Vice President Kamala Harris and Former President Donald Trump faced off in a debate on Tuesday, September 10th. This debate comes during a tight race, with the polls fluctuating advantages by the day. The contentious debate was controversial even before Tuesday, as neither campaign seemed to be able to agree on rules, publicly arguing about the parameters of the debate itself. Ultimately, both campaigns settled on the debate taking place on ABC, at the National Constitution Center of Philadelphia. The debate lasted approximately 90 minutes, with two commercial breaks. Neither candidate was allowed any prewritten notes, and could only have a bottle of water, notepad, and pencil on their person during the debate. Each candidate’s microphone was turned off until it was their two minutes to respond to questions or their minute to rebut their opponent (CBS, 2024). David Muir and Linsey Davis, of ABC News, moderated the debate.
In preparation for the debate, Kamala Harris was reported to be doing strict debate preparation, allegedly having an aide dressed as Donald Trump as her mock opponent to ensure the closest conditions to the debate stage. Donald Trump prepared with his team by reviewing the policy issues he intended to highlight. With only 56 days until November 4th, this debate could have tipped the very tight scale in either candidate’s favor (CBS, 2024).
Kamala Harris highlighted her economic policy, which she has coined an “opportunity economy.” This includes supporting small businesses through tax credits, tax cuts for new families, and tax credits for first-time homeowners. Harris took the time to address and explain her support for the national codification of Roe v. Wade, reiterating herself as the pro-choice candidate. Moving beyond policy, the Vice President went on the offensive against her opposition. Harris took the debate as an opportunity to bring up the 2020 Election Results, and Trump’s continued public and legal denial of President Joe Biden’s win. She addressed the January 6th Insurrection and Project 2025, though Trump denied involvement in both.
Crowd sizes were a hot issue as well, with Harris claiming that Trump inflates crowd sizes at his rallies, causing people to leave his rallies early due to boredom and exhaustion. Trump fired back in defense, claiming that Kamala pays people to fill the seats at her rallies.
Donald Trump chose to highlight his economic history as President, as well as the rising inflation rates during the Biden administration. He called out the current administration’s unpopular pull out of Afghanistan, as well as the 13 military members who lost their lives during the transition. Trump called into question the Vice President’s moderate views, citing previous statements where her views differed from her current policy plan in past statements and campaigns. The former President reiterated his views on immigration, claiming that in Springfield, Ohio immigrants are “eating their neighbor’s pets.” This was fact-checked during the debate, however, by ABC fact-checkers and the Springfield city manager. Trump also demonized political violence, claiming that heightened tensions in this election resulted in the July 13th assassination attempt.
Opinions on the outcome of the debate remain divided, but polling estimates will give Americans a heightened view of what to expect in November.
