Harris and Trump Debate: Economy, Ukraine and Abortion (Video)

US presidential candidates Donald Trump and Kamala Harris met for debates – their first and possibly only.

Harris walked up to Trump to shake his hand after taking the stage. After initially accusing each other of lying, the rivals began their election debate live on ABC News. The discussion took place less than two months before the election.

US Economy

The first part of the debate, watched by the whole world, and the first question from ABC host David Muir, was devoted to the economy: “Do you believe that Americans are better off than they were four years ago?”

Harris answered first and said that she planned to build an “economy of opportunity.” She promised to solve the problem of housing costs, help young families and small businesses.

Trump said the Democrats had destroyed the economy in four years and Harris had simply copied Joe Biden's economic program. Harris countered:

“Donald Trump left us with the worst unemployment since the Great Depression. All we [демократы] “What they did was clean up the mess Donald Trump made.”

“Project 2025” and “Marxist”

The Vice President touched on the so-called “Project 2025,” which discusses what Donald Trump's new term might look like. Democrats are contrasting their program with this document. The author of the 1,000-page project is the Heritage Foundation. The former president himself tried to distance himself from it, although his allies took part in its drafting.

During the debate, the former president again disowned Project 2025, saying he had not read it and did not intend to. Trump called Kamala Harris a “Marxist,” trying to link her work to the work of her father, a former Stanford University economist:

“If she ever gets elected, she will change everything. And that will be the end of our country. She is a Marxist, everyone knows she is a Marxist. Her father is a Marxist professor of economics, and he taught her well.”

Harris, commenting on Trump's remarks, used the word “shame” several times when referring to him:

“World leaders are laughing at Donald Trump. I've spoken to military leaders, some of whom have worked with you, and they say you're a disgrace.”

“Putin will eat you for lunch”

After the commercial break, the conversation turned to the war in Ukraine. When asked by the debate moderator if he wanted Ukraine to win the war, Trump dodged the question twice and said that it was in the interests of the United States for the war to end. He said that the war must end, and he could make it happen. He reiterated that he intended to do so before he took office (if he won the election). He noted that he knew Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky well, and that they respected him:

“They respect me and they don't respect Biden. What is there to respect him for?”

Harris responded by reminding the former president that he was fighting her in the election, not Biden, and said, addressing her opponent:

“Our NATO allies are very grateful that you are no longer president. If Donald Trump were president, Putin would be sitting in Kyiv right now, looking at the rest of Europe, starting with Poland. He is a dictator who will eat you [Трампа] for lunch.”

Trump responded by calling Harris the “worst vice president in history” and saying she failed to prevent a war while serving as vice president. He complained that the U.S. had given Ukraine $250 billion to $275 billion in aid, while European countries had given only $100 billion to $150 billion, even though they were closer to Ukraine. Trump pointed out that Putin has nuclear weapons and may or may not use them. He also repeated the false claim that Harris was sent to negotiate with Putin and prevent a war between Russia and Ukraine. Harris said:

“I believe the reason Donald Trump says this war will be over in 24 hours is because he will just give up. And we, the Americans, are not like that. I met with Zelenskyy a few days before Russia invaded Ukraine. I shared with him American intelligence on how he can defend himself. We have rallied 50 countries to support Ukraine. With our support, the air defenses, the ammunition, the artillery, the Javelins, the Abrams tanks that we have provided, Ukraine has the ability to defend itself. We understand the importance of NATO and what we have done to preserve the ability of the Ukrainians to fight for independence. Otherwise, Putin would be sitting in Kyiv and looking at the rest of Europe, starting with Poland.”

Abortions

Asked whether Trump would veto the abortion ban bill, the former president said there was no point in discussing it because such a law would not receive support from Congress.

Harris has championed the return of constitutional rights to abortion, citing the challenges women have faced as states have imposed their own restrictions on abortion. She said Trump's abortion policies have insulted American women.

Migration

Asked about immigration, Trump repeated a conspiracy theory that some Republicans have been pushing in recent days that migrants in the U.S. eat pets. The hosts chimed in, pointing out that the city manager of Springfield, Ohio, the city Trump was referring to, had denied the rumor. That clearly irritated the former president. Harris’ microphone was off as Trump spoke, and she laughed, shook her head, and apparently said, “What?”

Accusations against Trump

Harris, the former California attorney general, raised questions about Trump's criminal record in response to his comments about “migrant crimes”:

“This is coming from a guy who was prosecuted for national security crimes, economic crimes, election interference.”

Trump responded by declaring that all the cases against him were fake. He refused to admit that he lost the last election and said he had no regrets about the storming of the Capitol on January 6, 2021:

“I received almost 75 million votes, more votes than any sitting president has ever received.”

He also blamed former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for security problems during the storming of the Capitol.

Israel's War with Hamas

Harris repeated some of her previous statements on the issue, saying Israel has the right to defend itself, but how it does so matters:

“This war must end. It must end now.”

Trump said the conflict would never have started if he were president:

“She hates Israel. If she becomes president, I believe that in two years Israel will cease to exist.”

In conclusion – what will be the US policy?

In her closing remarks, Harris reiterated what she said in her speech at the Democratic National Convention in August: “We are not going back.” She said she was going to be a president for all Americans. Harris said she and Trump have different visions for America.

Trump, in his closing remarks, again lashed out at Harris, saying her political platform meant nothing and that she had done nothing in her four years as vice president:

“You believe things that Americans don't believe. We are a country in serious decline. We are laughed at all over the world.”

Former US President Donald Trump, 78, was officially nominated as the Republican candidate at the convention in July. Kamala Harris, 59, the current US vice president, became the Democratic presidential nominee in August after Joe Biden dropped out of the race shortly after his unsuccessful debate with Trump in June.

Biden told reporters Tuesday that he had spoken to Harris before the debate. “She seems calm, cool, and collected. I think she's going to do a great job. And I'm not going to tell you what advice I gave her,” quotes Air Force.

Trump's campaign told reporters that the former president was at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida before the debate and was “in good spirits.”

CNN sources within the Democratic campaign told CNN that Harris spent Tuesday discussing with her team the issues and topics that will be covered during the debate, as well as possible debate scenarios.

Trump and Harris agreed on the rules of the televised debate: microphones will be turned off so that no one interrupts. On the eve of the debate, the level of support for both candidates, according to polls, was about the same.

It was Trump's seventh presidential debate since he became a candidate in 2016. It was Harris' first. Moreover, the two candidates had never met or spoken to each other in person.

The debate took place at the National Center for Constitutional Studies in Philadelphia (the largest city in the state of Pennsylvania, a key state in the current elections) and lasted 90 minutes with two commercial breaks.

The format of the debates has not changed since June – there was no studio audience, questions were asked by ABC hosts David Muir and Lynsey Davis, and each candidate's microphone was muted while their opponent spoke.

In addition, candidates were not allowed to have prepared notes with them, and during commercials, campaign staff could not communicate with them. Debate participants also could not ask each other questions; this was done by the hosts.

It is not yet known whether the candidates will meet for debates again before the election. Both campaigns have not ruled out the possibility. Trump has suggested holding another round in September, while Harris's campaign has mentioned October.

The debates exposed American voters to a race that has changed dramatically since Democratic incumbent Joe Biden dropped out in June. As the only scheduled debate between the two candidates, analysts believe it could be a defining moment.

full version in Russian:

Source link