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In the first presidential debate on September 10, Democrat Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump sparred on key issues such as immigration, abortion, and foreign policy.
Kamala Harris and Donald Trump. (File Photo-AP)
The first in-person election meeting between Democrat Kamala Harris, 59, and Republican Donald Trump, 78, took place during the first presidential debate on September 10, hosted by ABC News in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - one of the key swing states. The debate featured sharp comments and exchanges an covered several key issues in America, including immigration, abortion, the economy, the Israel-Hamas conflict, and the Ukraine-Russia war, among others.
Here are some of the notable quotes from the debate:
"You’re not running against Joe Biden. You’re running against me."
Kamala Harris made this remark when Donald Trump was repeatedly criticising President Biden and his administration.
"Crime in this country [US] is through the roof and we have a new form of crime, it's called 'Migrant Crime'."
Donald Trump, in the context of immigration, stated that there were approximately 11 million illegal immigrants in the US and accused the Biden administration of allowing criminals, street criminals, and drug dealers into the country. He claimed that illegal immigrants are destroying the fabric of the US.
"The government, and Donald Trump, certainly should not be telling a woman what to do with her body."
Harris, who pledged to support reproductive rights, contrasted her position with Trump.
“If she is president, I believe that Israel will not exist within two years from now.”
Trump claimed that Kamala Harris "hates Israel", adding, "I've been pretty accurate with predictions, but I hope I'm wrong about this one".
“I'll get the war with Ukraine and Russia ended. If I'm president-elect, I'll get it done before even becoming president.”
Republican presidential candidate and former US President Donald Trump expressed his desire to stop the loss of lives and pledged to bring an end to the Russia-Ukraine war if re-elected. He also claimed that the conflict would never have begun had he been in office.
“I’m talking now. I’m talking, please. Does that sound familiar?”
During the debate, Trump directed a remark at Harris as she began to respond to his statements, alluding to a notable moment from the 2020 vice-presidential debate. At that time, Harris famously interrupted Mike Pence, saying, "I’m speaking," in response to his interruptions. The phrase quickly became popular among her supporters.
“They’re eating the dogs.”
Trump reiterated a false claim propagated by his campaign, alleging that Haitian immigrants are eating pets. Despite ABC News' David Muir pointing out that city officials had found no evidence to support this claim, Trump continued to stand by it.
"You will see during the course of his rallies [Trump], he talks about fictional characters like Hannibal Lecter. He will talk about when mills cause cancer and what you will also notice is that people start leaving his rallies early out of exhaustion and boredom."
During the debate, Kamala Harris mentioned that she would take the unusual step of inviting people to attend one of Donald Trump's rallies, as it is quite interesting to watch.
"I think this is so rich, coming from someone who has been prosecuted for national security crimes, economic crimes, election interference, has been found liable for sexual assault, and his next big court appearance is in November at his own criminal sentencing."
Kamala Harris made this comment in response to Donald Trump’s claim that "millions of people let in and all over the world, crime is down all over the world, except here".
“I read where she was not Black ... and then I read that she was Black, and that’s OK. Either one was OK with me. That’s up to her.”
Trump questioned Harris' racial identity and repeatedly claimed he "does not care" how she identifies. Harris, who is Black and Indian American, called it a "tragedy" that Trump has used race throughout his career to divide Americans.
Published By:
Girish Kumar Anshul
Published On:
Sep 12, 2024
