PHILADELPHIA—As the debate ended and both candidates left the stage, all ears turned to the spin room to hear what their teams had to say.
“It was a humiliating night for Donald Trump. It was a spectacular night for the American people, for democracy, for freedom, the rule of law, and for Kamala Harris,” California Gov. Gavin Newsom told reporters.
Newsom said the vice president “exceeded all expectations” and was the only candidate who came with a plan.
PHILADELPHIA—Vice President Kamala Harris’s campaign is calling for a second debate.
"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," said Harris campaign chair Jen O'Malley Dillon.
"Vice President Harris is ready for a second debate. Is Donald Trump?"
Former President Donald 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 3 ½ years. They’ve had 3 ½ years to fix the border. They’ve had 3 ½ years to create jobs and all the things we talked about. Why hasn’t she done it?”
PHILADELPHIA—In her closing statement, Vice President Kamala Harris pointed to the contrast between her and former President Donald 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.”
PHILADELPHIA–Former President Donald 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.”
PHILADELPHIA—Former President Donald 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.”
Vice President Kamala Harris, who frequently describes herself as “the last person in the room” with President Joe 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.
PHILADELPHIA–Former President Donald Trump said he doesn’t care what race Vice President Kamala 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.”
PHILADELPHIA–Former President Donald 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.
Vice President Kamala 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.
PHILADELPHIA–Vice President Kamala Harris vowed “I will not ban fracking” about 40 minutes into her Tuesday debate with former President Donald 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 President Joe Biden’s emphasis on renewable energy, she said her primary policy goal will be “to reduce reliance on foreign oil.”
PHILADELPHIA–Former President Donald Trump said Vice President Kamala Harris and President Joe 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.
PHILADELPHIA–Former President Donald 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.”
PHILADELPHIA—Vice President Kamala 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 is 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.”
PHILADELPHIA—Former President Donald Trump responded to Vice President Kamala 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.
PHILADELPHIA—As former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris went back and forth on abortion, ABC appeared to break its own rule about the mics being muted for those not speaking.
It's also possible Trump’s voice carried into Harris’s mic.
PHILADELPHIA—Vice President Kamala Harris said China failed to provide transparency about the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Referencing Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping, Harris said, “Xi was responsible for lacking and not giving us transparency about the origins of COVID.”
While former President Donald Trump did not respond to this point in the debate, he has previously repeatedly criticized the Chinese regime for covering up the pandemic origins.
PHILADELPHIA—The Heritage Foundation’s controversial Project 2025 policy playbook was bound to come up during the debate.
Vice President Kamala 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.
PHILADELPHIA—The presidential candidates kicked off the debate by talking about the economy.
Vice President Kamala 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.
PHILADELPHIA—Former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris took the debate stage at the National Constitution Center and shook hands as Harris said, “Kamala Harris.” The two met for the first time in what will likely be the only debate ahead of the Nov. 5 election.
Trump and President Joe Biden, the prior Democratic nominee, did not shake hands when they debated in June. Biden dropped out of the race on July 27.
The first topic of the debate is the economy.
PHILADELPHIA—Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., told The Epoch Times ahead of the debate that the most important message former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris can send tonight is one of “reconciliation.”
"I would love to see a message of reconciliation, you know, an understanding that we're all Americans and that ... we can differ on these issues without … hating on each other," Kennedy said, suggesting that the two candidates should shake hands on the debate stage.
He said he hopes Harris will pledge to the American people her commitment to democracy and freedom in the wake of rising totalitarianism in the world.
PHILADELPHIA—Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) met with reporters ahead of Tuesday night’s debate and explained what Vice President Kamala Harris needs to do to prevail in the showdown with former President Donald Trump.
“She needs to connect with the American people. She needs to talk to them about her tax policy, caring about the middle-class, not about the ultra-wealthy the way [Trump’s] policy will,” Duckworth told The Epoch Times.
“She needs to talk to them about what she will do for health care, reproductive health care, and to connect with the voters directly and not allow [Trump] to get her off of her game plan,” she said.
PHILADELPHIA—“Contrast” was the word on every tongue in the spin room before the debate as both candidates’ surrogates shared their hopes and expectations for the night.
Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.), there on behalf of former President Donald Trump, told The Epoch Times that Trump’s primary goal should be to “set up the contrast” between himself and Vice President Kamala Harris.
Energy is certain to be addressed during Tuesday's debate, with Vice President Kamala Harris set to defend President Joe Biden’s renewable energy policies, and former President Donald Trump vowing to unplug them.
