Former President Trump and Vice President Harris faced off for the first time on Tuesday in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in a debate moderated by ABC News.
While this was technically the second debate of the presidential election, it was the first since President Biden ended his campaign and the Democratic Party nominated Harris as its presidential candidate instead.
The debate covered a wide range of issues and saw fierce attacks on each other, but there were some moments that stood out in particular. Here are five notable moments from the showdown.
ABC debate moderator accused of failing to fact-check one candidate
1. Trump says he wanted to send Harris a MAGA hat
“I was going to send her a MAGA hat,” Trump said of Harris, after he claimed she adopted his political philosophies on the campaign trail. “Everything she believed in three or four years ago is gone. She's following my philosophies now,” he said during the debate.
Notably, Harris has shifted some of the policy positions she took as a senator and during the 2019 campaign, taking a more moderate stance against President Trump ahead of the election.
“But if she gets elected, she will change that,” Trump warned. “And that will be the end of our country. She's a Marxist.”
FOX News Media has proposed a second debate, moderated by Martha MacCallum and Bret Baier.
2. Trump says Biden and Harris' comments “may have given me a bullet to the head”
The former president suggested that comments he and Biden made in response to Harris' warning that he would become a dictator in a second term may have led to the assassination attempt in July.
“It wasn't me who used the weapon, it was this woman,” Trump said in response to Harris' allegations.
“I might as well have taken a bullet in my head because of what they're saying about me,” he said. Trump was shot in the ear at a rally in Pennsylvania in July, but Secret Service officers shot and killed the assailant and escorted him off the stage.
“They talk about democracy, but I'm a threat to democracy. They're a threat to democracy with this fake Russia, Russia, Russia investigation that went nowhere,” Trump added.
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3. Harris says she's not Joe Biden
“Obviously I'm not Joe Biden,” the vice president told hosts after Trump slammed Biden-Harris. The government's economic policies And then he said, “She's Biden.”
“She's trying to get away from Biden,” he said.
Ms Harris responded by explaining that she is not Biden, adding: “I'm certainly not Donald Trump.”
“What I am proposing is to provide a new generation of leadership for our country,” she said.
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4. Harris sticks to Afghanistan withdrawal despite criticism
“Do you bear any responsibility for the way this withdrawal happened?” Harris was asked by the moderator.
“To be completely honest, I agreed with President Biden's decision to withdraw from Afghanistan,” she said.
“Four presidents have said they would do it, and Joe Biden did it.”
During a disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan in which 13 US troops were killed in a terrorist attack, President Trump also noted that the withdrawal was disorganized, leaving US resources and equipment behind in the country.
Harris did not respond to a question from the ABC host about whether she felt any responsibility for the nature of the withdrawal.
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5. Trump uses Harris' famous line against her
Trump made a joke on Tuesday night similar to one Harris made famous during the 2020 vice presidential debate.
“Just a moment, I'm speaking, if you don't mind,” the former president said.
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Harris was seen on camera interjecting after Trump said she supported defunding the police. Her response could not be heard because her microphone was muted.
Trump's comments were reminiscent of Harris' own comments to then-Vice President Mike Pence in 2020. “Mr. Vice President, I'm speaking. I'm speaking,” Harris said as Pence began to interject.
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