Here are five key takeaways from the first—and perhaps last—televised debate between the two White House candidates, which took place in Philadelphia, in the crucial state of Pennsylvania.
"I'm Speaking!
"It's my turn to speak, if you don't mind," Donald Trump told his Democratic rival. The 90-minute debate on ABC was conducted under strict rules, with the candidates' microphones being cut off once their time ran out. This didn't prevent both Kamala Harris and Donald Trump from interrupting each other multiple times.
In a blue-toned setting, under the banner of the U.S. Constitution's preamble "We the People," Mr. Trump appeared serious, his face closed, staring at the camera without ever looking at his opponent.
In contrast, Ms. Harris frequently turned her head toward him, with a doubtful and sometimes mocking expression, pushing him into a corner several times.
"Trump appeared even more unrestrained than usual," political scientist Larry Sabato told AFP.
Clash Over Abortion
Kamala Harris went on the offensive against the former Republican president, who appointed three conservative judges to the Supreme Court, which overturned the federal guarantee for abortion in 2022.
"I warned we would hear a string of lies," she said after Donald Trump claimed that Democrats allowed babies to be executed after birth.
"Nowhere in America is a woman carrying a pregnancy to term and asking for an abortion — that is not happening. It's insulting to the women of America" she continued, listing the distressing situations faced by women in states that have severely restricted abortion rights.
Donald Trump has been sending mixed signals on this highly sensitive issue lately, with public opinion in the U.S. being largely in favor of the right to abortion. By leaving the issue to the states, "I did a huge service" to the U.S., he claimed.
Omnivore
"In Springfield, they eat dogs—the people who come here (referring to migrants), they eat cats. They eat the residents' pets," said the former president, repeating a false accusation spreading rapidly on social media about migrants in this town in Ohio (northeastern U.S.).
Under the shocked gaze of his rival and the moderator, journalist David Muir, who repeatedly pointed out that there was no evidence to support this claim.
Some Republican heavyweights, including Donald Trump’s running mate, and billionaire Elon Musk, have been pushing this theory in recent days, though it has been debunked by authorities.
A "Bite"
As is often the case in these presidential debates, foreign policy didn’t dominate the conversation. But in a few cutting remarks, the two candidates highlighted radically opposing worldviews.
Russian President Vladimir Putin "would make short work" of Donald Trump and would already be in Kyiv if the Republican candidate were in the White House, Kamala Harris charged, also noting that Trump was "the laughingstock" of international leaders.
Donald Trump hit back, accusing Kamala Harris of "hating Israel."
"If she becomes president, I believe Israel won’t exist in two years," added the former president.
Biden Avenged?
Some feared that Kamala Harris might falter with a sometimes disjointed speech, overwhelmed by Donald Trump’s fiery attacks, but the Democrat, clearly well-prepared, managed to clearly present her arguments and put her opponent on the defensive, according to analysts.
"Trump was bad, and Harris clearly won," said Larry Sabato. "She avenged (Joe) Biden’s defeat in the first debate in June, which led him to drop out."
"Precision and policy (for Harris) versus chaos, anger, and misinformation (for Trump)," summarized political expert Julian Zelizer.
"She stayed calm and focused, clearly showing how she would be as president," he added.
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