This live event has ended. See full unbiased analysis of the debate here.
(NewsNation) — Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump faced each other for the first time in a debate with fewer than 60 days left until the election in November.
Harris and Trump have traded jabs at events and in interviews, but this was the first face-to-face contest between the two since Harris was nominated after President Joe Biden, the presumed Democratic nominee, bowed out of the race.
This debate followed the same rules as the debate between Trump and Biden earlier this year, after which Biden stepped away from seeking reelection. The candidates were not allowed notes or props, had their microphones muted between questions and there was no live audience.
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2024 presidential debate has concluded
The first and possibly only 2024 presidential debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump has concluded. In the debate, both candidates covered many key issues, including the economy, abortion, Project 2025 and the border.
Following the debate, NewsNation’s Dan Abrams and Chris Stirewalt joined Chris Cuomo to discuss some of the hottest topics: Did the moderators favor one candidate? Did Harris and Trump accomplish what they set out to do?
Minutes after the end of the debate, Taylor Swift posted on Instagram heralding her support for Harris. The endorsement came as a surprise to the Harris campaign, a campaign official confirmed to NewsNation. Harris exited a watch party with second gentleman Doug Emhoff to a Swift song.
Prior to the debate, RNC chair Lara Trump exclusively told NewsNation’s Chris Cuomo said she wasn’t aware that Melania Trump was going to release a conspiracy video regarding the security during Donald Trump’s assassination attempt.
Different views of America
NewsNation’s Chris Cuomo noted that Trump and Harris offered diverging views on the state of the country, with Harris proposing a future of opportunity and hope while Trump called the U.S. a failing country and painted a picture of despair.
Dan Abrams said Harris had a stronger night, achieving her goals of putting forward clear answers in hopes of swaying independent voters. He also noted that Trump’s closing argument about why Harris hasn’t done what she is proposing could resonate with voters.
The two also noted that Trump appeared more disciplined with his debate against Biden, saying Harris seemed to successfully trigger Trump into anger with her answers.
Interruptions and sparring
Although both candidates had muted microphones during the debate, they both attempted to interrupt each other and the moderators multiple times.
The two also launched personal attacks on each other during their answers as they offered their diverging visions for the future of America.
Trump: Why hasn’t Harris done it?
Trump said that if Harris has plans, why hasn’t she done them? He said that it’s because what she wants isn’t what the people want and again accused her of being against fracking.
He called America a failing nation, saying the world was laughing at the U.S. and said the U.S. is not a leader.
Trump pointed to wars in Israel and Ukraine, threatening that we are headed toward World War III. He also accused Harris and Biden of destroying the U.S. by allowing criminals to cross the border into the country.
Harris: Two visions for the country
In her closing statement, Harris contrasted her vision of the country with Trump, saying his was one going backward and hers was looking to the future.
She said that includes having a plan and understanding the dreams of Americans. She brought up her plans for an “opportunity economy” that supports small businesses, reduces the cost of living for Americans and supports seniors.
Harris spoke about maintaining America’s role in the world and respecting the military and said she would protect Americans’ freedoms, including the rights of women to decide what to do with their own bodies.
Harris said that she has had one client in her legal career, the American people, saying she never asked victims or witnesses for their political leanings but instead asked if they were OK.
Harris says she is a gun owner
A standout moment in the debate was when Vice President Kamala Harris said both she and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, are gun owners. This is not something she has talked much about during her campaign, though she did talk about it in 2019.
Trump campaign already issues statement declaring ‘debate victory’
During the second break of the first debate, NewsNation received a statement from former President Donald Trump’s campaign declaring “debate victory.”
“President Trump delivered a masterful debate performance tonight, prosecuting Kamala Harris’ abysmal record of failure that has hurt Americans for the last 4 years,” the statement reads.
“Conversely, Kamala’s vision of America was a dark reminder of the oppressive, big government policies of Joe Biden that she wants to continue. High inflation, a porous border that allows criminals and terrorists to flood across, and being soft on crime— that is what Kamala represents.”
What would you do to fight climate change?
