Presidential debate highlights from the first Trump vs. Harris showdown of 2024

The two candidates emerged on stage shortly after 9 p.m. to get things started. Harris walked to Trump's side of the stage to shake his hand.

"Kamala Harris. Let's have a good debate," Harris said.

"Nice to see you. Have fun," Trump replied.

ABC held a virtual coin toss last week, and Trump won. He got to choose the order of closing statements or where he would stand on stage. Trump chose to offer the last closing statement. Harris then chose her position on stage, opting to appear on the right side of viewers' screens.

The debate is being moderated by ABC's David Muir and Linsey Davis.

For the first question, Muir asked Harris if Americans are better off economically than they were four years ago. She didn't directly answer, but touted her economic agenda.

"I believe in the ambition, the aspirations, the dreams of the American people," Harris said, describing her upbringing and saying she wants an "opportunity economy." 

Harris described her plan to increase the child tax credit to $6,000, and offer tax deductions for small business startups.  

Trump, given an opportunity to respond, said he's in favor of imposing tariffs, in some cases, "substantial tariffs." He then went on to say undocumented immigrants are taking jobs from Black and Hispanic Americans, and said criminal immigrants are "taking over towns, they're taking over buildings." 

"They're dangerous, they're the highest level of criminality," Trump said.

Harris said Trump left the Biden-Harris administration with the worst unemployment level since the Great Depression, and the worst attack on the United States' democracy since the Civil War, a reference to Jan. 6. 

The vice president took little time before working to draw a stark contrast between herself and the former president when it comes to their views of the country and a message of unity.

"In this debate tonight, you're going to hear from the same old tired playbook — a bunch of lies, grievances and name-calling," Harris said. 

"I believe very strongly that the American people want a president who understands the importance of bringing us together knowing we have so much more important than what separates us, and I pledge to you to be a president for all Americans," she added. 

Harris also said Americans would hear during the debate about a "dangerous plan" that she said Trump intends on implementing called Project 2025 — an outline for a conservative administration spearheaded by the Heritage Foundation that Trump's campaign has distanced itself from. 

Trump quickly responded, saying, "I have nothing to do with Project 2025," and that he hadn't read the plan for a conservative administration "purposefully." Many of those involved in Project 2025 served in the Trump administration.

Trump defended his implementation of tariffs, which many economists say increases the costs of goods for American families.

Harris said that Trump "invited trade wars" with other nations, and under him, the trade deficit was one of the highest the U.S. has ever seen. Harris said the Trump administration sold American chip technology to China to help them "modernize" their military. Trump "basically sold us out," Harris said. Instead, the next administration needs to focus on relationships with U.S. allies, and on enhancing the American workforce, Harris added.

Harris argued that Trump was weak on China, pointing to a tweet when Trump thanked Chinese President Xi Jinping for his handling of the COVID crisis, despite China "not giving us transparency about the origins of COVID." 

Trump hit back, saying the U.S. hardly made chip technology before, and criticizing Harris for her policy pivots. 

"Everything that she believed three years ago and four years ago is out the window," Trump said of Harris, saying Harris is adopting his own policies. Trump joked about sending Harris a MAGA hat. 

The candidates sparred over reproductive rights, an issue that has defined recent elections since the Supreme Court overturned a constitutional right to abortion in 2022, delivering familiar attack lines. 

Trump explained his position on Florida's abortion restrictions, after flip-flopping on the six-week abortion restriction in recent weeks, putting the blame on Democrats for their "radical" position on the issue, claiming they support abortion into the ninth month of pregnancy. 

"They're radical, the Democrats are radical in that," Trump said.

The former president claimed that Harris' running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, is supportive of late-term abortions, as Harris shook her head. 

Democrats generally support reinstating the framework for abortion that existed under Roe v. Wade, which allowed states to restrict abortion after the point of fetal viability, or roughly 24 weeks into pregnancy. The overwhelming number of abortions happen earlier. A 2021 survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that 93% of abortions in the U.S. occurred in the first trimester, before the 13th week. Fewer than 1% were performed after 21 weeks.

