Key points from the heated debate between Mr. Trump and Ms. Harris

Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris opened the debate by walking onto the stage to shake hands with Mr Trump at the podium.

“Kamala Harris,” she introduced herself when the two met for the first time. “Let’s have a good debate.” The former Republican president responded: “It’s great to meet you. Have a good time.”

And here are the key points of their debate over the next 90 minutes:

Mr. Trump shook hands with Ms. Harris during the ABC News debate at the US National Constitution Center. Photo: AP

Ms. Harris tries to "provoke" Mr. Trump

In her first response, the Vice President said that Mr. Trump’s tariffs would create a sales tax on the middle class. She also accused Mr. Trump of inciting the riot at the Capitol on January 6, 2021.

At Trump rallies, she said, he would say outlandish things like windmills cause cancer. She also mocked that attendees left early out of exhaustion and boredom.

In response, Mr Trump asserted that his rallies were larger than hers. “We had the biggest rallies, the most incredible rallies in the history of politics,” he said. He accused Ms Harris of busing people to her rallies.

Trump on the defensive

Another goal of Ms. Harris was to criticize Mr. Trump for his past actions, especially his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election. After an hour of debate, her strategy seemed to be working. Mr. Trump was constantly on the defensive.

When asked about the Capitol riot on January 6, 2021, he asserted that he "had nothing to do with it, other than they asked me to speak."

Referring to President Joe Biden's winning vote total in the 2020 election, Ms Harris said: "Donald Trump was fired by 81 million people."

The vice president continued his criticism of Mr. Trump by saying that world leaders were “laughing at” him, language Mr. Trump often uses at rallies when talking about how he thinks other countries view President Joe Biden.

In response to the criticism, the former president cited his close relationship with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. He also claimed that Ms Harris “got zero votes” in the Democratic nomination announcement, implying that she had replaced Mr Biden as part of some kind of coup.

Mr Trump also criticized Ms Harris for abandoning some of the progressive positions she took during the 2020 Democratic primary, and urged voters not to trust the moderate tone she took during the campaign.

Race issues

As the debate progressed, the topic of race came up. Mr Trump was asked by the moderator why he had publicly questioned Ms Harris’ dual heritage as a black woman and South Asian.

"I don't care what she is. I read that she's black, then I read that she's not black. I don't care who she is, if you make a big deal out of it, I don't care," he replied.

Asked to respond, Ms. Harris accused Mr. Trump of using race to divide Americans throughout his career. She cited how he and his father turned away black tenants in the 1970s, as well as how Mr. Trump led a public outcry over the wrongful conviction of five black and Latino youths for attacking a jogger in New York City’s Central Park in 1989.

Ms Harris also noted that Mr Trump had publicly questioned whether President Barack Obama, who was born in the US, was a US citizen.

"I think it's tragic that we have someone who wants to be president and is constantly trying to use race to divide the American people. I think the American people want something better than that," she said.

Mr Trump accused Ms Harris of trying to “divide” people, dismissing her statements as outdated and irrelevant.

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris debate. Photo: AP

Debate on the economy

In the opening minutes of the debate, Mr. Trump and Ms. Harris sparred over one of the issues that voters care about most: the economy.

Ms. Harris detailed the economic policies she has rolled out in recent weeks, including a significant tax credit for small startups. Mr. Trump focused on tariffs, saying he would protect the U.S. economy from unfair foreign competition.

Ms Harris criticized Mr Trump for his sweeping tariffs and trade deficits as president, while Mr Trump criticized Ms Harris for the "worst inflation in the history of the country".

Mr Trump said the economy under his presidency was more optimistic. "I created one of the greatest economies in the history of our country," he said.

Americans are more likely to trust Mr. Trump than Ms. Harris when it comes to handling the economy, according to a poll by the NORC Center for Public Affairs and the AP in August.

Abortion stance

The two candidates also engaged in a fierce debate over abortion, an issue where polls show Ms Harris has the upper hand.

Mr. Trump defended the 2022 ruling by the US Supreme Court, which ruled that abortion is not a constitutional right, paving the way for states to decide on abortion bans.

He said that leaving abortion up to the states was the outcome many Americans wanted. “I did a very good job doing that. It took a lot of courage to do that,” Trump said of overturning Roe v. Wade and its constitutional abortion protections.

Harris has been a staunch defender of abortion rights. “The government and Donald Trump certainly should not dictate to women what to do with their bodies,” Harris said, citing medical complications, painful decisions and having to travel out of state for abortions.

Divided on world issues

The debate was heated as Mr Trump and Ms Harris clashed over how to handle the Russia-Ukraine conflict. The candidates' answers revealed the extent of their fundamental differences in their views on America's role in the world.

Mr. Trump refused to say that he wanted Ukraine to win the war, saying only that he wanted to end the conflict as quickly as possible. Ms. Harris responded, arguing that what Mr. Trump wanted was for Ukraine to quickly surrender unconditionally.

“If Donald Trump were president, (Russian President Vladimir) Putin would be sitting in Kiev right now,” Harris said.

Hoai Phuong (according to Reuters, AP)

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