New Delhi: United States Vice President Kamala Harris who is her party’s presidential candidate put Republican Donald Trump on the defensive at a combative presidential debate on Tuesday, September 10, which touched upon Gaza, Ukraine and abortion among topics.
A former prosecutor, Harris reportedly got under Trump’s skin multiple times, criticising Trump over his criminal conviction for covering up hush money payments to a porn star.
“Donald Trump has no plan for you. And when you look at his economic plan, it’s all about tax breaks for the richest people,” she says.
Trump said, “She copied Biden’s plan.”
To Harris’s claim that Trump’s rallies are barely attended, Trump claimed that his rallies are “the most incredible rallies in the history of politics.” According to Reuters, “He then pivoted to an unsubstantiated claim that Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, are “eating the pets” of residents.”
“Talk about extreme,” Harris responded to this.
ABC reported that Trump doubled down on false claims about Harris’s racial identity when asked by moderators about previous comments. Saying he “couldn’t care less”, he added “Whatever she wants to be is okay with me.”
Abortion
On the US Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade, which has led to abortion being restricted across the country, Harris said, “I pledge to you, when Congress passes a bill to put back in place the protection of Roe v. Wade as president of the United States, I will proudly sign it into law.”
Trump said he did not believe in a nationwide abortion ban, and that he wanted “exceptions for rape, incest and life of the mother.”
He also reiterated his claims that abortion laws in some states allow for the execution of newborn babies, which has been reported as false in multiple fact-checks.
When asked about the January 6, 2021 US Capitol riot, Trump said: “I had nothing to do with that, other than they asked me to make a speech.”
Gaza
“This war must end,” Harris said when asked on Palestine, adding: “It must end immediately.”
She called for a cease-fire in Gaza, hostages held by militants to be freed and for charting “a course for a two-state solution”.
Trump said the conflict would have “never started” if he were still president. He said Harris hates both Israel and the Arab population.
The two candidates also traded blows over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the issue of guns. “Tim Walz and I are both gun owners. We’re not taking anybody’s guns away,” Harris said.
After the debate, Trump entered the ABC news spin room and remarked that it was his “best debate ever” and said it showed how “weak” and “pathetic” his opponents are.
