Presidential debate recap: Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump clash in fiery debate
The presidential debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump has concluded, and oh boy was it a wild ride.
It was the second debate for the 2024 election, however, since the first, the Democratic nominee has changed from President Joe Biden to Harris.
With polls this week revealing a neck-and-neck race, the debate was a pivotal moment for Republicans and Democrats.
Meeting for the first time, Harris attempted to show she was not afraid of Trump from the get-go, directly approaching the former President at his podium, introducing herself to her opponent.
Donald Trump claimed immigrants were eating cats and Harris again had to clarify her stance on fracking and guns.
Harris’ debate performance secured a major celebrity endorsement from Taylor Swift, and Trump claimed the he won online.
Taking place at the National Constitution Centre in Philadelphia, the 90-minute debate was anchored by David Muir and Linsey Davis from ABC News.
Scroll down for the biggest moments of the historic second presidential debate in the 2024 race to The White House.
Key Events
‘She is Biden’
“She is Biden,” Trump said.
“She is trying to get away from Biden. ‘I don’t know the gentleman,’ she says.
“She is Biden.
“Our worst economy, a horrible economy because inflation has made it so bad, she can’t get away from that.”
‘I don't care what she is’: Trump says Harris’ race is up to her
Trump was asked about his comments suggesting Harris only “recently turned black”.
“I don’t care. I don’t care what she is,” Trump said.
“I don’t care.
“You make a big deal out of something, I couldn’t care less.
“Whatever she wants to be is OK with me. I don’t know.
“All I can say is I read where she was not black, that she put out, and then I read that she was black and that’s OK.
“Either one was OK with me, that’s up to her.”
Trump tells Harris to be ‘quiet’ again
Trump has again told Harris to be quiet when he is talking.
The former president was not due for a response, however, Trump demanded he have a moment to talk again about Ukraine.
While talking, Harris spoke, with her microphone off, before Trump turned at her and said “Quiet please”.
Harris reminds Trump who he is running against
Responding to Trump’s Biden outburst, Harris delivered a moment of gold.
“It is important to remind the former president you’re not running against Joe Biden,” said Harris.
“You’re running against me.”
Trump says Biden doesn’t know if he is alive
While speaking about Ukraine, Trump suggested President Biden doesn’t know that he is alive.
“We have a President that we don’t even know - where is our President?
“We don’t know if he is a President. They threw him out of a campaign like a dog.
“We don’t even know is he our President?
“We have a President that doesn’t know he’s alive.”
Trump is going to make a few calls and end the war
We are back from a very short ad break.
Trump has been asked about his claim that he would stop the Russia-Ukraine war within 24 hours.
“I want the war to stop,” Trump said.
“I want to save lives being uselessly - people being killed by the millions - it is the millions - it so much worse than the numbers you’re getting which are fake numbers.”
Trump said he would stop the war.
“If I win, when I’m President-elect, I will speak to one, speak to the other, get them together.”
We are in the first short ad break
We are now in the first ad break.
So far, it appears Harris’ technique is to make Trump look “extreme”, a word she continues to use about the former President.
Harris is avoiding the bait and not entering into squabbles with the former President, instead moving on to address the topic at hand.
Trump appears to be trying to paint Harris as a liar.
He has made many accusations about the current vice president including a suggestion that President Biden hates Harris.
Trump says Harris ‘hates Israel, Jews and Arabs’
Trump said wars in Israel or Russia would not have started if he was President.
“If it was President it would never have started. If I were President Russia would have never ever - I know Putin very well and there was no threat for four years -have gone into Ukraine.
“But when she mentions Israel all of a sudden she hates Israel.
“If she’s President I believe Israel will not exist within two years from now and I have been pretty good at predictions and I hope I’m wrong about that one.
“She hates Israel and at the same time in her own way she hates the Arab population because the whole place is going to get blown up - Arabs, Jewish people, Israel - Israel will be gone.”
Harris replied saying “That’s absolutely not true.”
The debate moves onto the Israel-Hamas war
Speaking about the Israel-Hamas war, Harris said: “What we know is that this war must end.”
“It must, and immediately, and the way it will end is we need a ceasefire deal and we need the hostages out so we will continue to work around the clock on that.
Harris explains to Trump that he did lose the 2020 election
Harris has
“Donald Trump was fired by 81 million people.
“So let’s be clear about that and clearly he (Trump) is having a very difficult time processing that.
“But we cannot afford to have a President of the United States who attempts, as he did in the past, to upend the will of the voters in a free and fair election.”
“When you then talk in this way, in a presidential debate and deny the fact you lost the election, it leads one to believe that perhaps we do not have in the candidate to my right, the temperament, or the ability to not be confused about fact.
“That is deeply troubling and the American people deserve better.”
