Philadelphia Debate: Kamala Harris, Donald Trump face off in high-stakes showdown

PHILADELPHIA - Donald Trump and Kamala Harris met in Philadelphia Tuesday night for their first highly anticipated face-to-face encounter of the historic 2024 election.

The opposing candidates have been locked in a tight race, with polls showing them virtually tied leading up to their first presidential debate, and the most consequential event in the unprecedented race for president thus far.

David Muir and Lindsey Davis moderated the ABC News Presidential Debate at the National Constitution Center in battleground Pennsylvania, a frequent stop for both campaigns as they seek critical swing votes.

The pivotal match-up was filled with 90 minutes of contention as Trump and Harris shook hands before laying out their competing visions for America among personal attacks. Here's a breakdown of all the key moments:

Plan for the economy? Trump and Harris claim neither have one

The debate started off with a bang as both candidates criticized the other’s lack of a plan for improving the nation’s economy.

Harris said she would focus on creating an "opportunity economy" for the middle class and small business owners while claiming Trump’s policies would increase costs for Americans. 

"My opponent, on the other hand, his plan is to do what he has done before, which is to provide a tax cut for billionaires and big corporations, which will result in $5 trillion to America's deficit. My opponent has a plan that I call the Trump sales tax, which would be a 20% tax on everyday goods that you rely on to get through the month. Economists have said that that Trump sales tax would actually result for middle-class families in about $4,000 more a year."

The vice president went on to say she was the "only person on this stage who has a plan that is about lifting up the middle class and working people of America." 

Trump rebuked Harris’ statements, describing her plan as "four sentences, like, ‘run, Spot, run,'" while calling her a Marxist.

Mics still pick up interruptions

The debate rules stated that each candidate's microphone would be turned off when they were not speaking. However, interruptions were still audible from both sides while objecting to claims made throughout the debate.

"Donald Trump actually has no plan for you because he is more interested in defending himself than he is in looking out for you," she said. Trump interjected, claiming many economists believe his plan "is a brilliant plan." 

Trump repeats abortion misinformation

The former president falsely claimed that some Democrats, including Harris’ running mate Tim Walz, permit abortions after birth.

The abortion claim has been repeated by Trump several times. However, infanticide is criminalized in every state, and no state has passed a law allowing such a practice. 

When asked if he would veto a national abortion ban, Trump said "I won’t have to" because "they could never get this approved" in Congress.

Harris invites voters to Trump rallies

The vice president claims that people attending Trump's rallies "leave early out of exhaustion," while the former president says he holds the "biggest rallies in the history of politics."

Trump falsely claims migrants are eating pets in Ohio

While speaking on border security in the United States, Trump claimed that Haitian migrants are eating pets in an Ohio community.

"In Springfield, they’re eating the dogs. The people that came in, they’re eating the cats," Trump said.

Muir rebuked the claim during the debate, saying city officials have found no evidence of such accusations.

Harris calls out Trump's legal troubles

In response to Trump's comments on migrant crime being "through the roof" in the United States, Harris called out the former president for being a convicted criminal with pending indictments and civil liability for sexual assault.

"I think this is so rich coming from someone who has been prosecuted for national security crimes, economic crimes, election interference and has been found liable for sexual assault," Harris said. "And his next big court appearance is in November at his own criminal sentencing."

Trump hit back, claiming the Justice Department has been "weaponized" against him.

Harris defends values

When pressed on statements that her values have not changed despite recent policy changes, Harris elaborated on her fracking stance.

"Let’s talk about fracking because we’re here in Pennsylvania. I made that very clear in 2020. I will not ban fracking. I have not banned fracking as Vice President of the United States and, in fact, I was the tie-breaking vote on the Inflation Reduction Act which opened new leases for fracking. My position is that we have got to invest in diverse sources of energy so we can reduce our reliance on foreign oil."

In a complete rebuttal, Trump claimed that Harris would "never" allow fracking in Pennsylvania.

"If she wins the election, fracking in Pennsylvania will end on day one," he said.

Jan. 6th insurrection

Trump called out Nancy Pelosi when asked about whether he had any regrets in reference to the January 6, 2021, attacks on the U.S. Capitol.

"It wasn't done by me, it was done by others… it never would have happened if Pelosi did her job," the former president said.

Harris used the opportunity to urge an "end to the chaos," telling disgusted voters, "there is a place in our campaign for you."

Trump refuses to acknowledge 2020 election loss

The former president continues to claim he beat Biden during the 2020 election, saying "there’s so much proof. All you have to do is look at it."

Meanwhile, Harris says Trump is having a "difficult time" processing that he was "fired by 81 million people."

Trump dodges Ukraine question

"I want the war to stop. I want to save lives," Trump said.

However, the former president refused to answer if he wants to see Ukraine win the war against Russia, instead vowing to end the war before taking office.

Trump also repeated a false claim that Harris negotiated with Putin in 2022 in an effort to avert a war between Russia and Ukraine.

Talking Joe Biden

After making several references to President Joe Biden during the debate, Trump asked, "Where is our president? Is he our president?"

Harris responded with the reminder, "You’re not running against Joe Biden. You’re running against me."

In an attempt to further connect Harris to the president, Trump attacked the economic record of their administration.

"They're destroying our economy. They have no idea what a good economy is," he said. "She is Biden. She is trying to get away from Biden."

Harris' race questioned again

"All I can say is, I read where she was not Black, that she put out, and I'll say that," Trump said when asked about his comments on Harris' race. "And then I read that she was Black."

Harris responded by critiquing racist remarks previously made by the former president, including "birther lies" about former President Barack Obama.

Harris claims to be a gun owner

"Tim Walz and I are both gun owners. We’re not taking anybody’s guns away. So stop with the continuous lying about this stuff," the vice president said.

Harris made the statement in response to claims that Democrats aim to take away Americans' guns, instead stating that her focus would be on responsible gun ownership and safety measures.

'Bloodbath’ taken out of context

"Donald Trump the candidate has said in this election there will be a bloodbath if the outcome of this election is not to his liking," Harris said, referring to a warning if Trump loses the election.

However, the vice president took the former president's comment out of context. Trump was actually warning of a "bloodbath" in the auto industry if his proposals aren’t enacted during a speech this past March in Ohio.

Closing statements

The vice president promised that she would remain focused on the future, once again emphasizing her plans to help the middle class.

Meanwhile, Trump ended with more criticism for Harris not implementing her plans while in office. "Why hasn’t she done it?" he said repeatedly.