In a momentous face-off organized by ABC, Kamala Harris, the Vice President, and Donald Trump, the ex-US President, crossed paths for the first time in person on Tuesday, the 10th. Moderated by David Muir and Linsey Davis of ABC, the debate was marked by a mix of candor, personal attacks, and outright false and misleading statements.
Engage, Challenge, and Fact-Check
Throughout the debate, a wide array of topics from job numbers and inflationary pressures to hot-button issues like abortion and immigration was broached. Following the debate, Trump complained to Fox & Friends that it was a three against one match, indicating his perceived victimization.
Both candidates were assertive in their discourse. PolitiFact observed that Harris often addressed Trump directly in responding to the moderators’ questions, while Trump mostly stared straight ahead. When Trump questioned Biden’s administration’s record on crime, Harris retaliated by dredging up Trump’s criminal conviction in New York.
Cutting Through the Health Care Debate
Throughout the debate, Trump was questioned about his intentions to dismantle the ACA, known as Obamacare, a healthcare scheme he pledged to repeal and replace during his tenure but failed to do so. Trump stated that he would amend it only if there was a better and less expensive plan. However, he has been making promises to replace Obamacare since his 2015 campaign. During the debate, he claimed to have ‘saved’ ACA by introducing regulations to reduce insurance premiums.
Harris’s previous support for ‘Medicare for All’, a proposal to replace private health insurance with a government-run health system, drew flak from Trump and prompted questions from the moderators.
The Abortion Discord
Abortion was an apparent bone of contention. Harris characterized the state restrictions on the procedure enacted since 2022 as ‘Trump’s Abortion Bans’. She criticized such restrictions as immoral, arguing that it robs women of their decision-making autonomy over their own bodies. She pledged to sign any legislation restoring the protections laid out by Roe vs. Wade.
Trump, on the other hand, claimed that as a president, he would never need to sign a nation-wide abortion ban as the matter was being settled at the state level.
As soon as the debate concluded, pop sensation Taylor Swift announced her endorsement of Harris on Instagram.
Fact-Checking the Debate
Throughout the debate, many of Trump’s statements were fact-checked and flagged as false or misleading. For instance, Trump’s claim that all legal scholars, Democrats, and Republicans wanted abortion sent back to the states was entirely false.
Needless to say, the unprecedented debate drew eyeballs nationwide and set the political arena abuzz. Citizens across the country watched keenly as issues crucial to them were addressed and stances were taken on topics causing current national debates.