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.
Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy offered a scathing critique of Trump’s performance, telling reporters that viewers “only saw one president on stage” and that “Donald Trump was a puddle by the end of the night,” while “Kamala Harris got stronger as the debate went on. She looked like a leader, not just of the United States of America, but of the free world.”
—538's Tia Yang
Fact check: False
Harris appears to be using a narrow definition of what constitutes a combat zone, because there are U.S. military troops in the Middle East who have come under deadly fire over the last year.
There are currently 2,500 U.S. military troops in Iraq and more than 900 U.S. military personnel in Syria who are on a mission to support local forces to prevent a resurgence by ISIS. While the troops in both countries are mostly involved in an advisory role some of them are also engaged in risky counterterrorism missions against ISIS.
But the real threat to these troops over the past year were the repeated attacks against U.S. bases in both countries by Iranian-backed militia groups that launched more than 170 rocket and drone attacks. But it was an attack on a U.S. base in neighboring Jordan this past January that has proven to be the most costly. Three U.S. Soldiers were killed and 34 others were wounded when a drone launched by those militia groups made it past air defense systems. That attack led the Biden administration to order large-scale retaliatory airstrikes against the Iranian-backed militia groups.
Ohio Sen. JD Vance, who earlier said that Trump would veto a national abortion bill if it came to his desk, was asked by ABC News' Jonathan Karl to clarify Trump's non-commitment to that veto.
Vance contended that Trump has made it clear that Trump opposes a national abortion ban.
"Why are we asking about a piece of legislation that will never happen?" he asked.
Vance, Trump's running mate, went on to criticize Harris over what he claimed was a lack of strong policies.
JD Vance says Trump 'doesn't want a national abortion ban'
"She's been the vice president for three and a half years and can not run on her record," he said.
When asked again about Trump's lack of commitment to vetoing a national abortion ban bill, Vance again claimed that it wasn't an issue.
"I think it's so preposterous for the media to focus on the issue," he said.
Fact Check: False
Trump claimed that “millions” of people are dying in Ukraine and that the deaths were being underreported, blaming the Biden-Harris administration for them. The war in Ukraine is extraordinarily bloody but no estimates suggest casualties anywhere close to “millions”. The U.S. and other western countries estimate the Russia has lost between more than 300,000-500,000 troops killed and wounded since the 2022 invasion.
Some estimates are even higher. The Economist in July estimated between 462,000 and 728,000 Russia soldiers could have been out of action by mid-June this year.
Ukrainian losses are estimated to be significantly lower but nonetheless in the tens of thousands. Ukraine’s government has claimed it has lost around 30,000 men, but Western governments and independent groups assess killed and wounded could well over 100,000. Thousands of Ukrainian civilians have also been killed. The U.N. has confirmed that more than 11,500 Ukrainian civilians have been killed since February 2022, but the U.N. and most experts believe the real number is significantly higher. Many civilians have been killed in occupied areas where reporting is prevented by Russia.
Millions of Ukrainians have been displaced by the war. The U.N. estimated 14.6 million Ukrainians were forced from their homes, with more than 6.5 million have fled the country since 2022.