Harris said Trump called climate change a hoax, saying it is very real and pointing to extreme weather insurance and homeowners’ struggles to get home insurance. She talked about the Biden administration’s efforts to invest in clean energy while also investing in oil and creating manufacturing jobs.
She said Trump lost manufacturing jobs and pointed to her endorsement from the United Auto Workers and investments in American-made products.
Trump denied claims that auto plants were closed under his administration and claimed that manufacturing jobs were lost under Biden. He claimed that China and Mexico are opening plants with plans to sell cars to America because of the Biden administration and that Biden lost 10,000 manufacturing jobs.
Trump said Biden doesn’t go after people, mentioning China and Ukraine and suggesting Biden got money from foreign sources, mentioning Moscow as well in his remarks.
NYC Councilmember and member of Exonerated Five in spin room tonight
While responding to former President Donald Trump’s statements on race in politics, Vice President Kamala Harris mentioned when Trump had called for the execution of the now-exonerated Black and Hispanic men formerly known as the Central Park Five.
Yusuf Salaam, a New York City Councilmember and the oldest member of what is now known as the Exonerated Five will be in the spin room after the debate, speaking on behalf of Vice President Harris.
What is your plan for health care?
Trump said Obamacare is “lousy health care” and said that if his administration comes up with something it will replace it, which he said his campaign is working on.
He said he inherited Obamacare because Democrats would not vote on changes to the plan, which Republicans have repeatedly sought to repeal and strip down in court.
Trump said if he can come up with a plan that costs less money and is better then he would do it, but otherwise will keep Obamacare.
When pressed, he said he has a concept of a plan, but did not offer details.
Harris said she has supported private health care options, then pivoted to talking about Trump’s attacks on her positions on fracking and saying she wanted to take guns away, which were not the subject of the question.
She said Trump tried to get rid of the Affordable Care Act 60 times when he was president.
Harris said that the ACA has limited the ability of insurance companies to deny people for preexisting conditions and highlighted the Biden administration’s efforts to negotiate for prescription drugs for Medicare and called health care a right for Americans.
Trump accused Harris of not improving private insurance of people and claimed she wants everyone to be on government insurance, which is not a feature of the ACA.
Why is it appropriate to weigh in on an opponent’s racial identity?
Trump said he doesn’t care about how Harris identifies, though he repeated claims that the vice president didn’t identify as Black before and does now.
Harris spoke against attempts to divide Americans by race, talking about investigations into Trump for racial discrimination in his real estate businesses. She also referenced him taking out an ad calling for the execution of the falsely convicted Central Park Five.
She then turned to talking about the dreams and ambitions of Americans regardless of race and background instead of dividing the country.
Trump then said that the Biden administration was the most divisive in history and said Harris has to reach back for historical examples because there are no recent things she can attack on race.
He then said “she is Biden,” tying Harris to inflation under the Biden administration.
Harris said she is not Biden or Trump and said she offers a new generation of leadership for the country.
Do you claim responsibility for the withdrawal from Aghanistan?
Harris said she agreed with the decision to leave Afghanistan, citing the money being spent and said there are no American soldiers in active conflict zones for the first time in the century.
She then turned to Trump, saying he negotiated a “weak, terrible” deal in Afghanistan, pointing to his negotiations with the Taliban and his decision to invite the Taliban to Camp David. Harris said Trump fails to appreciate the responsibility of being commander-in-chief and said he has disparaged members of the military and fallen soldiers.
Trump did float the idea of inviting the Taliban to Camp David, however it was never finalized and eventually cancelled, per the New York Times.
Trump said the Taliban was killing U.S. soldiers and that he negotiated with the terrorist organization because they were the ones doing the killing. He said he told the leader not to do that anymore and claimed nobody was killed for 18 months.
Trump claimed he would have been out of Afghanistan faster, without as many deaths and without leaving equipment behind.
How would Trump end the war in Ukraine?
Trump said he wants the war to end, having previously said he would bring an end to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine within 48 hours. He claimed the numbers of casualties are worse than reported.
He said that he would make Europe pay more to Ukraine to equalize with U.S. aid. Trump said Putin and Zelenskyy respect him, not Biden, claiming Biden hasn’t spoken to Putin in two years.
