Showdown in Philadelphia: Harris and Trump trade blows in presidential debate

On the night of September 10-11, the first televised debate between U.S. presidential candidates Kamala Harris and Donald Trump took place in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Kazinform News Agency has compiled the most notable statements from the candidates.

The debate opened with the opponents exchanging criticisms and accusations of lying, with Harris remarking that viewers would hear “a bunch of lies and complaints” from Trump, while Trump labeled Harris a “Marxist” attempting to associate her actions with her father, a former economist at Stanford University.

Economy

The first part of the discussion and the first question posed by ABC’s David Muir focused on the economy. “Do you believe that Americans are better off than they were four years ago?” he asked.

Harris answered first and said she plans to build an “economy of opportunity.” She promised to address the issue of housing costs, help young families, and support small businesses.

Trump stated that the Democrats had destroyed the economy over the past four years and that Harris had merely copied Joe Biden’s economic plan.

“Donald Trump left us with the worst unemployment since the Great Depression. All we [Democrats] did was clean up the mess created by Donald Trump,” claimed Harris.

Harris criticized Trump’s intention to increase tariffs on foreign goods imports. In response, Trump said this would not lead to price increases.

Israel-Hamas War

The candidates were also asked to comment on the war between Israel and Hamas, which has been ongoing for nearly a year. Harris stated that the fighting must stop immediately, noting that the only path forward is a ceasefire agreement and the release of hostages.

“And that is why we will continue to work around the clock on this, while also understanding that we need to chart a course for a two-state solution. This solution must take into account security for the Israeli people and Israel as a whole, and equally for the Palestinians,” she said.

Harris also assured that she would always ensure Israel’s ability to defend itself.

Trump, however, claimed that Harris hates Israel.

Abortion Issue

Trump defended the 2022 U.S. Supreme Court decision that overturned the constitutional protection of the right to abortion and left the matter to individual states.

Harris advocated for restoring the constitutional right to abortion. She spoke about the challenges women faced after states began implementing their own restrictions on pregnancy termination. The Democratic candidate stated that Trump’s policies on this issue insulted American women.

Immigration

Trump claimed that illegal immigrants have worsened the security situation in the United States.

According to him, the Biden-Harris administration has allowed “millions of migrants and criminals” into the country.

In an attempt to appeal to specific demographic groups, Trump stated that illegal immigrants arriving in the U.S. are “taking jobs currently held by African Americans and Latinos."

“They are taking over buildings. They are committing violent acts. These are the people that she and Biden let into our country. And they are destroying our country,” he said.

Trump also suggested that Harris should immediately leave the debate stage and go to Washington to sign a bill to close the borders.

“The president of the United States, you’ll get him out of bed, you’ll wake him up at 4 o’clock in the afternoon and you’ll say ‘come on down to the office, you’ll sign a bill’,” he said.

Trump emphasized that the U.S. needs “a strong border and solid walls.”

Harris, in turn, criticized Trump for obstructing the passage of a bill that would have provided the border patrol with additional personnel to target transnational criminal organizations involved in arms, drug, and human trafficking.

National polls show that the gap between the candidates remains very small. The U.S. presidential election will take place in November.