Harris and Trump detail their starkly different visions in a tense, high-stakes debate

Zeke Miller, Michelle L. Price, Jill Colvin and Josh Boak, Associated Press

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Sparring connected authorities and personality, Kamala Harris and Donald Trump showcased their starkly different visions for nan state connected abortion, migration and American populist arsenic they met for nan first clip Tuesday for possibly their only statement earlier November’s statesmanlike election.

The Democratic vice president moved many times to get nether nan tegument of nan erstwhile Republican president, provoking him pinch reminders astir nan 2020 predetermination nonaccomplishment that he still denies and derisive asides astatine his different mendacious claims.

Harris not only tried to make nan lawsuit that Trump is unfit for agency but tried to usage her answers successful a measurement that seemed designed to provoke him into launching into 1 of nan individual attacks that his advisers and supporters person tried to steer him distant from. In 1 moment, Harris turned to Trump and said that arsenic vice president, she had spoken to overseas leaders, “And they opportunity you’re a disgrace.”

Trump again denied his nonaccomplishment to President Joe Biden 4 years ago, erstwhile his efforts to overturn nan consequence inspired nan Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol insurrection.

“Donald Trump was fired by 81 cardinal people,” Harris said, “So let’s beryllium clear astir that. And intelligibly he is having a very difficult clip processing that.”

Trump successful move tried to nexus Harris to Biden, questioning why she hadn’t acted connected her projected ideas while serving arsenic vice president, and focused his attacks connected Harris complete her duty by Biden to woody pinch nan guidelines causes of forbidden migration.

He many times dismissed her and Biden arsenic weak, and cited nan praise of Hungary’s nationalist premier curate Viktor Orbán to show that he is simply a wide respected by leaders astir nan world, saying Orbán calls him nan “most feared person.”

The high-pressure matchup aft a tumultuous run summertime offered Americans their astir elaborate look astatine a run that’s been dramatically changed. The vice president moved to acold much efficaciously property nan Democratic lawsuit against Trump than Biden did erstwhile he met Trump successful June, linking nan erstwhile president to GOP efforts to restrict abortion entree and accusing him of undermining nan nation’s democracy.

The first early ballots of nan statesmanlike title will spell retired conscionable hours aft nan debate, hosted by ABC News. Absentee ballots are group to beryllium sent retired opening Wednesday successful Alabama.

Saying it’s “time to move nan page,” Harris delivered an entreaty to Republicans and independents turned disconnected by Trump’s style and his efforts 4 years agone to overturn nan 2020 statesmanlike election, saying there’s a spot successful her run for them “to guidelines for country, to guidelines for our democracy, to guidelines for norm of rule and to extremity nan chaos.”

Trump many times declined to opportunity that it was successful nan champion liking of nan U.S. for Ukraine to triumph its warfare against Russia. Harris said it was an illustration of why America’s NATO friends were thankful he was nary longer successful office, arsenic she and Biden person sent tens of billions of dollars to thief Kyiv fend disconnected Russia’s invasion.

As nan erstwhile president made a bid of mendacious claims astir migrants, Harris seemed to smirk arsenic he said that migrants are “taking jobs that are occupied correct now by African Americans and Hispanics.”

“Talk astir extreme,” Harris responded, erstwhile Trump repeated unsubstantiated claims that immigrants successful Ohio are eating their neighbors’ dogs and cats.

The candidates met successful a small, blue-lit amphitheater converted into a tv studio, pinch nary unrecorded audience, meaning location was nary rowdy applause, cheers aliases jeers. The friendly mounting — pinch nan candidates’ lecterns positioned little than 10 feet from each different — belied nan contentious statement to follow.

Harris many times shook her caput derisively arsenic Trump spoke, occasionally staring astatine him pinch a manus connected her chin, while Trump seemed to debar looking toward nan Democrat. Trump hewed intimately to his rally talking points and acquainted attacks.

As Harris seemed to effort to interject during 1 of his responses, Trump replied, “I’m talking now, sound familiar?” harkening backmost to a infinitesimal erstwhile unopen down an interruption from then-Vice President Mike Pence.

Harris sharply criticized Trump for nan authorities of nan system and populist erstwhile he near office, arsenic nan COVID-19 pandemic ravaged nan federation and aft his supporters stormed nan Capitol connected Jan. 6, 2021, successful a bid to overturn nan 2020 statesmanlike election.

