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Donald Trump appeared to fall apart in his first head-to-head debate with Kamala Harris in Philadelphia on Tuesday evening, providing rambling answers on illegal immigration, abortion and the economy and taking the bait whenever he was goaded by his opponent.
The candidates shared an unexpected handshake as they took to the stage, with Harris introducing herself and catching the Republican off guard.
When the debate got underway, Trump went off on wild, yet familiar tangents about his rally crowd sizes, the whereabouts of Joe Biden and recently debunked claims accusing Haitian immigrants of stealing and eating domestic pets in Springfield, Ohio.
Harris, meanwhile, used her time to cycle through Trump’s legacy of racist attacks, professional falings and his culpability for the Capitol riot.
Shortly after the combative, 90-minute encounter wrapped, Trump was dealt another blow when pop superstar Taylor Swift formally announced she is endorsing Harris.
Swift, who carries enormous sway with younger voters, supported the Democratic ticket in 2020 and said in an Instagram post that Harris “fights for the rights and causes I believe in” before signing off as “Taylor Swift, Childless Cat Lady”, invoking a notorious remark by Trump’s deputy JD Vance.
Key Points
- Who won the ABC presidential debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump?
- Out-of-control Trump brings up debunked claims about Haitian immigrants eating pets
- Taylor Swift officially endorses Harris for president
- Analysis: Trump did everything wrong – and gave Harris everything she needs to beat him
- Presidential debate schedule: Will there be a second matchup between Harris and Trump?
Recap: Harris baits Trump in pivotal debate as he loses control and lies about immigrants ‘eating pets’ and abortion
If you’re just joining us, Vice President Kamala Harris got the best of Donald Trump in their long-awaited clash on the presidential debate stage in Philadelphia, goading and baiting him into anger by saying his supporters regularly left his rallies early due to “exhaustion and boredom”.
The Republican reacted bitterly to that, insisting on the entertainment value of his events while falsely claiming that the Democrat has to “bus” people into hers, declaring: “People don’t leave my rallies. We have the biggest rallies, the most incredible rallies in the history of politics.”
Trump also raised eyebrows with a heated answer on immigration, repeating an already-debunked online conspiracy theory claiming that Haitian immigrants had been eating stolen domestic pets in a small town in Ohio: “In Springfield, they’re eating the dogs, the people that came in, they’re eating the cats. They’re eating the pets of the people that live there. And this is what’s happening in our country, and it’s a shame.”
For her part, Harris’s best answer came on the subject of abortion when she warned: “Trump abortion bans that make no exception even for rape and incest.
“Understand what that means. A survivor of a crime, a violation of their body, does not have the right to make a decision about what happens to their body next. That is immoral.”
Her opponent argued that Democrats were in favor of abortion after birth but was sharply corrected by ABC moderator Linsey Davis, who told him: “There is no state in this country where it is legal to kill a baby after it’s born.”
Trump was also corrected on urban crime statistics, leading him to attack the FBI, and was grilled on his past comments on Harris’s race, backing down on his suggestion that she only recently “happened to turn Black” by saying he “couldn’t care less” and that how she identified was up to her.
Harris chuckled, grinned, rolled her eyes and offered an incredulous squint to many of his answers but also got tough, telling Trump that military leaders he worked with now consider him “a disgrace”, that she has 200 Republicans backing her candidacy in opposition to him, that he had been “fired by 81 million people” in 2020 and that he “would rather run on a problem than fix a problem.”
Harris had opened by outlining the “mess” the Joe Biden administration had inherited from Trump after taking office in the wake of the Capitol riot and ended by contrasting her bright vision for America’s future with Trump’s apocalyptic rhetoric doing the country down.
But perhaps her best attack line of the evening was this: “He talks about fictional characters like Hannibal Lecter. He will talk about how windmills cause cancer… The one thing you will not hear him talk about is you.”
Here’s Alex Woodward on an extraordinary night in Philadelphia.
Unhinged Trump goes off the rails as Harris focuses on policy in 2024 debate
Their first, and potentially last, face-to-face matchup gave starkly different visions of America’s future — and reality
Joe Sommerlad11 September 2024 08:10 1726044629Trump ‘got his clock cleaned’ on debate floor, says Californa governor
Gavin Newsom, tipped by many as a future Democratic presidential contender, clearly enjoyed that immensely.
He characterises Trump’s attempt to dominate the spin room as “an act of desperation”.
Joe Sommerlad11 September 2024 09:50 1726043429Celebrities react to the Trump-Harris debate: ‘She crushed him’
Here’s Greg Evans on how Trump enemies Bette Midler, Mark Hamill and others reacted to last night’s bout in Philadelphia.
Hard to disagree with Nick Offerman’s assessment that it amounted to “a good old-fashioned a**-whupping.”
Celebrities react to the Trump-Harris debate: ‘She crushed him’
‘She won’ was the consensus amongst famous names after the first debate between the presidential nominees
Joe Sommerlad11 September 2024 09:30 1726042229Watch: Tim Walz says Trump ‘like an old man shouting at the clouds’ during debate
Truth Social: Trump gaslights with claims of ‘big win’ in ‘three on one’ brawl
As you may not be surprised to learn, Trump is coping with the debate by declaring victory with a string of memes and partisan opinion polls and claiming it was a “three on one” contest, implying that ABC moderators David Muir and Linsey Davis were biased against him.
