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
Trump isn’t acknowledging that he lost the last election
Trump has refused to acknowledge that he lost the 2020 election.
“I got the most votes any sitting president ever got and I was told if Is go 63, which is what I got in 2016, you can’t be beaten.
“We need two things, we need walls and we have to have it. We have to have borders and we have to have good elections.
“Our elections are bad.”
Harris remembers being at the Capitol during the insurrection
“I was at the Capitol on January 6. I was at the Capitol on January 6,” Harris said.
“I was the Vice-President elect. I was also an acting Senator, I was there.
“And on that day the President of the United States incited a violent mob to attack our nation’s Capitol.
“To desecrate our nation’s Capitol. On that day 140 law enforcement officers were injured and some died.
“Understand, the former president has been indicted and impeached for exactly that reason.
“This is not an isolated situation.”
January 6 Capitol insurrection
Trump was asked if he had regrets over telling supporters to storm the capital when he lost the election.
“You just said a thing that isn’t covered -peacefully and patriotically, I said during my speech not later on,” Trump said.
“Peacefully and patriotically. And nobody on the other side was killed.
“Ashley Babott was shot by an out-of-control police officer that should never, ever be shot, it was a disgrace.”
Trump did not answer if he had regrets.
He was asked again if he could answer yes or no.
“I had nothing to do with that,” Trump said.
He went on to blame Nancy Pelosi for the riots.
‘I’m talking now’
Trump has been interjecting occasionally when Harris has been talking.
However, when Harris made noise while Trump talking, the former President said: “Wait a minute, I am talking now.”
“If you don’t mind, please. Does that sound familiar?”
Trump says he took a bullet to the head because of what Democrats say about him
When talking about weaponising the justice system, Harris said Americans should be scared of a “Trump without guardrails”.
It was not Trump’s turn to talk, however, the former President kept yelling until they turned his microphone on.
“This (Harris) is the one that weaponised, not me, she weaponised,” Trump said.
“I probably took a bullet to the head because of the things they say about me.
They talk about democracy, I am a threat to democracy, they are the threat to democracy with the fake Russia, Russia, Russia, investigation that went nowhere.”
Harris laughs at Trump
Responding to Trump knowing immigrants are eating pets, Harris looked at the former President in disbelief.
As she laughed at Trump, Harris shook her head and said “Talk about extreme!”
Trump says immigrants are ‘are eating dogs’
Trump is talking about immigration and it’s getting weird.
“In Springfield, they are eating the dogs, they are eating the cats.”
“They are eating the pets of the people that live there.”
Moderators told Trump they have reached out to the city manager who confirmed there are no credible reports of people eating pets.
Trump then said he knew it was true because “I have seen people on television.”
“The people on television say my dog was taken and used for food.”
Trump says he has the ‘most incredible rallies in the history of politics’
Trump is not happy about Harris’ rally dig.
“She said people start leaving - people don’t go to her rallies,” Trump said.
“The people who do go she is bussing them in and paying them to be there and showing them in a different light.
“So she can’t talk about that.
“People don’t leave my rallies.
“We have the biggest rallies.
“We have the biggest rallies, the most incredible rallies in the history of politics.”
Harris and Trump are arguing about whose rallies are better...
Harris told Americans to go to a Trump rally.
“I am going to invite you to attend one of Donald Trump’s rallies because it is a really interesting thing to watch,” Harris said.
“You will see during the course of his rallies he talks about fictional characters like Hannibal Lecter.
“He will talk about windmills cause cancer and what you will also notice is that people start leaving his rallies early out of exhaustion and boredom.”
Harris explains to Trump that born babies aren’t being aborted
“I absolutely support reinstating the protections of Roe v. Wade and as you, rightly mentioned,” Harris said.
Harris then responded to Trump’s bizarre suggestion that Democrats supported abortions for babies that have already been born.
“Nowhere in America is a woman carrying a pregnancy to term, and then asking for an abortion, that is not happening.
“It is insulting to the women of America.”
