Trump-Harris Debate LIVE: Donald, Kamala Trade Barbs in High-Stakes ABC News Presidential Debate

After concluding the debate, Donald Trump took to Truth Social and asserted it as his "best debate."

"I thought that was my best Debate, EVER, especially since it was THREE ON ONE!," he said in a post. 
 

Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris posted a video attacking Trump over his failures as a president and what the Biden administration dealt with after being elected. 

Hollywood pop superstar Taylor Swift endorsed Kamala Harris in an Instagram post shortly after the presidential debate ended.

“I will be casting my vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in the 2024 Presidential Election. I'm voting for @kamalaharris because she fights for the rights and causes I believe need a warrior to champion them.” she said. 

She signed the message “Taylor Swift, Childless Cat Lady.”

Soon after the ABC News presidential debate was concluded, the Harris campaign felt good about the debate so far and how Harris has put her rival on defence.

“VP Harris is in total command of the stage. She is presidential. She has Trump on the ropes, holding him accountable for his own actions -- notably how he got Roe v. Wade scrapped and the damage that's caused women across America. He hasn't been the same since that exchange,” Harris campaign spokesperson Ian Sams said on X.

In her closing statement, Harris described that her campaign is focused on the future, while Trump’s is fixated on the past.

Reprising her campaign line, she says, “We’re not going back.”

In his concluding remarks, Trump called out Harris' record in the last three years and said she is the worst vice president in the history of the country.

"She's going to do all these wonderful things. Why hasn't she done it? She's been there for three and a half years," he said.

"The worst president, the worst vice president in the history of our country," he said.

Kamala Harris accused Donald Trump of closely coddling with Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying that her rival would "give up" in the face of the pressure from Moscow.

"Putin would be sitting in Kyiv with his eyes on the rest of Europe, starting with Poland,"  Harris said, adding "how quickly you would give up for the sake of favor and what you think is a friendship with what is known to be a dictator who would eat you for lunch."

When  asked to comment on Harris's race, Trump that he "doesn't care" about her racial identity, despite his previous repeated comments about her race, including that she "happened to turn Black."

"I don't care what she is. I don't care," he said.

"Whatever she wants to be is OK with me."

When asked for her thoughts, Harris said it's a "tragedy" that Trump has attempted to use race over his career to divide the country -- citing the case of the Central Park Five.

"Honestly, I think it's a tragedy that we have someone who wants to be president who has consistently, over the course of his career, attempted to use race to divide the American people," she said.

"I think the American people want better than that. Want better than this."

Trump claimed that ever since he first ran for president in 2015 he would come up with a better health care plan than Obamacare.

However, when asked if he had come up with any new details for reform, Trump said he had "concepts of a plan."

"But if we come up with something, I would only change it if we come up with something that's better and less expensive and there are concepts and options we have to do that, and you'll be hearing about it in the not too distance future."

Democratic Presidential candidate Kamala Harris accused Trump of being an 'international laughing stock' who was easily manipulated by some of the world’s worst leaders, as the pair traded barbs on foreign policy.

“I have traveled the world as vice president of the United States and world leaders are laughing at Donald Trump. I have talked with military leaders, some of whom worked with you, and they say you’re a disgrace,” she said.

Trump slammed the Biden administration’s management of the US pullout from Afghanistan, saying "they blew it."

We did have an agreement negotiated by Mike Pompeo, it was a very good agreement. The reason it was good, it was -- we were getting out. We would have been out faster than that, but we wouldn't have lost the soldiers, we wouldn't have left many Americans behind," he said. 

During the much-awaited 90-minute high-stakes ABC news presidential debate, Trump continued to attack Biden, prompting Harris to say, "First of all, it's important to remind the former president you're not running against Joe Biden, you're running against me."

When asked what he'll do to end the Israel-Hamas war, Trump dodged the question by simply repeating his claim that Harris and the Democrats hate Israel and that such conflicts would not be happening if he was the president.

"I will get that settled and fast, and I'll get the war with Ukraine and Russia ended if I'm president-elect, I'll get it done before, even becoming president," he claimed. 

Donald Trump accused Kamala Harris of doing little to keep US ally Israel intact, saying that under her presidency, Israel would be "gone."

"She hates Israel. If she’s president, I believe that Israel will not exist within two years from now. Israel will be gone."

However, the Democratic vice president shot back at Trump’s accusation saying that its "absolutely not true," and that she has supported that country throughout her life and career.

Harris slammed Trump over his foreign policy issues contending that he is "weak and wrong on national security and foreign policy."

"It is well known that he admires dictators, wants to be a dictator on Day One, according to himself," she said.

"It is absolutely well known that these dictators and autocrats are rooting for you to be president again because they're so clear they can manipulate you with flattery and favors," Harris added.

"And that is why so many military leaders, who you have worked with, have told me you are a disgrace."

The ABC News presidential debate proceeded further, the Israel-Hamas war, is one of the most politically divisive issues for the US elections.

Harris has largely adopted President Joe Biden's stance on the issue in trying to balance the unwavering support for Israel's security while also condemning the suffering of Palestinian civilians in Gaza.