He also posted this spurious video about a woman supposedly eating a cat in Ohio to back up his latest absurd attack.
Joe Sommerlad11 September 2024 08:50 1726039829Trump takes to spin room to tells reporters it was ‘best debate’ he’s ever had
In the media spin room at the National Constitution Center immediately after the debate, Donald Trump broke with custom to make a personal appearance, rather than leave the messaging to his surrogates, insisting this was “the best debate” he’s ever had and claiming Harris “got beaten.”
Responding to Democratic calls for a second debate, Trump said: “They immediately called for a second debate because they lost.”
The BBC’s veteran reporter Gary O’Donoghue suggested, on the contrary, that the Republican’s appearance in the room indicated he knew the night had gone badly for him.
Our own John Bowden on the ground in Philly had this to add on Trump’s surprise run-in with a member of the Central Park Five:
“A stunning moment occurred in the spin room after the presidential debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump on Tuesday evening as the former president himself made his way to the spin room to address the assembled media covering the night.
“Trump, surrounded on all sides by reporters and a ring of Secret Service agents, came face-to-face with New York City Councilman Yusef Salaam – none other than a member of the Central Park Five, an exonerated group of young men accused and later cleared of murder charges whom the former president had publicly called to be executed in a full-page newspaper ad.
“Two reporters questioned whether Trump had anything to say to Salaam, who stared into the face of the former president as the cameras rolled.
“Trump, with a laughing smile on his face, quipped that Salaam ‘must’ be ‘on my side’ – a remark that drew a startled laugh from not just Salaam but the reporters around him as well, before Salaam said ‘no’ and Trump nodded, still laughing, and turned his back to him.”
Here’s Rhian Lubin’s report on his ill-advised attempt to try to stage manage the reaction to his performance.
Trump claims it was his ‘best debate ever’ as he rushes to spin room
While Trump rushed to the spin room to try to control the narrative, Harris challenged the former president to a second debate
Joe Sommerlad11 September 2024 08:30 1726037429Inside the Young Republicans debate watch party where there’s a clear message for Trump: Cool it
Several young GOP and independent voters told Katie Hawkinson last night that they hoped their candidate would calm down his rhetoric — even as they plan to vote for him come November.
Young Republicans have a clear message for Trump after the debate: Cool it
Several young Republican and independent voters told Katie Hawkinson at a GOP debate watch party that they hoped Trump would cool down his rhetoric — even as they plan to vote for him come November
Joe Sommerlad11 September 2024 07:50 1726036229Debate reaction: 'You don’t want a president of the United States who can’t control his mind’
Here’s a quick look at some of the reaction to last night’s debate from America’s pundits.
On CNN, Chris Wallace said the candidates’ clash in Philadelphia was as bad for Trump as his appearance in Atlanta on June 27 was for Joe Biden, adding that Harris had left Trump looking old.
On MSNBC, Joy Reid, relishing every moment, said Trump “got destroyed because he can’t control his mind and you don’t want a president of the United States who can’t control his mind”.
Republican pollster Frank Luntz told the BBC: “This was not Donald Trump’s finest hour” and said he would have graded him a D+ and the Democrat a B-.
And on Trump’s home turf, Fox News, Brit Hume said: “Make no mistake about it, Trump had a bad night.
“We heard so many of the old grievances that we long thought that Trump had learned were not winners, politically.”
Blimey.
Joe Sommerlad11 September 2024 07:30 1726034400
Morning Joe hosts mock Vance’s ‘obsession’ with cats after he spreads pet-eating immigrant conspiracy
Morning Joe hosts have mocked JD Vance’s cat “obsession” after the Ohio senator pushed a bizarre conspiracy theory that immigrants are stealing and eating pets.
Vance is among the most vocal Republican voices peddling baseless claims that Haitians are roaming across his state to steal, kill, and finally devour cats and other domesticated animals.
“Months ago, I raised the issue of Haitian illegal immigrants draining social services and generally causing chaos all over Springfield, Ohio,” Vance wrote on X on Monday.
READ MORE:
Morning Joe hosts mock Vance’s ‘cat obsession’ after his pet-eating immigrant rumor
‘What is this guy’s obsession with cats,’ Katty Kay probes as Ohio senator pushes a bizarre conspiracy theory that Haitian immigrants have been stealing and eating pets in Springfield
James Liddell11 September 2024 07:00 1726030200Maga PAC decries Trump-Harris debate as ‘rigged’
An email sent out by Maga PAC, a major Trump campaign fundraiser, described the debate as “rigged.”
“Tonight’s ABC debate was nothing short of rigged and a slap in the face to the American people who want to hear how crime and inflation will be tackled- not climate change,” the press release said.
“While Kamala peddled lie after lie, President Trump stood strong for truth and exposed Kamala’s socialist record.”
Mike Bedigan11 September 2024 05:50 Newer1 / 6Older
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