The year was 1999, and public approval of the United States was at an all-time high. The stock market had just begun to see major improvement, politicians of both parties became increasingly neutral, and overall, a new millennium would soon begin. 25 years later, Gallup Research found that only a quarter of the U.S. approves of the country’s current direction, a stark contrast to the 71% approval in 1999.
Because of these concerning statistics, the presidential debate between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris held on Sept. 10 allowed for American citizens to hear the candidates discuss the issues they care about most. However, the 90-minute runtime can be daunting to watch, so here is a full breakdown of the topics discussed between the two candidates throughout the debate.
The debate began on the subject of economics.
Kamala Harris started by laying out her primary economic goals if she is elected president. This included extending a tax cut for first-time families and small businesses, and overall boosting the middle class.
Specifically, Harris said, “I imagine and have actually a plan to build what I call an opportunity economy.”
Donald Trump, however, focused on economic improvement through tariffs, saying, “other countries are going to, finally, after 75 years, pay us back for all that we’ve done for the world.”
On offense, Trump argued that the Biden Administration had tanked the economy by raising inflation, and that despite having left the office, Trump’s tariffs hadn’t been discontinued by the Biden Administration because they were so successful.
After a brief focus on tariffs, the debate transitioned to women’s rights and abortion in particular, and Trump’s qualification for representing women’s opinions was called into question.
Trump responded by saying, “I believe in the exceptions, for rape, incest, and the life of the mother. Ronald Reagan did also, and that what he did is allow the people of each state to vote on abortion law rather than make it a federal issue.”
Harris countered by arguing that Trump chose three new Supreme Court justices to overturn the 1973 landmark case Roe v. Wade which made it legal to abort a fetus until it became viable, and as a result, many states have voted on complete abortion bans.
Harris continued by pledging to restore Roe v. Wade if she were elected, arguing that “the freedom to make decisions about one’s own body should not be made by the government.”
Next, the debate shifted over to immigration policy when Harris came under scrutiny for imposing asylum restrictions only six months before the election cycle despite having a whole term.
Harris replied by stating that she supported a border security bill drafted by Congress that was supported by both Republicans and Democrats. She followed this by saying that Trump had it thrown out, labeling him as “someone who would prefer to run on a problem instead of fixing a problem.”
Trump was asked by the moderators why he killed the border bill but did not respond. However, Trump argued that the Biden Administration’s treatment of the border was destroying American cities such as Aurora, Colorado and Springfield, Ohio, before citing his now-notorious line, “In Springfield, they’re eating the dogs, the people that came in, they’re eating the cats, they’re eating the pets of the people that live there.”
The moderators clarified that Springfield’s city manager claimed there was no evidence of any animal disappearances or abuse.
Harris used this remark to allege that Trump’s extremism has led over 200 Republican officials to endorse her presidency before listing specific examples of Trump’s former peers warning about the consequences of a second Trump term.
Trump bluntly responded, “when somebody does a bad job, I fire them.”
The moderators refocused by asking how Trump planned to deport 11 million undocumented immigrants.
He responded by arguing that not only is the figure much higher, but crime rates in Central and South American countries such as Venezuela are decreasing because crime organizations are migrating to the United States.
Linsey Davis inquired on Kamala Harris’ recent policy changes, including fracking, assault weapons, and border crossings, and said, “I know you say that your values have not changed, so then why have so many of your policy positions changed?”
Harris responded by saying that she was the tie-breaking vote on the Inflation Reduction Act which opened opportunities for fracking.
She then listed out a series of values she has acquired from past experiences to argue that her values remain unchanged, and what America needs is “a president that actually brings values and a perspective that is about lifting people up and not beating people down.”
Trump replied that Harris dropped many of her previous policies including a fracking ban and a call for defunding police departments. He then cemented that if Harris were to be elected, she would ban fracking instantly and fight to take away personal firearms.
Trump continued that he had boosted the oil business during his term, and that as soon as Biden was inaugurated, the oil industry began to fail and energy prices skyrocketed.
After the short session mainly about fracking and energy, the debate moved to peaceful transfer of power, specifically the Jan. 6 riot and the alleged election fraud that occurred in the 2020 election cycle. The moderators asked Trump if he regretted his conduct on Jan. 6.
Trump asserted that he had used the terminology “peacefully and patriotically” in his speech addressed to the rioters.
However, Trump also attacked Harris for the ongoing prosecution of the riot’s participants, and said “What about all the people that are pouring into the country and killing people that she allowed to pour in? […] When are they going to be prosecuted? […] When are the people that burned down Minneapolis going to be prosecuted?” referencing Minneapolis Black Lives Matter protests, some of which incited violence and property damage.
After reiteration from the moderators, Trump then claimed that he had gone to former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi to request extra security in anticipation of the large protest, but that Pelosi denied his request.
Harris says that she was at the Capital on Jan. 6, saying “the President of the United States incited a violent mob to attack our nation’s capital, to desecrate our nation’s capital,” and that he was impeached for doing so.
