TV duel: Showdown: Trump and Harris in attack mode at TV duel

The two US presidential candidates Kamala Harris and Donald Trump attacked each other sharply in their first TV debate. They accused each other of having run the country into the ground, of having no plan for the pressing problems and of spreading lies. Trump repeatedly referred to Harris as a “radical leftist” and a “Marxist”. The Democrat, in turn, said several times that her opponent did not care about the needs of the citizens and was only interested in putting others down.

First meeting of the two

It was the first time that Harris and Trump had ever met face to face – and in what was probably the most important showdown between the two before the election on November 5th. When they first met on stage, the two shook hands. The Democrat approached the Republican and introduced herself as “Kamala Harris” in the event hall in Philadelphia. After that, both immediately went into attack mode.

Complaints about destruction and chaos

Harris lamented that Trump left the country in a disastrous state in 2021 – with the highest unemployment since the Great Depression, the worst health epidemic in a century and the worst attack on American democracy since the Civil War. “And what we have done is clean up Donald Trump’s mess.”

Trump, in turn, complained that Harris and US President Joe Biden had plunged the country into the abyss during their time in office. “We have a nation that is dying,” he said. During various questions, the Republican brought up the topic of migration and accused the Biden and Harris administration of allowing millions upon millions of migrants and criminals into the country unchecked. “They have destroyed the structure of our country.” Trump even accused migrants of eating pets. “In Springfield, they eat the dogs – the people who came here – they eat the cats. They eat the pets of the people who live there,” he claimed without any evidence.

An unusual proposal

Harris accused Trump of wanting tax cuts for the rich and not caring about ordinary Americans. She appealed to citizens to see for themselves at one of his campaign appearances. “I’m going to do something really unusual and call on you to attend one of Donald Trump’s rallies,” the Democrat said to the audience. Trump spreads absurd claims there, such as that windmills cause cancer. “The only thing you won’t hear him talk about is you.” Trump has no plan for the people of the country. Trump responded, offended, that people don’t go to Harris’ campaign events in the first place.

Trump accused his opponent of not having a plan for economic policy and of being a Marxist. “She has destroyed our country with policies that are insane,” said the former US president. The two also accused each other of lying on several occasions. Harris complained that Trump was using the same old hackneyed script and spreading a “bunch of lies, complaints and insults.” Americans are tired of this. She repeatedly called on the country to turn a new leaf, look forward and address the needs of the American people.

Harris also said she traveled the world as vice president and world leaders laughed at Trump. She also spoke to senior military officials, some of whom worked with the Republican. “And they say: You are a disgrace.”

Test for Harris

The duel, which was hosted by ABC, was a real test for Harris in particular. The 59-year-old had only replaced President Biden as the Democratic candidate a few weeks ago and had so far mainly appeared in strictly choreographed campaign appearances in which her team had everything under control. In the debate against Trump, she now had to prove herself without a script.

Trump, on the other hand, has already taken part in various television debates, including in his previous election campaigns in 2016 and 2020. The 78-year-old emerged as the clear winner from his most recent TV duel at the end of June. At the time, he was still running against Biden, who withdrew from the presidential race after his disastrous performance and left the field to Harris.

The scenery

The broadcast was from a studio without an audience in Philadelphia, the largest city in the politically contested state of Pennsylvania. The two politicians were on their own on stage: cheat sheets were not allowed, nor was contact with their respective teams. During the debate, the microphone of the candidate who was not speaking at the time was muted.

Head-to-head race

Harris and Trump are roughly neck and neck in polls. Both are trying to win over undecided voters in particular. In a recent poll, 28 percent of respondents said they did not know enough about Harris – for Trump, the figure was 9 percent. While most people in the US know what to expect from the Republican, Harris and her positions are unknown to far more people. During the debate, she tried to explain her substantive goals – including her signature issue of abortion. “The government and certainly Donald Trump should not dictate to a woman what she should do with her body,” said Harris, promising that if she wins the election, she would want to enshrine the right to abortion in law. But to do this, Harris would need a corresponding majority in Congress.

Various foreign policy issues – the Middle East, Ukraine, China, Afghanistan – were also discussed. Here, the two mostly repeated well-known positions.

The only TV duel between the two?

There had been a long wrangling about the date for the television debate. So far, no date has been agreed for another television debate between the two. However, there will also be a TV duel between the two vice-candidates of the Democrats and Republicans, Tim Walz and JD Vance, on October 1 (local time).