"What we know is that this war must end," she said.

"It must end immediately, and the way it will end is we need a cease-fire deal and we need the hostages. And so we will continue to work around the clock on that," Harris ended.

Trump refuted his recent remarking in which he appeared that he lost the 2020 elections, he said, "I said that?"

ABC News moderator David Muir asked, "Are you now acknowledging that you lost in 2020?"

"No I don’t acknowledge that at all," he said. "That was said sarcastically."

During the 90-minute ABC, Harris raised that she has the endorsement of over 200 Republicans, including former Vice President Dick Cheney and former Trump staffers.

"If you want to really know the inside track on who the former president is, if he didn't make it clear already, just ask people who have worked with him," she said, noting that his former national security adviser said he is "dangerous and unfit."

Trump responded that he "fired most of those people."
 

Evoking the chaos of the Jan. 6 insurrection, Harris emphasised protecting democracy.

“For everyone watching who remembers what January 6 was, I say we don’t have to go back," Harris said.

"And if that was a bridge too far for you, well, there is a place in our campaign for you,” she added, alluding to the Republicans who’ve vocally supported her due to their disapproval of Trump’s actions that day.
 

When asked if he regretted his actions on January 6, 2021, Trump contented saying, "I had nothing to do with that other than they asked me to make a speech. I showed up for a speech."

He further asserted that he urged his supporters to leave peacefully and patriotically. He further defended the protesters saying, "This group of people treated so badly."

Recalling the assassination bid, Donald Trump suggested with no evidence that Harris and the Department of Justice were weaponised against him.

"I probably took a bullet to the head because of the things that they say about me. They talk about democracy, I'm a threat to democracy. They’re the threat to democracy," he said.

After Trump railed against crime, Harris said that she thought the comments were "so rich" coming from someone who has been criminally charged multiple times. However, Trump denied all wrongdoing in each of the cases. He responded by continuing to claim, without evidence, that the cases are an example of 'weaponisation of the Department of Justice.'

Meanwhile, Harris said, "What it would mean if Donald Trump were back in the White House, with no guard rails. Certainly, now we know the court won't stop him, we know JD Vance is not going to stop him. It's up to the American people to stop him."

Responding to Trump's "We have the biggest rallies" remark, Harris said, "I'm going to do something really unusual, and I'm going to invite you to attend one of Donald Trump's rallies, because it's a really interesting thing to watch."

"You will see during the course of his rallies he talks about fictional characters like Hannibal Lector. He will talk about when windmills can cause cancer. And what you will also notice that people start leaving his rallies early out of exhaustion," she told viewers.

Launching personal attacks against Harris, Trump labelled the Democratic presidential candidate as a "Marxist."

"Everything that she believed three years ago and four years ago is out the window. She is going to my philosophy now. In fact, I was going to send her a MAGA hat," he said.

"She is a Marxist. Everyone knows she is a Marxist. Her father is a Marxist professor in economics. He taught her well," Trum,p continued.

Meanwhile, Harris could be seen laughing as he delivered the remark.

When asked about abortion, Trump refused to say if he would veto a national abortion bill if elected. The former US president claimed he wouldn't have to.

"There's no reason to sign a ban because we have gotten what everyone wanted."

Speaking on abortion, Harris asserted that Trump, if elected in the 2024 US Presidential race, will sign a national abortion bill. 

The second question for the high-stakes presidential debate is 'Abortion.'

As Kamala mentioned Project 2025, Harris asserted that the Biden administration panned his record as a "mess."

"Let's talk about what Donald Trump left us. Donald Trump left us the worst unemployment since the great depression. Donald Trump left us the worst public health epidemic in a century. Donald Trump left us the worst attack on our democracy since the Civil War. And what we have done is clean up Donald Trump's mess," she said.

With the White House under pressure on the economy, Harris said since she was "raised as a middle-class kid," she would be focused on creating an "opportunity economy." She also criticised Trump for his policies, saying that she said would increase costs for Americans.

However, Trump rejected the description and said he would focus on tariffs on imports from foreign countries. He also swiftly shifted the focus to immigration, saying people were "pouring into the country."

With Trump veering the conversation towards immigration and attacking Biden's Administration record, Harris took a moment and tried to rebut that the old Republican candidate would play his 'same old playbook;.'

"But I'm going to tell you all in this debate tonight, you're going to hear from the same old tired playbook, a bunch of lies, grievances and and name-calling," she said.
 

Republican candidate, Trump, again distanced himself from Project 2025, the Heritage Foundation project crafted by his former administration officials.

"Everyone knows I'm an open book," he said.

The first question proposed for the high-stakes presidential debate is 'the economy and cost of living,' two topics that are very important to the voters.

In response to the question of whether Harris thinks Americans were doing better now than they were four years ago, she discussed her goals to support small companies and families. She further targeted Trump, claiming that he would lower taxes for "billionaires and big corporations."

Kamala Harris and Donald Trump shook hands after they were introduced on stage, ending an 'eight-year' streak of no handshakes on the presidential debate stage.

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