The Sept. 10, 2024, Presidential Debate between Democratic nominee Kamala Harris, and Republican nominee Donald Trump, was a must-watch for over 67 million Americans. In a critical rallying point for both campaigns, Harris and Trump faced each other in a 90-minute debate moderated by ABC’s David Muir and Linsey Davis. Here are some of the key takeaways.
The economy
As the first topic of the night, Muir and Davis posed a variety of questions regarding each candidate’s plan for the economy.Â
Harris reiterated her support for the “American Dream.” Aligning herself with everyday people early on, she stressed her humble upbringing as part of the middle class. To help the majority, rather than the top 1%, Harris proposed an opportunity economy, mentioning a tax cut of $6,000 for struggling families and a small business tax deduction of $50,000. She criticized the sales tax she believed Trump would enact, saying “Economists have said that Trump’s sales tax would actually result for middle-class families in about $4,000 more a year….”
Trump began his rebuttal by refuting Harris’ claim that he would implement a sales tax. He quickly deflected, talking about the economic success of his presidency, giving much of the credit to the tariffs imposed. When asked directly about how the tariffs he is considering have actually been found by economists to pass back to the consumer, Trump denied this, saying China would be the one to pay. No further clarification was provided. Switching to the offensive, Trump harped on inflation rates during the Biden administration, saying they are “probably the worst in our nation’s history.”
abortion
With abortion being such a crucial issue with young voters, this topic is a tricky one to navigate, raising a lot of emotions for people across the board.Â
Harris used this time in the debate to connect with her audience. She spent most of her address looking directly into the camera. Harris stressed that she has talked to women all over the country, empathizing with them and hearing their stories. She condemned Trump for his support of the overturning of Roe v. Wade saying, “In over 20 states there are Trump abortion bans which make it criminal for a doctor or nurse to provide health care.” Harris ended by stating that if Congress passed a bill to reinstate the protections of Roe, she would sign it.Â
Trump made a number of claims in this section of the debate, many untrue, including that babies can be killed after they are born. Infanticide, however, is not supported in any state. Trump did say that he believes in exceptions for rape, incest, and the life of the mother, but later when asked multiple times if he would veto a national abortion ban, he didn’t answer the question, merely stating that it would never come to that.
IMMIGRATIONÂ (“They’re eating the dogs”)
In the portion of the debate that contained one of the more viral moments, each candidate was asked about handling border security and the immigrants who come into this country illegally.
Harris took this as an opportunity to mention her experience as a prosecutor, bringing up her record of putting away criminals for trafficking. She also accused Trump of stopping a bill that would have put 1,500 additional border agents in place because “he preferred to run on a problem instead of fixing a problem.”Â
With what began as defending attendance at his rallies, former President Trump quickly devolved into saying that in Springfield, Ohio, the illegal immigrants were eating residents’ pets. Though one of the moderators said that this was untrue and the city manager himself had heard no credible claims of this occurring, Trump was adamant on this point. He also lacked a clear plan on how he was going to deport the 11+ million undocumented immigrants in the country, despite claiming that he would do so numerous times.
FOREIGN AFFAIRS
The questions asked about foreign affairs focused primarily on Israel and Hamas as well as Russia and Ukraine. Regarding the Israel-Hamas conflict, Harris said that Israel does have a right to defend itself, but also clarified by saying “We must have a two-state solution where we can rebuild Gaza, where the Palestinians have security, self-determination, and the dignity they so rightly deserve.” During his response, Trump claimed that the Israel-Hamas conflict would have never happened under his watch, but doesn’t elaborate further. He spent most of his time addressing Russia and Ukraine, promising a ceasefire before he would even be sworn into office.
why it matters
This upcoming election has gained a lot of attention, and for good reason. Important issues are at stake no matter which candidate you support. Young people are notorious for not voting, but voting is how our voice is heard. The next four years of our lives are determined by this election. Every vote counts.
To check if you are registered to vote, visit this website and enter your information as instructed. If you still need to register to vote, make sure to do it as soon as possible by visiting this website. If you are an out-of-state student, information on how to vote by mail can be found here.Â