Harris and Trump sparred in the high-stakes showdown.
The first presidential debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump turned into a heated matchup that lasted more than 90 minutes.
The night started with a handshake initiated by Harris, but quickly escalated as the vice president bashed Trump over his policies and comments, contending that it was time to "offer is a new generation of leadership for our country."
Trump criticized Harris throughout the debate on topics such as Afghanistan and immigration issues, drawing comparisons between the vice president and President Joe Biden.
With Election Day just eight weeks away, the debate came at a critical point as polls show a neck-and-neck race between the candidates.
Harris and Trump met for their first presidential debate on Tuesday night. The consequential matchup was hosted by ABC News at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia.
Read a transcript of what was said in the 90-minute debate here.
As he left the White House for New York, where he will watch tonight's debate, President Joe Biden said he's spoken with Harris.
Biden wouldn't divulge what advice he had for her, but said she appeared "calm, cool and collected."
"I think she’s going to do great," Biden said.
The Trump campaign posted a short clip of the former president boarding his plane, saying he's en route to Philadelphia. Harris arrived in the city Monday evening.
-ABC News' Soorin Kim
Hillary Clinton gave some advice to Vice President Kamala Harris on tonight's debate, according to The New York Times.
"She just should not be baited. She should bait him. He can be rattled," Clinton told The Times during a recent phone interview.
Clinton confirmed to NYT that she had spoken to Harris directly and discussed "a number of things" prior to the debate.
As the 2016 Democratic nominee, Clinton has experience debating the former president.
She said she believes Harris "has a lot of good ammunition" and that she's "handling him [Trump] very well."
In an interview Tuesday with ABC News' Kyra Phillips, Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley said it was unfair of the Harris campaign to suggest Trump would lie on stage tonight.
He also confirmed that Trump will stray away from personal attacks, and that the former president was not nervous.
RNC chairman talks about tonight's critical debate
"He feels very comfortable. He's rested, he's relaxed, and he's definitely ready to go," Whatley said.
Whatley also said "this is the most united the Republican Party has been in generations."
– ABC News’ Kelsey Walsh