Trump said he’ll speak to both leaders and get them together, again saying the invasion would not have happened under his administration. He did not offer specifics as to what he would say to leaders or how he would reach an agreement to end the war.
Trump then claimed that we “don’t know if we have a president” after Biden withdrew from the race.
Harris said it’s important for Trump to remember he was running against her, not Biden, and claimed Trump would end the war by giving up on Ukraine.
She talked about meetings with Zelenskyy prior to the invasion and her work in bringing countries together to support Ukraine. Harris said U.S. support has been critical for Ukraine to remain an independent country and said if Trump were president, Putin would be sitting in Kyiv.
Harris claimed allies were grateful Trump is not president and talked about the importance of NATO and noted that if Putin succeeded in Ukraine, he would be looking at the rest of Europe, starting with Poland.
Trump said Putin would be sitting in Moscow, without deaths in Ukraine. He brought up Russia’s nuclear weapons, suggesting Putin might use them, claiming that nobody talks about Russia’s nuclear capabilities.
He then claimed Harris was sent to negotiate peace, not to share intelligence with Ukraine, saying that she was weak and that’s why the war started, calling her worse than Biden. He called her a horrible negotiator.
Harris called that a lie, saying that the U.S. should lead in upholding international rules and norms. She said the American people have the right to rely on a president who understand the president’s responsibility to stand up for principles.
Trump then claimed that the U.S. was getting ripped off by NATO, saying he made other members pay up by threatening not to protect them, a violation of the alliance, unless they put in more money.
ABC moderators facing criticism for not fact-checking Harris as much as Trump
Moderators of the debate are facing criticism online from people who say they have not been fact-checking Vice President Kamala Harris as much as they are fact-checking former President Donald Trump.
Here are the topics Trump surrogate Rep. Mike Waltz, R-Fla., says the moderators should have fact-checked her on:
What would you do in regards to the war in Gaza?
Harris said that Israel has a right to defend itself, citing the Oct. 7 attacks, while also saying that too many Palestinian civilians have been killed during fighting in Gaza.
She said the war must end and there must be a cease-fire deal and the hostages must be released by Hamas. Harris said the Biden administration is working around the clock for a deal and said there must be a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict.
Harris then emphasized that Israel does have the right to defend itself, including against Iran.
Trump said the war would never have started if he was president and claimed the war in Ukraine would not have started either. He claimed Harris hates Israel and said it wouldn’t exist in two years if she were arrested and then said she also hates the Arab population.
Trump said there was no money for terror when he was president, saying Iran could not fund proxy groups under his administration, though Iran has been funding those groups for decades.
He did not address the moderator’s question about how he would negotiate with Israel and bring an end to the war in Gaza.
Harris denied that she hates Israel and called Trump “weak and wrong” on foreign policy and national security and said he admires dictators. She also quoted Trump saying Putin could do whatever he wants and calling Putin’s invasion of Ukraine brilliant.
She said dictators are rooting for Trump to be reelected because they can manipulate him with flattery and favors. Harris said that is why military leaders who worked with Trump called him a disgrace.
Trump said Harris is the one who is weak before turning to talk about the Keystone and Nordstream pipelines.
Do you think Trump is suppressing the vote?
Harris began by saying Trump was fired by voters before saying the country could not afford to have a president who attempts to overturn the will of voters.
She said world leaders are laughing at Trump, flipping a claim Trump has made in the past when he said the world was laughing at Biden.
Harris said continued claims that he won in 2020 suggest that Trump does not have the temperament to run the country.
Trump pointed to comments from Hungarian leader Victor Orban, a Putin ally, saying that Orban said the world had no problems when Trump was president.
Trump also said Harris got zero votes in the primary, and that the party threw Biden out. Biden was the presumptive nominee but had not been officially nominated by the Democratic party when he withdrew from the race.
Who won the 2020 election?
Trump continued to suggest the 2020 election was fraudulent, though there has been no evidence to support widespread voter fraud.
He pivoted again to immigration, saying a border wall was needed and attacking immigrants.
