Former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris had a heated exchange about America's crime problem during the first presidential debate, with Harris citing Trump's legal troubles to defend charges that immigrant crime had increased under his administration.
“Yes, crime rates are way higher because of them,” Trump said at a debate in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, discussing crimes committed by illegal immigrants who have entered the country under Biden's administration.
“They've forgiven criminals, millions of criminals,” Trump continued. “They've forgiven terrorists. They've forgiven ordinary street criminals. They've allowed drug dealers to come into our country. And now in the United States we have countries like Venezuela telling us not to come back or we'll kill you. Do you know that crime in Venezuela and in countries around the world has gone down substantially?”
Trump continued, “Despite their false statements, crime in this country is skyrocketing. And a new form of crime is emerging. It's called immigration crime. It's occurring at levels no one ever thought possible.”
Trump-Harris race close nationwide, new survey finds pollsters flag 'warning signs' for Democrats
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris (R) and former U.S. President Donald Trump shake hands during the second presidential debate at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, Tuesday, September 10, 2024, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Getty Images)
ABC's David Muir later said, “The FBI says overall violent crime is actually going down in the country,” without noting that the statistic is down from an all-time high and that some major cities don't include the data.
“They made false statements,” Trump countered. “They didn't include the worst cities. They didn't include the cities with the worst crime. It was a fraud, just like the 818,000 jobs they said they created was a fraud.”
Harris responded by pointing to Trump's conviction and expected indictment.
Voters report Kamala Harris is more radical than Trump: “Too liberal or too progressive”
A new poll ahead of Tuesday's ABC News presidential debate finds Vice President Kamala Harris leading former President Trump by 8 percentage points among Virginia voters. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
“I find it extremely surprising that someone who has been indicted on national security crimes, economic crimes, election interference and has been convicted of sexual assault would make such a statement,” Harris said.
“And his next important court appearance is at his own criminal sentencing in November. Let's make clear where each of us stands on the issues of what's important about the rule of law and respect for law enforcement.”
Click here to get the FOX News app
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris (R) and former U.S. President Donald Trump shake hands during the second presidential debate at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia, Tuesday, September 10, 2024. (Getty Images)
Harris continued, “The former vice president called for cuts to federal law enforcement funding – 45,000 agents – the day after he was indicted on 34 felony charges. So let's talk about what's important in this campaign.”
“It's important that we move forward, throw away this old, stale rhetoric, and address the needs of the American people, what to do about the housing shortage — I have a plan — what to do to help small businesses, and get the prices of groceries down.”
