Kamala Harris Crushes Trump in a Debate Focused on Contentious Issues
Presidential candidates Donald Trump (L) and Kamala Harris (R). X/ @almuariza
September 11, 2024 Hour: 10:12 am
The presidential candidates expressed their positions on abortion, migration, the economy, and foreign policy.
On Tuesday night, the candidates for the U.S. presidency, Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump, faced off in a heated debate full of personal attacks.
RELATED:
US Special Counsel Files New Indictment Against Donald Trump in January 6 Case
The New York magnate launched into rants filled with falsehoods about immigration, the 2020 election, and abortion, while Harris remained calm, responded with expressive facial gestures to her opponent’s words, and managed to dodge questions about her weaknesses with voters.
Trump Makes Baseless Claims About Immigration
The debate began with questions about the state of the economy, but Trump quickly shifted the conversation to immigration, falsely claiming that millions of people are “flooding” the United States.
Trump lashed out at immigrants, saying they are “stealing” jobs from African Americans and Hispanics, a racially charged comment that the Democrat called “the same worn-out rhetoric as always.”
The Republican candidate even echoed a false report about Haitian migrants “causing chaos” in a city in Ohio and kidnapping pets to eat them: “They’re eating the dogs, they’re eating the cats and pets,” he said, provoking laughter from his rival.
As Trump spoke about immigration, Harris shook her head in disapproval. Speaking directly to the camera and to Americans following the debate, she said, “Tonight, you’re going to hear the same old thing: a bunch of lies, grievances, and insults.”
The Vice President said that the Biden Administration had to “clean up the mess Donald Trump left” after his four years in the White House and accused the former president of leaving the United States with “the worst unemployment since the Great Depression,” “the worst attack on our democracy since the Civil War,” and “the worst public health crisis in a century.”
Reproductive Rights and Abortion
Vice President Harris drew a clear line with Trump, making it clear that he should not tell a woman what to do with her body.
“The government and certainly Donald Trump should not be telling a woman what to do with her body,” she said, advocating for the reinstatement of federal abortion protections that were overturned by the Supreme Court in June 2022.
Abortion is one of the most divisive issues between the two sides, and Trump began his statement with the false claim that Democrats allow abortion at nine months of pregnancy and even the “execution” of babies once born, a claim the moderators stepped in to debunk.
Trump stated that he supports exceptions to abortion restrictions in cases of rape, incest, and danger to the mother’s life, and he said that 85 percent of Republicans support this as well. At the same time, he praised the Supreme Court’s ruling, which was made possible by the votes of six conservative justices.
Since the Supreme Court ruling, 21 out of 50 states have banned or restricted abortion. In most, there are no exceptions for rape or incest, and abortion is only allowed when the mother’s life is in danger. This has led to chaos and put women’s lives at risk due to unclear regulations.
Vice President Harris has urged Congress to pass a federal law guaranteeing access to abortion and has criticized the bans in states controlled by Republicans. She also promised to block any Republican legislation in Congress that seeks to ban abortion nationwide.
When asked if he would veto a national abortion ban, Trump was evasive, saying it wouldn’t be necessary because such a ban wouldn’t pass Congress. In an attempt to court independent voters, he reiterated his idea of making in vitro fertilization treatment free for women.
Economic Recovery
The economy is the top concern for Americans heading into the November elections. While inflation has significantly decreased since June 2022, Americans are currently paying 20 percent more for goods and services compared to pre-pandemic levels.
In response to Americans’ concerns about the economy, Harris promised to push for the construction of three million new homes in four years and to restore the Child Tax Credit, allowing Americans to claim up to US$3,600 per child in tax credits, as well as offering a special US$6,000 credit for new parents.
Meanwhile, Trump has promised to extend and expand the tax cuts that Republicans in Congress passed in 2017 under his direction. He also suggested he would stimulate economic growth by deporting millions of undocumented immigrants, a measure economists believe could harm the labor market.