Trump took credit for the Supreme Court's 2022 ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade, which he has repeatedly done on the campaign trail, while outlining that abortion should now be left up to the states. 

Harris blamed Trump for the abortion restrictions that now exist across dozens of states, while refuting his claims about late-term abortions. 

"Nowhere in America is a woman carrying a pregnancy to term and asking for an abortion," Harris said. "That is not happening, it's insulting to the women of America."

Harris warned that Trump would sign a national abortion ban into law. Trump said one would not be necessary but refused to answer whether he would veto a ban. Harris has expressed support for reinstating the protections for abortion guaranteed under Roe. Both a federal abortion ban and constitutional protections for abortion at the national level would require the backing of Congress. 

Harris was asked about the Biden administration's decision to impose strict new asylum restrictions, prompting a drop in border crossing numbers. Harris was asked what she would do differently. 

Harris defended her record prosecuting transnational criminal organizations before pointing to a bipartisan border security bill that would have added more agents and resources by the border. 

"But you know what happened to that bill?" Harris asked. "Donald Trump got on the phone, called up some folks in Congress and said kill the bill. And you know why? Because he'd prefer to run on a problem instead of fixing a problem." 

Harris said the nation needs a leader that addresses the problems at hand, before pivoting to talking about Trump's rallies. 

Asked why he tried to kill the immigration bill, Trump attacked Harris' rally attendance. 

Trump repeated a claim about immigrants eating pets that has been circulating in conservative media circles in recent days and has no basis in fact. 

"A lot of towns don't want to talk about it because they're so embarrassed by it. In Springfield, they're eating the dogs, the people that came in. They're eating the cats. They're eating the pets of the people that live there," Trump said, as Harris laughed and looked confused. "And this is what's happening in our country, and it's a shame."

The comment was a reference to Springfield, Ohio, which has been the subject of the baseless reports. The city's spokesperson told CBS News earlier this week that there have been "no credible reports or specific claims" of pets being harmed by migrants. 

"In response to recent rumors alleging criminal activity by the immigrant population in our city, we wish to clarify that there have been no credible reports or specific claims of pets being harmed, injured or abused by individuals within the immigrant community," said Karen Graves, strategic engagement manager for Springfield.

Read more here.

Harris, in talking about immigration, told Americans to attend one of Trump's rallies. 

"You will see, during the course of his rally, he talks about fictional characters like Hannibal Lecter," Harris said. "He will talk about, windmills cause cancer. And what you will also notice is that people start leaving his rallies early out of exhaustion and boredom." 

Trump, given a chance to respond on why he tried to kill the immigration bill, took offense at Harris' statement that people leave his rallies early. 

"People don't go to her rallies," Trump said. "People don't leave my rallies."

After laughing at Trump over repeating claims about immigrants eating pets, Harris said, "This is, I think, one of the reasons why I actually have the endorsement" of a number of Republicans, including former Vice President Dick Cheney and former Rep. Liz Cheney who endorsed Harris in recent days. 

"If you want to really know the inside track on who the former president is, if he didn't make it clear already, just ask people who have worked with him," Harris said, citing testimonies from former Trump officials who have publicly criticized the former president. 

"When we listen to this kind of rhetoric, when the issues that affect the American people are not being addressed, I think the choice is clear in this election," Harris said. 

Trump blamed the Biden-Harris administration for the so-called "weaponization" of the federal justice system — and for the July attempt on his life. Trump has been fuming publicly and privately over the multiple criminal cases against him.

"This is the one that weaponized, not me," Trump said. "She weaponized. I probably took a bullet to the head because of the things that they say about me. They talk about democracy, I'm a threat." 

Trump's ear was grazed by a bullet when a shooter opened fire on his rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. A specific motive for the shooting remains elusive. 

Moderators questioned the vice president over her shifting policy positions — from fracking to border security to buy-back programs on assault weapons — since her first run for president in 2020. 

"My values have not changed," Harris said.

