On Tuesday, Sept. 10th, 2024, the presidential debate took place in Philadelphia at the National Constitution Center, where the representative for the democrats Vice President Kamala Harris, faced former president Donald Trump, the republican representative.
Back on June 27th, Trump debated the current president of the United States, Joe Biden. Both candidates went ahead to talk about their different ideas and plans for the country. However, weeks after the event took place, Biden announced that he would be stepping down from the race, and went ahead to endorse Kamala Harris to take his position.
During the most recent debate, hosted by ABC News, and moderated by David Muir and Lindsey Davis, some of the topics that were brought up, were immigrants, taxes, the wars across the globe, such as Afghanistan, Ukraine and Russia and Israel and Palestine.
The debate lasted around one hour and a half, where both candidates were given the same amount of time to answer the questions given to them by the moderators.
Trump was the first to speak, given the fact that he won the coin toss.
Some of the major issues that were discussed were the current economy of the country, and the immigration situation that the United States is currently facing. Trump explained that the current economic situation that the country is currently going through is the worst it has ever been. He went on to explain that his plan is to lower taxes for everyone altogether. Trump went on to point out that one reason the economy is deflating is because of the termination of the Keystone XL Pipeline.
On the other hand, Harris explained that her plan consists of keeping the same rate for those in the lower and middle class, however she stated that something that must be done is to increase the rates for those who are in the high class. Harris took the stage to talk to the population of the US and state that she plans on helping small businesses thrive in the difficult times that the economy is going through.
As the debate drifted to other topics, such as abortion, immigration and health care, the moderators went ahead and questioned each candidate on controversies that they have been a part of.
When asked about the retreat from Afghanistan that left behind billions of military equipment that was later taken by the Taliban, Harris defended the Biden administration’s decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan. She stated that it was a difficult but necessary choice after 20 years of involvement in the country. The Vice President also emphasized that the previous administration’s deal with the Taliban contributed to the challenging situation. However she never directly answered the questions whether she had any regrets about it.
As for Trump, the moderators asked him about the attack on the Capitol back on January 6th, 2021. Trump shifted blame for the Capitol attack on January 6, 2021, stating that the responsibility lay with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for not ensuring adequate security. He denied his involvement in the security failures, emphasizing that Pelosi had the authority to deploy National Guard troops but did not. Trump also addressed ongoing claims and investigations into his role in the events but avoided taking direct responsibility for the violence that occurred​.
Professor of Political Science and the Chair of the Political Science Department, Steven Nawara explains the debate as “It is a common thing for politicians to do, to try to redirect the conversation to topics that they would be able to talk about.” He went on to explain that Harris has a weak spot when it comes to immigration, “She avoided talking about an issue where she is relatively weaker on in the eyes of the general public.”
Nawara later on talks about Trump missing many of his opportunities to make points that would have helped him.
As of most recently, Former President Trump has stated that he has no interest in going on another debate with Vice President Harris. Leaving the public to make their own minds on the information they were able to gather from the single debate that occurred during the night of September 10th.
The Debate showcased the different visions of Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump for the future of the United States. With the economy, immigration, and global conflicts at the forefront, both candidates faced scrutiny on their policies and past actions. Trump remained critical of the current administration, while Harris defended its choices. As Trump signals no interest in further debates, this event leaves voters with much to consider as the race for the presidency intensifies.
