Trump-Harris debate updates: Candidates go on attack in zinger-filled showdown

Harris and Trump sparred in the high-stakes showdown.

ByAlexandra Hutzler, Meredith Deliso, Ivan Pereira, Emily Chang, and Brittany Gaddy
Last Updated: September 11, 2024, 12:52 AM EDT

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.

Latest headlines:

Here's how the news is developing:
Sep 11, 12:12 am

A transcript of the Harris-Trump debate

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.

Sep 10, 2024, 9:56 PM EDT

Harris touts her GOP support

Harris raised that she has the endorsement of more than 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."

Sep 10, 2024, 9:56 PM EDT

CLAIM: Kamala Harris wants to ban fracking

Fact Check: Needs context

It’s true that Harris once called to ban fracking altogether, but she has since said she changed her policy view. During a CNN town hall on climate change in 2019 when she was still a Senator, Harris said, "There's no question I'm in favor of banning fracking." Fracking is short for “hydraulic fracturing,” and it’s a technique used in the extraction of oil and natural gas from underground rock formations.

Harris also said she backed California's efforts to stop the practice in her home state when she was the state's attorney general. However, she eventually changed her view on fracking when she became Biden's running mate in 2020. During an October 2020 segment on ABC's The View, Harris said neither she nor Biden would ban fracking. Harris reiterated that she would not ban fracking during the ABC News Presidential Debate.

Sep 10, 2024, 9:55 PM EDT

Trump dodges question about Jan. 6, claims he had nothing to do with it

When asked if he regretted his actions on Jan. 6, 2021, Trump contended that he ordered the crowd to leave "peacefully and patriotically," and defended the protesters.

"This group of people treated so badly," he said.

When asked again if he regretted his actions, Trump answered, "I had nothing to do with that other than they asked me to make a speech. I showed up for a speech."

When asked if he regretted his actions on Jan. 6, Trump contended that he ordered the crowd to leave "peacefully and patriotically," and defended the protesters.
8:55

Trump dodges question about Jan. 6, claims he had nothing to do with it

When asked if he regretted his actions on Jan. 6, Trump contended that he ordered the crowd to leave "peacefully and patriotically," and defended the protesters.
ABCNews.com

Sep 10, 2024, 9:52 PM EDT

'I'm talking now': Trump calls back to Harris' debate line against Pence

While Trump was trying to claim Harris supports defunding the police, she could be seen saying his statement was "not true" despite her microphone being muted.

But Trump clearly heard her.

"I'm talking now. If you don't mind. Please. Does that sound familiar?" he said.

The comment was a call back to Harris' viral chiding of Mike Pence during their vice presidential debate in 2020 for his interruptions while she was answering a question.

"Mr. Vice President, I’m speaking,” she pushed back at the time.