Harris attacks Trump as "confused" and dangerous in combative debate
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Former President Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris during the second presidential debate at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia on Sept. 10. Photo: Doug Mills/The New York Times/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Vice President Harris landed repeated blows on former President Trump during their first presidential debate, attacking his criminal convictions, rambling statements and unpopular positions on issues including abortion.
Why it matters: This was a very different debate this cycle for Trump than the one that effectively knocked President Biden out of the race, and his performance appeared unlikely to pull in many wavering moderate voters.
- Harris seemed to zero in on Trump's trigger points, prompting him to give bellicose and occasionally confusing answers on issues like abortion and the size of his rally crowds.
- Pressed on January 6, Trump denied culpability and referred to the police who defended the Capitol as "the other side."
After a fairly measured opening, Trump started to show frustration as the debate wore on.
- Harris watched him with a bemused expression, and grew increasingly assertive and pointed when it was her turn to speak.
- Trump was on surer footing when accusing Harris of sharing responsibility for increases in inflation and illegal immigration under Biden, and accused Harris of having no policies or record to run on. Harris repeatedly skirted questions on her own policy reversals.
What to watch: Trump referred to himself in the debate as "an open book," but many voters felt coming into the debate that they needed to learn more about Harris. Polls in the next week will provide some insight into whether they liked what they saw.
Editor's note: This story was formerly a live blog and has been updated with developments.
Trump entered the spin room typically reserved for surrogates in a general election — underscoring he constantly feels like he is the best person to convey his political message, Axios' Sophia Cai reports from Philadelphia.
- Weeks ago, after Biden dropped out of the 2024 race, Trump learned that his advisers were holding a press conference at Mar-a-Lago and insisted that he wanted to do his own.
Trump, talking live to Fox News' Sean Hannity in the post-debate spin room, didn't give a direct answer about accepting the Harris campaign's challenge for a second debate.
- "The reason you do a second debate is if you lose, and they lost," Trump said. "But I'll think about it."
Taylor Swift, identifying as a "childless cat lady," endorsed Harris on Tuesday, minutes after the debate with Trump concluded. Share this story.
