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Trump-Harris debate live updates: Candidates spar over Project 2025, economy
Harris and Trump will meet each other for the first time tonight.
Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump are meeting for the first time on Tuesday for the ABC News presidential debate.
It is the only debate the two have scheduled and comes at a critical point as polls show a neck-and-neck race with just eight weeks until Election Day.
The two will face off on key issues and work to appeal to voters across the country. The debate is airing on ABC and streaming on ABC News Live, Disney+ and Hulu.
Latest headlines:
Harris, Trump shake hands after intro
Harris and Trump shook hands after they were introduced on stage, ending an eight-year streak of no handshakes on the presidential debate stage.
There are no rules or stipulations requiring a handshake before or after the debate.
High-stakes showdown begins
The ABC News presidential debate is now underway.
It is a crucial moment for both candidates with exactly eight weeks until Election Day.
Rep. Madeleine Dean notes the debate will be many viewers’ introduction to Harris
Rep. Madeleine Dean, a Democrat who represents Pennsylvania’s 4th District in the Philadelphia suburbs, said today’s debate is an opportunity for Harris to introduce herself to swing voters outside the political “bubble” who may not have tuned into the campaign earlier, and share her record as a prosecutor, attorney general, senator and now vice president.
“She is an able public servant, and so she has the chance to introduce that part of herself to those who are too busy to actually know all of those granular details,” Dean told reporters in the spin room.
—538’s Tia Yang
Debate just minutes away
The presidential debate is now just 15 minutes away.
Both candidates have arrived in Philadelphia, and their campaign surrogates are already on the ground providing spin and setting expectations for tonight's matchup.