Harris reiterated her position for fracking, which has been among the most prominent examples of her changing position. She said her position is that America needs to invest in "diverse sources of energy so we reduce our reliance on foreign oil."

On her positions more broadly, the vice president cited aspects of her background that she said her values are rooted in, like protecting women and children from violent crime and standing up for vulnerable people. 

"What is important is that there is a president who actually brings values and a perspective that is about lifting people up and not beating people down, and name calling," Harris said. "The true measure of the leader is the leader who actually understands that strength is not in beating people down, it's in lifting people up – I intend to be that president." 

Muir pointed to recent statements Trump has made about the 2020 election, including that he lost by a "whisker," and didn't quite make it. Muir asked Trump if he is now acknowledging that he lost to Mr. Biden in 2020, after years of denying the reality of his loss. 

"No, I don't acknowledge that at all," Trump said. The Republican nominee said the country has to have two things — "borders" and "good elections." 

Harris was asked about a statement Trump made about prosecuting and imprisoning election officials and the people who prosecuted him. Muir asked Harris if Trump is trying to intimidate and suppress the vote. 

"Donald Trump was fired by 81 million people," Harris responded. "So let's be clear about that. And clearly, he is having a very difficult time processing that. But we cannot afford to have a president of the United States who attempts, as he did in the past, to upend the will of the voters in a free and fair election." 

Harris said she's traveled the world as vice president. 

"And world leaders are laughing at Donald Trump," Harris said. "I have talked with military leaders, some of whom worked with you, and they say you're a disgrace." 

Harris said the American people "deserve better" than a president who can't accept facts. 

Trump then went on to praise Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, a dictator. 

"He said the most respected, most feared person is Donald Trump," Trump said of the dictator. 

When asked about the events of Jan. 6, Trump declined to say whether he had any regrets from the attack on the Capitol, before Harris accused him of inciting a "violent mob" and arguing that "this is not an isolated situation." 

"For everyone watching who remembers what Jan. 6 was, I say, we don't have to go back," Harris said. "It's time to turn the page."

The vice president said if Jan. 6 "was a bridge too far for you," that there is a place in her campaign for those Americans who "stand for country," democracy and the rule of law. 

"Let's chart a course for the future and not go backwards to the past," Harris said. 

Trump repeatedly downplayed his role in the attack, putting the blame for security failures on others, like former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. 

Harris was asked how she would break through the stalemate between Israel and Hamas. 

"Well, let's understand how we got here," Harris said. "On Oct. 7, Hamas, a terrorist organization, slaughtered 1,200 Israelis, many of them young people who were simply attending a concert. Women were horribly raped. And so absolutely, I said then, I say now, Israel has a right to defend itself, we would. And how it does so matters." 

Harris said the world must "chart a course" for a "two-state solution." 

"I will always give Israel the ability to defend itself, particularly as it relates to Iran," Harris said. 

Trump, given a chance to address how he would negotiate a cease-fire, claimed Russia would have never invaded Ukraine under his watch.

"But when she mentions about Israel, all of the sudden, she hates Israel," Trump claimed of Harris. He also claimed Harris "hates the Arab population," because the whole region is going to be "blown up." 

Given a chance to respond, Harris said it's "absolutely not true" that she hates Israel. 

"He's trying again to divide and distract from the reality," Harris said, calling Trump "weak and wrong" on foreign policy. 

Minutes after Trump touted strongman Orban's praise of him, Harris said, "it is absolutely well known that these dictators and autocrats are rooting for you to be president again because it's so clear they can manipulate you with flattery and favors." 

When asked whether he wanted Ukraine to win its war with Russia, Trump didn't answer, saying, "I want the war to stop, I want to save lives."

Trump has repeatedly claimed that he could bring the war to an end in a single day should he return to the White House, but he hasn't expanded on how he would do so. Meanwhile, the GOP has grown increasingly isolationist in its foreign policy with Trump at the party's helm, often putting continued U.S. support for Ukraine in question.

Trump said he wants to get the war settled, noting that he knows the Russian and Ukrainian leaders "very well."