Harris pointed at the Charlottesville riots as another example of Trump’s failure to de-escalate situations and finished by pointing out Trump’s use of the word “bloodbath” when describing the outcome if Harris was elected.
Trump clarified that he used “bloodbath” to describe the state of the economy if Harris were to be elected, then asserted that many journalists and news outlets had debunked the Charlottesville incident.
Continuing, Trump further inquired why the Biden Administration was letting millions of undocumented immigrants enter America, suggesting that the debate should end so that Harris could sign a bill to fix the weak border immediately.
At the end of the segment, Trump mentioned that many dictatorships such as Russia, China, and North Korea feared the United States under Trump’s term, segueing to the next topic of foreign wars. Moderators asked Harris why, despite having supported Israel over nine months ago, a ceasefire agreement hasn’t been created, and how she would do things differently from President Biden.
Harris still expresses support for Israel but agrees that too many innocent lives have been lost, and said, “This war must end. It must end immediately, and the way it will end is we need a ceasefire deal and we need the hostages out, and so we will continue to work around the clock on that.”
Trump blamed the Biden Administration for the Middle Eastern conflicts, saying “Iran was broke under Donald Trump, now Iran has $300 billion because they took off all of the sanctions I had.”
Onto Russia and Ukraine, Trump argued that the Biden Administration was weak and incompetent in their handling of the invasion, citing that Biden closed many U.S. oil pipelines but did not push back on Russia’s pipeline expansion into Western Europe. Finally, Trump asserted Putin invaded only three days after Harris went to Ukraine to do peace talks, displaying her ineptitude in negotiation.
Harris denied and then condemned Trump for the weakness created by his friendship with Vladimir Putin, saying that without the Biden Administration’s actions, “Putin would be sitting in Kiev with his eyes on the rest of Europe, starting with Poland, and why don’t you tell the 800,000 Polish-Americans right here in Pennsylvania how quickly you would give up for the sake of a friendship with what is known to be a dictator who would eat you for lunch?”
Regarding Afghanistan, David Muir asked Harris if she bore any responsibility for the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.
Harris said that Biden made the right decision as he was the first of four presidents who wanted to pull out to actually do it. Harris also attacked Trump for negotiating a weak deal with the Taliban, including a release of 5,000 terrorist prisoners and suggesting a meeting at the historically significant Camp David.
Trump defended his plan, saying it would have brought about a withdrawal sooner and would’ve prevented death and abandonment, but the Biden Administration destroyed the agreement. Trump said, “these people did the worst withdrawal, and in my opinion, the most embarrassing moment in the history of our country.”
The debate then led into Obamacare as the moderators asked Trump about his plan to change the downsides of Obamacare.
Trump said, “I had a choice to make: do I save it and make it as good as it can be, or do I let it rot? And I saved it, I did the right thing, but it’s still never going to be great and it’s too expensive for people,” and then assured that he would replace the plan if a better solution was created.
The moderators asked for confirmation that he still has no plan, and Trump responded that he has ideas but he cannot test them because he is not the president.
The moderators then asked Harris to clarify her stance on healthcare as she recently supported a plan that included private insurance despite previously supporting Bernie Sanders’ plan to create a government-run, public healthcare system.
Harris recalled that “when [repealing Obamacare] was up for a vote in the United States Senate, and the late great John McCain […] walked onto the senate floor and said ‘No, you don’t get rid of the Affordable Care Act. You have no plan.’”
Harris claimed that because of the Biden Administration’s work on Obamacare, healthcare prices have dropped and all citizens have a right to healthcare.
For the final and perhaps most anticipated topic, the debate centered on climate change.
Harris accused Trump of dubbing climate change as a hoax despite increasing consequences of it being present. Harris claimed that the Biden Administration has opened countless manufacturing jobs and increased oil production, but also invested over $1 trillion dollars in clean energy.
Trump claimed that the Biden Administration has lost manufacturing jobs, stating that many plants have moved to Mexico where Chinese and Russian influence is rising. Trump continued by criticizing the Biden Administration for their weak treatment of China, and said that “what they have given to China is unbelievable, but we’re not going to let that happen, we’ll put tariffs on those cars.”
Finally, for closing statements, Harris laid out the election as a choice between the past and the future. She listed her major plans including small business support, elderly protection, and creation of opportunity. Harris ended by saying that as a prosecutor, “I never asked a victim or witness ‘Are you Republican or Democrat?’ The only thing I ever asked: ‘Are you okay?’ And that’s the kind of president we need.”
Trump closed with a simple statement: “Why hasn’t she done it?” Trump called Harris’ plans into question as she has been the Vice President for over three years and has not done anything she says she will do. He continued by claiming that he rebuilt the military, but the Biden Administration gave technology to the Taliban and let millions of undocumented immigrants enter the country, ending by calling Harris the worst Vice President in the history of the United States.
