Kamala Harris and Donald Trump clashed in an acrimonious Presidential debate on Tuesday evening accusing each other of lying and offering contrasting visions for the US.
In their first -and perhaps only – debate before the November election – the two candidates clashed on the economy, abortion, immigration and American democracy.
Harris promised tax cuts aimed at the middle class and said she would push to restore a federally guaranteed right to abortion overturned by the Supreme Court two years ago.
Harris and Trump clash on foreign policy at the debate
Trump said his proposed tariffs would help the US stop being cheated by allies on trade and said he would work to swiftly end the Russia-Ukraine war, even if it meant Ukraine didn’t achieve victory on the battlefield.
Asked whether he would like to see Ukraine win the war against Russia, Trump responded that he wants to stop the war and pledged to “settle” the war before taking office if he wins in November. “What I’ll do is I’ll speak to one and I’ll speak to the other,” he said. “I’ll get them together.”
He reiterated his past claim that the war would never have happened had he been in office instead of Biden and insisted that he is more respected by world leaders than Biden or Harris is.
He repeatedly dismissed her and Biden as weak, and cited the praise of Hungary’s nationalist prime minister Viktor Orbán to show that he is a widely respected by leaders around the world, saying Orbán calls him the “most feared person.”
The vice president told Trump that world leaders were laughing at him, and military leaders called him a “disgrace.” She called Trump “weak” and “wrong.”
The vice president recounted the Biden administration’s record on the war, rallying allies in support of Kyiv and providing critical military aid. “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.”
Trump was fired by 81 million, Harris says
“Donald Trump was fired by 81 million people,” Harris said, “So let’s be clear about that. And clearly he is having a very difficult time processing that.”
Saying it’s “time to turn the page,” Harris delivered an appeal to Republicans and independents turned off by Trump’s style and his efforts four years ago to overturn the 2020 presidential election, saying there’s a place in her campaign for them “to stand for country, to stand for our democracy, to stand for rule of law and to end the chaos.”
This is a developing story