The Republican candidate announced a drastic expansion of tariffs on nearly all imported foreign products. Much of his trade agenda has focused on China, and he has suggested tariffs of up to 100 percent on Chinese goods.
Trump sees these tariffs as a way to fund further tax cuts, reduce the deficit, and even fund childcare, although these tariffs could raise prices for consumers without generating the promised revenue.
The Situation in Gaza
Vice President Harris emphasized the need for the war in Gaza to end immediately, while Trump criticized her stance as weak and suggested that under her leadership, Israel would cease to exist.
“Too many innocent Palestinians have been killed. What we know is that this war must end. It must end immediately. And to do so, we need a ceasefire agreement and to get the hostages out. We will continue working on this,” said the Democratic candidate.
The Democratic government has shown strong support for Israel’s offensive on Gaza, citing Israel’s right to self-defense, although over time there have been tensions with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu due to the high number of civilian casualties and the blockade of humanitarian aid.
Harris has maintained the same position as her administration, assuring that she will always defend Israel’s right to defend itself and stressing that, together with Joe Biden, she is working to “end the war in Gaza” and to achieve a two-state solution.
In her opinion, Trump is “weak and wrong” on foreign policy. He is no champion of the Palestinian cause, and when he was in the White House (2017–2021), he chose to promote the normalization of relations between Israel and its Arab neighbors, sidelining the two-state solution.
On Thursday night, Trump warned of the consequences of a Harris presidency: “If she is president, Israel won’t exist in two years. I’m pretty good at making predictions, and I hope I’m wrong about this,” he said.
The War in Ukraine
Vice President Harris stated that, if it had been up to former President Donald Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin would already be in Kyiv.
“If Donald Trump were president, Putin would be in Kyiv right now with his eyes on the rest of Europe, starting with Poland,” she said, emphasizing that Putin’s agenda is “not limited to Ukraine.”
Harris took the opportunity to address American voters of Polish descent, who are especially concerned about the war in Ukraine and have significant influence in the key state of Pennsylvania, where the debate was held.
Trump responded to Harris by saying that if he were Putin, he wouldn’t have sacrificed thousands of soldiers and asserted that he would be able to immediately end the large-scale war in Ukraine that began in February 2022. In previous appearances, the Republican candidate has claimed that if he had remained in the White House, Putin would never have dared to carry out his special military operation in Ukraine.
Trump also said that he would be able to broker a peace deal in less than 24 hours. The most radical Republicans in Congress, supporters of Trump and his “America First” slogan, blocked the shipment of weapons to Ukraine for months.
Meanwhile, Harris has emphasized during the campaign her role as a “diplomat” in the Biden administration, which has committed to defending Ukraine from the Russian invasion by sending weapons, imposed several sanctions on Russia, and strengthened relationships with NATO countries, which were strained during Trump’s presidency.
CNN Poll Declares Harris the Winner
After the presidential debate concluded, CNN conducted a quick poll among registered voters, who overwhelmingly concluded that the Democratic candidate outperformed Trump. Of the 605 people surveyed via text message nationwide, 63 percent believed Harris had a better performance, compared to 37 percent who thought Trump was the best one.
Before the debate, the same voters were evenly split on which candidate would perform better, CNN noted in presenting the poll results. A full 96 percent of Harris supporters said the vice president did a better job than the former president, while 69 percent of Trump supporters considered him the winner.
Voters who watched the debate also came away with a better opinion of Harris compared to their impressions before the debate, while few changed their views on Trump overall. Forty-five percent of respondents said they viewed Harris favorably, while 44 percent viewed her unfavorably, an improvement from before the debate when only 39 percent viewed her positively.
Meanwhile, opinions about Trump changed little: 39 percent rated him favorably, while 51 percent rated him unfavorably after the debate—percentages similar to those among the same voters before he took the stage. Nevertheless, CNN clarified that the poll results reflect the opinions of those who tuned in to the debate and are not representative of the general voting public.
teleSUR/ JF Source: EFE
