half years. Wasn't even close," he said.
America got to see tonight the leader I've been proud to work alongside for three and a half years. Wasn't even close. VP Harris proved she's the best choice to lead our nation forward. We're not going back.
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) September 11, 2024
Biden was in New York City during the debate and will be attending the 9/11 memorial services at Ground Zero later in the day.
Sep 11, 12:41 AM
Over half of debate watchers think Harris won: Poll
A majority of debate watchers think Harris won the debate against Trump, according to a poll taken by CNN and SSRS after the debate.
On who won the debate, 63% of debate watchers said Harris and 37% said Trump.
The poll has a margin of error of +/- 5.3% points.
CNN said that before the debate, respondents were split 50%-50% on who would win.
In June, their instant poll found that among debate watchers, 33% thought Biden won and 67% thought Trump won.
-ABC News' Oren Oppenheim
Sep 11, 12:40 AM
Key takeaways from the Harris-Trump debate
Harris put Trump on the defensive early on, claiming viewers were "going to hear from the same old, tired playbook, a bunch of lies, grievances and name-calling." She later took digs at his rallies and was the first to bring up his multiple indictments.
Meanwhile, Trump tried to tie Harris to President Joe Biden as often as he could. "She is Biden," he said as he criticized their economic record.
Harris' gender was not broached during the debate, though her race was. Trump doubled down on false claims about her racial identity, though he said he "couldn't care less."
Read more about the debate highlights here.
Sep 11, 12:12 AM
A transcript of the Harris-Trump debate
Harris and Trump met for their first presidential debate on Tuesday night. The consequential matchup was hosted by ABC News at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia.
Read a transcript of what was said in the 90-minute debate here.
Sep 11, 12:12 AM
Best zingers from the Harris-Trump ABC News debate
During the Harris-Trump face-off, both candidates tried to score points by slinging barbs at each other.
Here are some of their sharp jabs:
Trump: “Wait a minute, I'm talking now, if you don't mind, please. Does that sound familiar?”
Harris: “Donald Trump was fired by 81 million people.”
Harris: “He talks about fictional characters like Hannibal Lecter.”
Read more zingers here.
Sep 11, 12:09 AM
Harris proposes 2nd debate, Trump doesn't immediately commit
Harris' campaign sent out an email less than an hour after the ABC News debate ended and threw down the gauntlet for another matchup.
"Under the bright lights, the American people got to see the choice they will face this fall at the ballot box: between moving forward with Kamala Harris, or going backwards with Trump. That's what they saw tonight and what they should see at a second debate in October. Vice President Harris is ready for a second debate. Is Donald Trump?" the email read.
When asked about the Harris campaign's call by ABC News' Katherine Faulders, Trump said his opponent called for a second debate "because she lost tonight, very badly."
"They immediately called for a second because they lost," Trump said, refusing to commit whether he'd participate. "So, we'll, you know, think about that. But she immediately called for a second," Trump said.
Sep 11, 12:07 AM
Harris tells watch party: 'We are still the underdogs in this race'
During brief remarks at a campaign watch party, Harris said today was "a good day" but told the crowd that "we've got some work to do."
"We have 56 days to go and, guys, we are still the underdogs in this race -- it's tight," she said. "We have got to win Pennsylvania, and we are going to win Pennsylvania."
Harris was introduced by her husband, Doug Emhoff, who said the vice president "showed everyone, especially Donald Trump, what a real leader is."
-ABC News' Laura Romero
Sep 10, 11:53 PM
CLAIM: Harris: 'The former president said climate change is a hoax'
Fact-check: True
Trump certainly has a lengthy record of using the word "hoax" to describe climate change — mostly before and during his first run for president.
On Dec. 30, 2015, Trump told the crowd at a rally in Hilton Head, South Carolina, "Obama's talking about all of this with the global warming and … a lot of it's a hoax. It's a hoax. I mean, it's a money-making industry, okay? It's a hoax, a lot of it."
On Jan. 25, 2014, Trump tweeted, "NBC News just called it the great freeze — coldest weather in years. Is our country still spending money on the GLOBAL WARMING HOAX?" On Jan. 29, 2014, Trump tweeted: "Snowing in Texas and Louisiana, record setting freezing temperatures throughout the country and beyond. Global warming is an expensive hoax!" That same day, he tweeted, "Give me clean, beautiful and healthy air - not the same old climate change (global warming) b-------! I am tired of hearing this nonsense." Trump also called climate change a "hoax" on the Jan. 6, 2014, edition of Fox & Friends. In addition, he said on the Sept. 24, 2015, edition of CNN’s New Day, "I don’t believe in climate change." And on Jan. 18, 2016, Trump said that climate change "is done for the benefit of China, because China does not do anything to help climate change."
-PolitiFact's Aaron Sharockman
Sep 10, 11:42 PM
CLAIM: 'Iran was broke under Donald Trump. Now Iran has $300 billion because they took off all the sanctions that I had.'
Fact Check: Mostly false, needs context
Trump claimed that if he was in office, Hamas’ October 7th attack on Israel never would have happened because the terror group’s chief sponsor, Iran, “had no money for terror.” However, Iran has been Hamas’ principal backer for decades, including through the Trump presidency. Records retrieved from inside Gaza by the Israeli Defense Forces and verified by independent news outlets indicate Tehran funneled tens of millions of dollars during the Trump administration. Two of Trump’s top advisers for Middle Eastern affairs also claimed that Iran was supplying Hamas and other Palestinian terror groups with $100 million each year in an op-ed published in 2019.
Trump also said that Iran gained $300 billion because the Biden-Harris administration “took off all the sanctions I had” on Iran.
The current administration has maintained and even levied new sanctions against Iran, but during its attempt to renegotiate an Obama-era nuclear deal that Trump exited in 2018, the U.S. did ease the enforcement of some sanctions and restore a U.N waiver that allowed companies from other countries to conduct non-proliferation work at Iranian nuclear sites.
According to shipping data, Iran’s oil exports—its chief source of revenue—have climbed during the last four years. But experts estimate than Tehran has been able to accrue around $100 billion at most during President Biden’s term, which is substantially less than Trump’s figure of $300 billion.
