Vice President Kamala Harris faced off against former President Donald Trump for the first time in a presidential debate at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia on Tuesday (September 10) night.

The debate was hosted by ABC News and moderated by World News Tonight anchor David Muir, and ABC News Live anchor Linsey Davis.

Harris spent most of the debate trying to lay out her plan for America while attacking the former president on his record and his ongoing legal battles.

Trump, meanwhile, worked to tie Harris to the issues facing the country, including inflation, the immigration crisis at the southern border, and high crime, while trying to paint her as a radical liberal candidate.

Trump and Harris shook hands and exchanged quick pleasantries when they took the stage. It was the first time the two have met in person.

The first question was about the economy and the cost of living. Muir asked Harris if she believed Americans are better off today than they were four years ago.

Harris said she will create an "opportunity economy" by helping small businesses and lowering the cost of housing. She then proceeded to attack Trump, blasting his economic plan.

"Donald Trump left us the worst unemployment since the Great Depression. Donald Trump left us the worst public health epidemic in a century. Donald Trump left us the worst attack on our democracy since the Civil War, and what we have done is clean up Donald Trump's mess," Harris said.

One of the most contentious topics of the night was abortion rights. The issue has dominated recent elections since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022.

Trump attacked Harris and the Democratic Party for their "radical" stance on the issue, claiming they support late-term abortions. Trump praised the Supreme Court for the ruling and said that people across the country are now voting on the issue.

"It's the vote of the people now. It's not tied up in the federal government. I did a great service in doing it," Trump said. "It took courage to do it. And the Supreme Court had great courage in doing it."

Harris refuted these claims and warned that Trump would sign a national abortion ban into law, which Trump has previously denied. She also expressed support for reinstating the protections for abortion guaranteed under Roe v. Wade.

"I think the American people believe that certain freedoms — in particular the freedom to make decisions about one's own body — should not be made by the government," the vice president said.

Trump and Harris also traded barbs over foreign policy as they debated the wars between Russia and Ukraine and Israel and Hamas.

Trump said his goal was to end the conflict between Russia and Ukraine as quickly as possible.

“I think it’s the US best interest to get this war finished and just get it done — negotiate a deal because we have to stop all of these human lives being destroyed," Trump said.

He then blamed the Biden Administration for allowing Putin's actions.

“Biden had no idea how to talk to [Russian leader Vladimir Putin]. He had no idea how to stop it, and now you have millions of people dead, and it’s only getting worse,” Trump said.

“Where is our president? We don’t even know if he’s our president. They threw him out of the campaign like a dog,” Trump added.

Trump also claimed Putin decided to invade Ukraine after Biden's botched withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan. He then hit Harris on the withdrawal, noting how the Biden administration never fired any of the generals involved in what resulted in 13 American troops losing their lives.

Harris and Trump wrapped up the night delivering brief closing statements. During her closing statement, Harris noted there were "two very different visions for our country: One that is focused on the future, and one that is focused on the past — an attempt to take us backward.”

“But we’re not going back,” she said.

Trump wrapped up the debate by attacking Harris and Biden for their record over the last three and a half years.

"She's going to do all these wonderful things. Why hasn't she done it? She's been there for three and a half years," he said.

"The worst president, the worst vice president in the history of our country," Trump added.

Mike McConnell

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