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.
President Joe Biden reacted to the debate in a post on X early Wednesday morning.
"America got to see tonight the leader I've been proud to work alongside for three and a half years. Wasn't even close," he said.
Biden was in New York City during the debate and will be attending the 9/11 memorial services at Ground Zero later in the day.
A majority of debate watchers think Harris won the debate against Trump, according to a poll taken by CNN and SSRS after the debate.
On who won the debate, 63% of debate watchers said Harris and 37% said Trump.
The poll has a margin of error of +/- 5.3% points.
CNN said that before the debate, respondents were split 50%-50% on who would win.
In June, their instant poll found that among debate watchers, 33% thought Biden won and 67% thought Trump won.
-ABC News' Oren Oppenheim
Harris put Trump on the defensive early on, claiming viewers were "going to hear from the same old, tired playbook, a bunch of lies, grievances and name-calling." She later took digs at his rallies and was the first to bring up his multiple indictments.
Meanwhile, Trump tried to tie Harris to President Joe Biden as often as he could. "She is Biden," he said as he criticized their economic record.
Harris' gender was not broached during the debate, though her race was. Trump doubled down on false claims about her racial identity, though he said he "couldn't care less."
Read more about the debate highlights here.
During the Harris-Trump face-off, both candidates tried to score points by slinging barbs at each other.
Here are some of their sharp jabs:
Trump: “Wait a minute, I'm talking now, if you don't mind, please. Does that sound familiar?”
Harris: “Donald Trump was fired by 81 million people.”
Harris: “He talks about fictional characters like Hannibal Lecter.”
Read more zingers here.
