Key Takeaways from the ABC Presidential Debate between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris
The vice-presidential debate you described illustrates a sharp contrast in communication styles between the candidates.
The vice president’s strategy was clearly aimed at undermining the former president’s credibility by highlighting his weaknesses and referencing widely held criticisms.
In contrast, Trump responded by repeating known falsehoods, including conspiracy theories and claims of election fraud, which have been repeatedly debunked.
his exchange reflects the intense polarization in U.S. politics, with both candidates using their rhetoric to appeal to their respective bases.
Trump’s remarks about the nation “dying” are in line with his previous “American carnage” narrative, which paints a bleak picture of the country’s current state.
By any measure, it was a significant success. When Kamala Harris brought up Trump’s criminal convictions and legal troubles, he reacted immediately.
She pushed further, callingout his failure to pass a bipartisan immigration bill, which drew an even stronger response. But it was when Harris implied that his rallies were dull that Trump appeared most rattled.
Instead of addressing key issues posed by the moderators, including topics Trump often sees as his strengths, he launched into a lengthy defense of his rallies, claiming the Biden administration was unfairly targeting him. In an especially bizarre moment, he repeated the unfounded claim that migrants were eating Americans’ pets.
“They’re eating the dogs, the people that came in, they’re eating the cats, they’re eating the pets of the people that live there,” Trump said, after Harris criticized his handling of immigration.
Harris looked on, seemingly perplexed, but didn’t dwell on Trump’s claims, allowing him to continue.
Trump seemed particularly upset by Harris’ remark about his campaign events. Even when moderator David Muir tried to steer the discussion back to immigration, one of Trump’s go-to topics, he couldn’t let go of the rally comment.
“First, let me address the rallies,” Trump said, mocking the size of Harris’ crowds before returning to praise his own. “People don’t leave my rallies; we have the biggest rallies, the most incredible rallies in political history.”
The first hour of the debate ended just as it had begun, with Trump focused on a lengthy and narrow claim about the 2020 election, once again falsely asserting it had been stolen from him.
Few moments underscored the contrast between Joe Biden’s June debate performance and Kamala Harris’ on Tuesday as vividly as the discussion on abortion.
Harris, a strong advocate for reproductive rights within the administration, effectively countered Trump’s defense of his abortion policy—a response Biden struggled with in June.
Trump, who appointed three Supreme Court justices responsible for overturning federal abortion protections, has attempted to soften his position by criticizing six-week abortion bans and emphasizing his support for exceptions in cases of rape, incest, and threats to the mother’s life. However, he continues to defend the repeal of Roe v. Wade.
“Now it’s not tied up in the federal government,” Trump said. “I did a great service in doing it. It took courage to do it.”
He echoed arguments from his June debate with Biden, claiming that most people wanted the issue returned to the states, despite significant pushback from Democrats and some independents. Trump inaccurately cited comments by former Virginia Governor Ralph Northam, referring to a misinterpreted statement about post-birth care for nonviable pregnancies. He also repeated the false claim that some states permit post-birth abortions, which ABC News’ Linsey Davis debunked.
“There is no state in this country where it is legal to kill a baby after it’s born,” Davis clarified.
Harris countered by emphasizing real-world consequences of restrictive abortion policies. She highlighted cases where women, including victims of rape, struggled to obtain abortions or miscarriage care.
“You want to talk about what people wanted?” Harris said. “Pregnant women who want to carry a pregnancy to term, suffering from a miscarriage, being denied care in an emergency room because the healthcare providers are afraid they might go to jail, and she’s bleeding out in a car in the parking lot—that’s not what people want.”