"I have a good relationship, and they respect your president, OK," Trump said. "They respect me."

The former president said the war is "dying to be settled," and that he would "get it settled before I even become president." 

"What I'll do is I'll speak to one, I'll speak to the other, I'll get them together," Trump said. "That war would have never happened."

Trump turned his criticism on President Biden, saying the leaders don't respect him and claiming he had "no idea" how to stop the Russian invasion in 2022. 

"We're playing with World War III," Trump said. "Where is our president?"

Given another opportunity to answer whether he wanted Ukraine to prevail in the war with Russia, Trump again didn't answer the question directly. 

"I think it's the U.S. best interest to get this war finished and just get it done," Trump said. "Negotiate a deal."

After Trump complained about Mr. Biden and his approach to Ukraine and NATO, Harris had a few words for Trump. Muir asked Harris how she would deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and if it would be different than Mr. Biden. 

"Well, first of all, it's important to remind the former president, you're not running against Joe Biden, you're running against me," Harris said. 

Trump was questioned over racially insensitive comments he made against Harris in July, when he speculated about her racial background, saying she "happened to turn Black and now she wants to be known as Black."

"You make a big deal about something, I couldn't care less," Trump said when asked about the comment. "Whatever she wants to be is OK with me."

Trump explained that he read that she was "not Black" and then he "read that she was Black — and that's OK."

"Either one was OK with me, that's up to her," Trump said.

Harris addressed a claim made by Trump that she would take away Americans' guns. Harris insisted that's not the case. 

Harris said both she and her running mate, Gov. Tim Walz, are gun owners, and they're not about to take Americans' guns away. 

"This business about taking everyone's guns away — Tim Walz and I are both gun owners," she said. "We're not taking anyone's guns away. So stop with the continuous lying about this stuff." 

The vice president painted an image of two different visions for the country in her closing statement, building on a message of positivity that her campaign has implemented since she became the Democratic nominee, while she also made an appeal to the general electorate in a pledge to be a president for all. 

"I think you've heard tonight two very different visions for our country — one that is focused on the future and the other that is focused on the past, and an attempt to take us backward," Harris said. "But we're not going back."

Harris said "the American people know we all have so much more in common than what separates us," urging the nation to "chart a new way forward." She said that her plan — to create an "opportunity economy," invest in small businesses and families and lower the cost of living, while sustaining America's standing in the world and protecting the nation's fundamental rights and freedoms — is that vision. 

"As a prosecutor, I never asked a victim or a witness, 'are you a Republican or a Democrat?'" she said. "The only thing I ever asked them? 'Are you OK?'"

Harris said "that's the kind of president we need right now — someone who cares about you and is not putting themselves first."

"I intend to be a president for all Americans," Harris said.

Trump's closing statement centered around one question: If Harris wants to accomplish the things she says she does, why hasn't she in the last three and a half years as vice president? Unlike Harris, Trump didn't lay out a hopeful vision for his version of the nation's future. 

"So she just started by saying she's going to do this, she's going to do that, she's going to do all of these wonderful things," Trump said. "Why hasn't she done it?"

Trump said Harris and Mr. Biden have had three and a half years to create jobs and secure the border. Trump said she should leave now, and go to Capitol Hill to accomplish what she wants. 

Trump said Harris believes in "things that the American people don't believe in." 

"Why didn't she do it?" he said. "We're a failing nation. We're a nation in serious decline."

Trump called Harris the "worst vice president in the history of our country." 

Trump made a surprise appearance in the spin room following the debate, incredibly rare for a presidential candidate. Spin rooms are where the campaign operatives and surrogates try to craft a picture of the debate's outcome for the media. 

Trump told reporters he won the debate. 

"I thought it was my best debate ever," Trump said. 

But asked why he would bother to appear in the spin room if he won, Trump said he was supposed to speak with some media outlets. 

Trump claimed Harris wants to do a second debate because she lost. Trump didn't commit to appearing at another debate later this month. 

"She wants to do another one because she got beaten tonight," Trump claimed.