Presidential Debate Breakdown

By VANESSA SKILDUM

Former President Donald Trump and current Vice President Kamala Harris met face to face for the first time during the second presidential debate on Tuesday, September 10, at 8 p.m. The debate was held at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia and was hosted by ABC News. The first debate in June featured Joe Biden before he dropped out of the race on July 21, meaning this is Kamala’s first and only presidential debate before the election. 

The rules were as follows: No topics or questions were shared with the campaigns. The candidates had two minutes to answer questions and make rebuttals and one minute for follow-up or clarifications. Microphones were turned off when it was not the candidates’ turn and there was no live audience. The event was moderated by “World News Tonight” anchor David Muir and ABC News Live “Prime” anchor Linsey Davis.

Each candidate was asked about important issues related to the country. Below is a summary of their responses during the debate. 

Economy

Harris plans to build what she calls an “opportunity economy.” To provide support, she plans to implement a $6,000 tax cut for young families and give a $50,000 tax deduction to start-up small businesses.

Trump wants to implement tariffs on goods from other countries and claims they would be substantial. He also said he has nothing to do with Project 2025.

According to the American Civil Liberties Union, Project 2025 is a “federal policy agenda and blueprint for a radical restructuring of the executive branch authored and published by former Trump administration officials in partnership with The Heritage Foundation, a longstanding conservative think tank that opposes abortion and reproductive rights, LGBTQ rights, immigrants’ rights, and racial equity.”

Abortion

Harris supports reinstating the protections of Roe v Wade. Believes that the choice of abortion is a woman’s right. Claims in 20 states, there are “Trump abortion bans.” 

Trump Is proud to get Roe v Wade back to the states. He believes in the exceptions for abortion, like rape, incest, and the health of the mother. Trump claims he has been a leader regarding in vitro fertilization (IVF). 

Immigration

Harris is faced with the fact that illegal border crossings are at an all-time high under the Biden administration. Discusses how she was working on a border security bill that would have put 1500 more border agents on the border. She claims adding the extra agents would have allowed border agents to stem the flow of fentanyl and sex trafficking into the states. She blames Trump for killing the bill. 

Trump thinks the United States is a failing nation and that immigration is a serious problem. He says that immigrants are causing higher crime rates and stealing jobs. Trump is also under the impression that immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, are eating the dogs and the cats. This was fact-checked and proven false by David Muir.

Environment

Harris refers to climate change as an existential threat. She is proud that she and Biden have invested 1 trillion dollars in a clean economy and clean energy and plans to continue this plan. She also mentioned manufacturing jobs. 

Trump claims the United States needs access to clean air and clean water. For his allotted time, he focused on manufacturing jobs lost during the Biden administration. 

Foreign Policy

Kamala: He has met with President Zelenskyy and shared American intelligence on defending themselves. He brought 50 countries together to support Ukraine. He thinks NATO is the most significant military alliance ever known. 

Trump claims he will resolve the war while he is president-elect even in office. He wants the war to stop and to save lives. He would not answer whether he wished for Ukraine to win or not. He claims he knows both President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy and President of Russia Vladimir Putin very well and that both respect him. 

At the beginning of the debate, the candidates were essentially tied in the polls nationally. According to the Guardian, the latest polls showcase Kamala beating Trump out 48.5% to 45.9%, meaning little changed as a result of the debate. 

There is discussion of a third presidential debate, which would give voters a chance to see Harris and Trump again before voting. CBS will sponsor a vice presidential debate on October 1 at 8 p.m.

Featured Image Credit: Sophia Nitsche’25