Candidates spar on economy and abortion as Harris takes on Trump in a way Biden could not

Donald Trump and Kamala Harris faced each other on the debate stage Tuesday night for the first and possibly the last time.

Harris, the Democratic vice president who is a former courtroom prosecutor, was eager to prosecute Trump’s glaring liabilities. But she also was tasked with re-reintroducing herself to voters, who are still getting to know her as the party’s presidential nominee.

Trump, a Republican now in his third presidential election, was set on painting Harris as an out-of-touch liberal. He also tried to win over skeptical suburban voters — many of them women — turned off by Trump’s brash leadership style and his penchant for personal insults.

The 90-minute debate played out inside Philadelphia’s National Constitutional Center. In accordance with rules negotiated by both campaigns, there was no live audience and the candidates’ microphones were muted when it was not their turn to speak.

Some takeaways on a historic night:

From the opening handshake, Harris took the fight to Trump in a way that Biden could not

The vice president walked across the stage and introduced herself, “Kamala Harris,” before reaching out and grabbing Trump’s hand in the opening moments.

In her first answer, Harris said Trump’s trade tariffs would effectively create a sales tax on the middle class. She soon accused Trump of presiding over the worst attack on American democracy since the Civil War — the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021. And she charged the former president with telling women what they could do with their bodies.

But Harris may have got under Trump’s skin the most when she went after his performance at his rallies, noting that many people often leave early.

Trump was largely calm when he defended himself against each charge, but he showed annoyance with her comment about his rallies. He insisted his events were larger than hers and he seemed to grow angrier at times as the debate continued.

Harris frequently shifted her message from Trump back to the American people.

“You will not hear him talk about your needs, your dreams and your needs and your desires,” Harris said of Trump’s rallies. “And I’ll tell you, I believe you deserve a president who actually puts you first.”

An early skirmish on the economy

The debate opened with an unexpectedly wonky exchange on the economy: Harris took on Trump for his plan to put in place sweeping tariffs and for the trade deficit he ran as president; Trump slammed Harris for inflation that he incorrectly said was the worst in the country’s history.

The exchange ended up with some of Trump’s traditional bombast. He said Harris was a “Marxist” even though she had just cited positive reviews of her economic plans from Wall Street investment bank Goldman Sachs and the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business. But it was particularly notable for Harris’ effort to turn the tables on Trump.

Trump noted that people look back on his presidency’s economy fondly. “I created one of the greatest economies in the history of our country,” he said. Harris flatly told viewers: “Donald Trump has no plan for you.”

Americans are slightly more likely to trust Trump over Harris when it comes to handling the economy, according to an Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs poll from August.

Both candidates dig in on abortion

Harris came out swinging in defense of abortion rights, perhaps the strongest issue for Democrats since Trump’s nominees created a Supreme Court majority to overturn the constitutional right to an abortion. Her sharp arguments provided a vivid contrast to President Joe Biden’s rambling comments on the issue during his June debate with Trump.

“The government, and Donald Trump, certainly should not be telling a woman what to do with her body,” Harris said. She painted a vivid picture of women facing medical complications, gut-wrenching decisions and having travel out of state for an abortion.

Trump was just as fierce in defense, saying he returned the issue to the states, an outcome he said many Americans wanted. He struggled with accuracy, however, repeating the false claim that Democrats support abortion even after babies are born. He stuck to that even after he was corrected by moderator Lynsey Davis.

“I did a great service in doing that. It took courage to do it,” Trump said of the overturning of Roe v. Wade and its constitutional protections for abortion. “And the Supreme Court had great courage in doing it. And I give tremendous credit to those six justices.”

Polls has shown significant opposition to overturning Roe and voters have punished Republicans in recent elections for it.

Trump refused to say whether he would veto a bill banning abortion nationwide, saying such legislation would never clear Congress and reach the president. He also broke with his running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, suggesting Vance spoke out of turn when he said Trump would veto a national abortion ban.

“I didn’t discuss it with JD,” Trump said.

Who’s talking now?

Trump objected when Harris interrupted him — an interjection that he could hear but viewers could not because her microphone was muted according to the rules of the debate.

“Wait a minute, I’m talking now,” Trump said. He was putting his spin on a line she used famously against Mike Pence in the 2020 vice presidential debate.

“Sound familiar?” Trump added.

Four years ago, Harris rebuked Pence for interrupting, saying: “Mr. Vice President, I’m speaking.”