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

"Clearly I am not Joe Biden, and I am certainly not Donald Trump," she said. "And what I do offer is a new generation of leadership for our country, one who believes in what is possible, one who brings a sense of optimism about what we can do instead of always disparaging the American people."

This is an animating theme of Harris' campaign -- that she is offering the American people something new after a lack of enthusiasm for a Biden-Trump rematch.

After a stemwinder from Trump about Harris' racial identity, which he had questioned (she's Black and Asian), Harris went on the attack, but didn't focus on herself.

Instead, she focused on Trump's lies about former President Barack Obama's birthplace and past housing practices to cast him as unfit.

"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."

In a debate where Trump has taken the bait from Harris, the vice president did not return the favor.

Fact check: Mostly false.

There was an 18-month period that saw no combat deaths in Afghanistan, but it spanned between Biden and Trump’s presidency in February of 2020 through August of 2021. So it's misleading to suggest Trump oversaw that period alone. Pentagon records show that at least 65 American troops were killed in action during Trump’s term, including 12 hostile deaths in Afghanistan during his last 18 months of his presidency.

Fact check: Partly true

Harris claimed Trump would be “immune from any misconduct” and have “no guard rails” after a landmark Supreme Court decision in June. The court did rule the core powers, which include the ability to make treaties, veto bills, nominate cabinet members, appoint ambassadors, act as Commander-in-Chief of the military, and grant pardons.) The court also said that presidents enjoy “at least presumptive immunity” for other “official acts” – defined broadly as actions within the “outer perimeter” of official responsibilities but not “manifestly or palpably beyond his authority.”

While the decision is widely construed as granting broad protection for a president, the court said presidents are “not above the law” and enjoy no “absolute” immunity, leaving room for a narrow set of cases where a current or former president could face criminal prosecution. There is also no immunity for “unofficial” acts, the court said.

Trump faces a pair of active federal criminal cases against him brought by Special Counsel Jack Smith. The Supreme Court decision does not mean those prosecutions cannot move forward, but it has significantly delayed proceedings and made it more difficult to convict Trump. If he were to win a second term, Trump’s Justice Department could dismiss the Special Counsel and effectively end the cases against him.