Trump claimed that judges did not actually reject claims of voter fraud, saying courts rejected his cases for not having standing, which he called “ridiculous.” He again said that there was fraud in 2020 before saying the nation was in decline and dying.
Do you regret your actions on Jan. 6?
Trump emphasized that he said in his remarks on the Jan. 6 riot included urging protesters to act “peacefully and patriotically.” He noted that one rioter was killed before pivoting to immigration again.
He claimed crime is down in the rest of the world because criminals are immigrating to the U.S., asking when immigrants would be prosecuted and when U.S. protesters speaking out against police brutality would be prosecuted.
When pressed, Trump said he offered to provide soldiers and said that former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi denied his offer, saying that it was Pelosi’s fault that the Jan. 6 riots happened.
Harris noted she was present on Jan. 6 and spoke about injuries to law enforcement and deaths related to the riot. She also referenced Charlottesville, Virginia, noting that Trump had said there were “fine people on each side” when white supremacists marched in the city.
She called on voters who saw Jan. 6 as going too far, saying there as a place in her campaign for those who are against attacking democracy based on the outcome of an election. She brought up comments that there would be a “bloodbath” if the election did not go in Trump’s favor.
Trump said bloodbath referred to something else and claimed Charlottesville had been debunked. Sites like Snopes back this claim about his comments of “very fine people.” He then called on Harris to go to D.C. and sign a bill to close the border, claiming that the president already has the authority to close the border. There has been debate over the president’s legal authority as the power of immigration is designated to Congress.
Partisan reactions pouring in on X
Predictably, reactions on X differ on which candidate is doing well.
A selection:
Moderators ask Harris how her values have changed
Harris said her values have not changed although some of her positions have changed over time. She denied accusations she was anti-fracking and said she wants to invest in diverse sources of energy, including oil production to avoid over-reliance on foreign oil.
She then pivoted back to her answer in the first question, noting her middle-class upbringing and saying those values are what she has brought to her work. She talked about plans to add housing and noted her focus on protecting women and children from violent crime stemmed in part from having a friend who was sexually assaulted.
Harris said it was important to have a president who “actually brings values” and one who brings people up rather than name-calling.
Trump denied he was given millions by his father to get started. He then accused Harris of being against fracking and brought up defunding the police. He claimed everyone is laughing at Harris for giving up on previous policy positions like defunding the police.
He accused her of going to Minnesota and raising money to get protesters who he said burned the city out of jail and said Harris wants to give transgender operations to kids. Gender-affirming treatment for children under 18 does not typically include surgery.
Trump said if Harris wins, oil and fossil fuel will be banned and the country would go to solar and wind, claiming it takes an entire desert to supply solar power.
Trump repeats baseless claim that Haitian migrants are eating pets in Ohio community
Baseless claims made by Trump’s VP pick, Sen. JD Vance, and tech entrepreneur Elon Musk, were repeated by the former president on the debate stage.
Here’s what we know about the claims against migrants in Ohio. Meanwhile, Ohio’s Attorney General Dave Yost joined NewsNation’s “Morning in America” to discuss his desire to curb the “unlimited” influx of migrants in his state, though he said he believed local police who debunked the claims.
How would Trump deport millions of immigrants?
Trump said the number of immigrants in the country is much higher than referenced because of the Biden administration allowing people to come in. He characterized immigrants as criminals and terrorists and repeated claims that other countries are specifically sending criminals to the U.S., though there is no evidence that is happening.
Trump accused immigrants of destroying the fabric of America, claiming that crime is up in the U.S., though statistics show violent crime is down. Trump accused the FBI of fraudulently creating those statistics without providing evidence.
Harris turned to Trump’s criminal charges, noting his convictions for business fraud in New York, the fact that he’s been found liable for sexual assault in a civil case and that he is facing more federal and state charges related to election interference.
She said it’s time to turn away from immigration rhetoric and turn to what needs to be done to help Americans afford housing and groceries and support small businesses.
Trump called the cases against him a witch hunt and said the Biden administration has weaponized the Justice Department to win the election.