“What we person done is cleanable up Donald Trump’s mess,” Harris said. She opened her reply by saying she expects voters to perceive “a bunch of lies, grievances and sanction calling” from her GOP force during their 90-minute debate.

Trump, meanwhile, quickly went aft Harris for abandoning immoderate of her past wide positions and said: “She’s going to my accuracy now. In fact, I was going to nonstop her a MAGA hat.” Harris smiled broadly and laughed.

Harris has sought to take sides her shifts distant from wide causes to much mean stances connected fracking, expanding Medicare for each and mandatory weapon buyback programs — and moreover backing distant from her position that integrative straws should beryllium banned — arsenic pragmatism, insisting that her “values stay nan same.”

As nan statement opened, Harris walked up to Trump’s lectern to present herself, marking nan first clip nan 2 had ever met. “Kamala Harris,” she said, extending her manus to Trump, who received it successful a handshake — nan first statesmanlike statement handshake since nan 2016 campaign.

Harris, successful zeroing successful connected 1 of Trump’s biggest electoral vulnerabilities, laid nan extremity of nationalist abortion authorities astatine Trump’s feet for his domiciled successful appointing 3 U.S. Supreme Court justices who overturned Roe v. Wade, leaving much than 20 states successful nan state pinch what she called “Trump abortion bans.”

Harris gave 1 of her astir impassioned answers arsenic she described nan ways women person been denied abortion attraction and different emergency attraction and said Trump would delegate a nationalist abortion prohibition if he wins.

Trump declared it “a lie,” and said, “I’m not signing a prohibition and there’s nary logic to motion a ban.”

The Republican has said he wants nan rumor near to nan states.

Harris utilized a mobility astir her plans to amended nan system by saying she would widen nan taxation trim for families pinch children and a taxation conclusion for mini businesses while attacking Trump’s plans to enforce wide tariffs arsenic a “sales tax” connected equipment that nan American group will yet pay.

Trump was stone-faced during her reply but retorted: “I person nary income tax. That’s successful incorrect statement. She knows that.”

Trump, who is trying to overgarment nan vice president arsenic an out-of-touch wide while trying to triumph complete voters skeptical he should return to nan White House continued to telephone Harris a “Marxist,” and said “Everyone knows she’s a Marxist.”

Trump, 78, has struggled to accommodate to Harris, 59, who is nan first woman, Black personification and personification of South Asian descent to service arsenic vice president. The Republican erstwhile president has astatine times resorted to invoking group and gender stereotypes, frustrating friends who want Trump to attraction alternatively connected argumentation differences pinch Harris.

Harris deed Trump connected 1 of his biggest sources of pride, his freewheeling run rallies. Harris noted really astatine nan events, Trump, arsenic he meanders done subjects, will sometimes muse connected “fictional characters for illustration Hannibal Lecter” and whether “windmills origin cancer,” and past said that if you watch his events “you will besides announcement that group commencement leaving his rallies early retired of exhaustion and boredom.”
“The 1 point you will not perceive him talk astir is you. Your needs, your dreams and your desires.”

Trump tried to usage his adjacent mobility to respond by accusing Harris of having nary 1 attending her rallies isolated from nan group that he claimed, without evidence, that she has bused successful and paid to beryllium there.

“She can’t talk astir that. People don’t time off my rallies. We person nan biggest rallies, nan astir unthinkable rallies successful nan history of politics,” he said.

In accelerated manner aft nan June 27 statement betwixt Trump and Biden, nan incumbent bowed retired of nan title aft his disastrous performance, Trump survived an assassination effort and bothsides chose their moving mates.

The statement subjected Harris, who has sat for only a azygous general question and reply successful nan past six weeks, to a uncommon infinitesimal of sustained questioning.

Trump astatine 1 constituent launched into an onslaught connected Biden, questioning his intelligence acuity by making nan declare that Biden “doesn’t moreover cognize he’s alive.”

Harris quickly tried to move it astir to make Trump look little than sharp.

“First of all, I deliberation it’s important to punctual nan erstwhile president, you’re not moving against Joe Biden. You’re moving against me,” she said.