Harris campaigns as Biden’s successor in perpetuating a transition to renewable energies. She was key in getting the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the 2022 CHIPS & Science Act, and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), adopted.
Harris cast the deciding vote to pass the IRA, which provides $370 billion to reduce greenhouse emissions to zero by 2050.
AdImpact, a marketing and advertising analytics firm, released data on Sept. 10 illustrating how much political ad spending has exploded since the June 27 debate between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump.
Between Super Tuesday (March 5) and the June debate, Democrats spent $177.4 million on political ads, compared to $55 million spent by Republicans.
From June 28 until Sept. 10, Democrats spent a total of $508.3 million on political ads, while Republicans spent $342 million.
PHILADELPHIA—Former President Donald Trump spent the last several weeks informally preparing for tonight’s debate, according to Brian Hughes, his Florida campaign director.
Hughes told The Epoch Times that Trump is “prepared every day,” thanks to his penchant for impromptu media interviews and conversations with voters.
Nevertheless, Hughes said the former president spent “a long number of weeks” reviewing his policy successes and Vice President Kamala Harris’s record in preparation for the debate.
PHILADELPHIA—At an event outside Philadelphia earlier on Tuesday, Dave McCormick, the GOP Senate candidate in Pennsylvania, said that former President Donald Trump needs to let Vice President Kamala Harris show what she stands for.
“I think he needs to just let Kamala Harris defend a set of positions that are wildly out of step with Pennsylvania,” he told reporters in response to a question by The Epoch Times.
“You can just go and see, in her own words, what she said about banning fracking, transitioning energy workers, giving amnesty to illegal immigrants, federal benefits, mandatory buybacks of guns. These positions are just out of touch with Pennsylvania," McCormick said.
Tuesday night's debate is the first—and potentially the last—showdown between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump before the election.
Broadcast at 9 p.m. ET on ABC from Philadelphia’s National Constitution Center, network anchors David Muir and Linsey Davis will moderate.
Viewers can watch the debate here.
PHILADELPHIA—Surrogates will be putting their “spin” on the debate performances of former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris, the two major parties’ presidential candidates.
More than 900 news reporters have gathered at the Pennsylvania Convention Center about a half-mile away from the National Constitution Center where the candidates will debate without an audience.
The Harris campaign says Harris will be joined tonight by her husband, Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, her sister Maya Harris, and her brother in law Tony West.
Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump head into a presidential debate virtually tied in national polling, raising the stakes for a showdown that could prove pivotal in the 2024 election.
“[The election] is really sitting on a knife’s edge on the electoral college,” Henry Olsen, a senior fellow with the Ethics and Public Policy Center, told The Epoch Times. “One point in either direction is something that could really matter.”
We asked political experts to explain what both candidates must do to perform well in this debate—and what could happen if they don’t.
PHILADELPHIA—Ahead of the first presidential debate between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris, Pennsylvania’s undecided voters want the candidates to discuss the economy, border security, and abortion to help them decide how they will vote.
Trump and Harris will meet at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia on Sept. 10. It is the second debate of the 2024 campaign, following Trump’s face-off against President Joe Biden in Atlanta on June 27, with the latter dropping out of the race in July. The Epoch Times spoke with several voters in Pennsylvania who are not yet committed to any candidate to understand how Trump or Harris could persuade them.
Asked what issue she'd like to hear debated, Cyndi McGuinn said, “[It’s] women’s rights [to abortion], obviously. ... That’s huge right now.” An undecided voter from the Philadelphia suburbs who works at a Whole Foods store, McGuinn added that foreign policy, specifically the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, would also be important.
The long-awaited matchup between Democratic nominee Vice President Kamala Harris and Republican nominee former President Donald Trump will air on ABC on Sept. 10, just two months before the election.
The political landscape has changed radically since the first presidential debate between Trump and President Joe Biden, which kicked off a pressure campaign that culminated in Biden bowing out of the race on July 21.
Since the first debate, Trump survived an attempt on his life, Harris rapidly rose to the top of the Democratic ticket, and both campaigns have shifted their messaging to respond to the new Democratic standard-bearer. Both candidates have also chosen their running mates.
Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump are set to debate for the first time on Sept. 10 in a pivotal moment that could shape the tight 2024 presidential race.
ABC will host the debate in Philadelphia at the National Constitution Center. The two candidates will be standing throughout the event, which will last 90 minutes with two commercial breaks, according to the network. The debate will begin at 9 p.m. EDT.
The June CNN debate precipitated a significant turning point in the 2024 race. President Joe Biden faced mounting pressure from within his own party to step down after a poor performance. He exited the race in July and endorsed Harris.