Harris claimed Trump said he would “terminate” the Constitution, said he would use the Justice Department against his enemies and said it’s up to the people to stop him.
Trump interrupted moderators, accusing Harris of weaponizing the Justice Department and blaming comments that he is anti-democracy for his assassination attempt. The FBI has not found specific political motivations for the shooter at this time.
Harris on Republican endorsements
Harris brought up former Trump supporters who have endorsed her candidacy and quoted those who served in his first administration and said he was not fit for office.
She pointed to his unfounded claims of immigrants eating pets as proof of those comments and called it dangerous rhetoric.
Trump said he fired those people, seeming to take pride in his record of firing people and attacking Democrats for not doing the same.
Why did Trump object to the bipartisan immigration bill?
Trump ignored the question initially in favor of attacking Harris on rallies, saying that nobody attended her rallies and that he had the biggest and best rallies.
He then said towns did not want to address immigration because of embarrassment. He brought up a rumor promoted by his vice presidential nominee Ohio Sen. JD Vance, claiming immigrants were eating people’s pets.
There is no proof that immigrants are stealing or eating pets and authorities in Springfield, Ohio, said there are no credible reports of that happening. Trump argued with the moderator who pointed that out, suggesting that officials were lying.
Trump continues to distance himself from Project 2025
Vice President Kamala Harris brought up former President Trump’s connection to Project 2025, a talking point her campaign has hammered for weeks. Trump has repeatedly distanced himself from the controversial list of policy positions.
Read more of NewsNation’s coverage on Project 2025:
> What are Project 2025’s ties to the Trump campaign?
> ‘It will not end well for you’: Trump lashes out at Project 2025
> What Kamala Harris said about Project 2025
> What Trump has said about Project 2025
Why did administration wait to act on border?
Harris pointed to her efforts on combatting the trafficking of guns, drugs and people. She brought up a bipartisan border bill that was advanced in the Senate and put more resources into controlling the border. She noted that the bill failed after Trump urged Republicans to vote against it.
She accused Trump of killing the bill because he preferred to run on a problem instead of fixing it. Harris also attacked Trump for bringing up immigration even when it is not the subject of the question.
Harris then encouraged people to attend a Trump rally, noting his references to fictional characters before saying people were leaving early because they were exhausted, saying that he did not address voters.
Candidates debate abortion access
Trump began with claims that abortion was happening after birth, which is not legal in any state and there are no documented cases of the execution of infants after birth.
Trump said he stands for exceptions for rape an incest when it comes to abortion bans, before saying most Americans want to have abortion returned to the states.
Harris called Trump out for lying on the issue, saying Trump hand-selected Supreme Court justices to overturn Roe v. Wade and referred to state bans on abortion as Trump abortion bans. Many abortion bans are the result of so-called trigger laws, which have been on the books for years and set to go into effect in the event Roe was overturned.
She said women do not want abortion bans, speaking about women who are miscarrying and denied care because doctors are afraid to go to jail, young teens who are incest victims being forced to give birth and committed to signing a bill to protect the right to abortion across the U.S.
She warned that Trump would sign a national abortion ban, referencing Project 2025 again, and said Americans believe the freedom to make decisions about their body should not be controlled by the government.
Trump accused Harris of lying, saying “everyone” wanted abortion returned to the state, though a majority of Americans opposed the overturning of Roe and said he would not sign an abortion ban.
He then pivoted to the Biden administration’s efforts to get forgiven, which he called a “catastrophe.” The courts overturned the administration’s loan forgiveness programs after legal challenges from Republicans.
Trump said it would be impossible to get a law protecting abortion done and again claimed everyone wanted abortion returned to the states.
Harris sidestepped saying whether she supported any restrictions on abortion, saying she wanted a return to the protections of Roe. She returned to pushing back on the false claim of post-birth abortions and again went over the challenges faced by women who need care for miscarriages or life-threatening pregnancy complications due to abortion bans.
Trump claimed he has been a leader on IVF. He and Harris went back and forth over the possibility of abortion in the eighth or ninth month, which are usually performed because of medical complications affecting the mother or fetus.