By Elaina Batista, Contributor
PHILADELPHIA, PA– The two candidates running for the 47th president of the United States met for the first time on Sept. 10 on national television at their first debate. Former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris had a primetime duel on ABC News. With the election only two short months away, the race for the Oval Office has been a nail-biting experience for the people of America. This debate was a pivotal night for both candidate’s campaigns.
This debate however, wasn’t Trump’s first debate while running for office. Trump and President Joe Biden faced each other on stage in June before Biden dropped out of the race for the presidency on July 21. After dropping out, Biden quickly announced that he was endorsing Harris as the Democratic candidate for president.
Before Biden dropped out, Trump announced his pick for vice president, Sen. J.D. Vance from Ohio. According to NPR, he announced J.D. Vance as his running mate at the Republican National Convention on Monday, July 15. As a result, Harris was under pressure to declare her choice for vice president. Harris announced Tim Walz as her vice presidential candidate in early August. Both Walz and Vance have been vocal in terms of pushing their respective candidates’ message across, whether on the campaign trail or during interviews with news outlets.
During the debate on Sept. 10, there was a specific set of rules in place to ensure that the debate was as fair as possible. There was no live audience, no opening statements and candidates had two minutes to answer questions. Additionally, they had a minute for follow-ups or clarifications. Candidates were not allowed any pre-written notes on stage nor were they given the questions ahead of time. When one candidate was speaking, the other’s microphone was muted, allowing both candidates to get their message across.
Both were questioned about everything from race and racial identity to the economy. When asked about the economy and the cost of living, Harris stated that she had a plan for an “opportunity economy”. She stated that she plans to make a $6,000 tax cut for middle/lower-income families, along with a $50,000 tax cut to start up small businesses. When Trump was then given time to answer the question, he proposed his plan of placing tariffs on other countries; he suggested they will “pay us back for all that we’ve done for the world.” Following his response to the economic question, Trump weighed in on immigration, stating that immigrants are pouring into the country and “taking jobs that are occupied right now by African Americans and Hispanics and also unions,” per the official ABC News transcript of the debate. The candidates responded to the question from two different angles, both attempting to grab the attention of undecided voters.
Polling after the debate did not change as much as the American people had predicted. Harris and Trump are still neck and neck, making America’s swing states more crucial than ever within this election. According to FiveThirtyEight Polls at the time of publication, Harris is leading with 48.1% and Trump at 45.3%.
In an interview on Sept. 12 with Telemundo Arizona, Trump confirmed that he will not hold another debate against Harris, stating to the outlet, “We just don’t think it’s necessary. We had the two.”
The vice presidential candidates will face off in their debate on Oct. 1 in New York City, hosted by CBS.