Donald Trump and Kamala Harris met for the first time on stage at the presidential debate in Philadelphia on Tuesday night.
They shook hands, but it didn't go well.
During a heated 90 minutes, Harris frequently launched personal attacks on the former president, which derailed the president's intentions and heightened the excitement of the highly anticipated contest.
Trump continued to be put at a disadvantage as she sharply criticized his rally crowd sizes, his conduct during the Capitol riot and his administration officials who publicly criticized his campaign afterward.
A pattern in much of the debate has been for Harris to provoke her Republican opponent into a lengthy defense of her past actions and statements. She readily complies, occasionally raising her voice and shaking her head.
Harris responded to an early question about immigration by saying Americans should go to Trump rallies because they are enlightening. “People start leaving early because they are tired and bored,” she said.
The sharp criticism clearly embarrassed the former president, who spent most of his response defending the size of his rallies and disparaging the size of hers, a topic that should be one of his strong suits.
From there, Trump launched into a lengthy tirade against false reports that Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, were kidnapping and eating their neighbors' pets.
The polls on Tuesday night tilted in the vice president's favor, with the debate coming down to whether the candidates can best capitalize on their strengths and defend or refute their weaknesses.
It was clear from early in the evening, as the topics covered were the economy and abortion. Polls show that many Americans are dissatisfied with the way the Biden administration (of which Harris is a key member) has handled inflation and the economy.
But Harris then shifted the conversation to Trump's proposed blanket tariffs, which she dubbed the “Trump sales tax,” and then to Project 2025, a controversial independent conservative plan for a future Republican administration.
Trump, as he has in the past, distanced himself from the project and defended the tariff plan, noting that the Biden administration kept most of the tariffs in place during its first term. It was a valid point, but it prevented him from lambasting the vice president for inflation and consumer prices.
On abortion, Trump defended his handling of the issue, saying Americans across the spectrum want the Supreme Court to overturn Roe v Wade abortion protections. Polls don’t support this claim. He struggled to make his position clear, and his answers were at times rambling.
Harris took the opportunity to make an impassioned and personal appeal to families who are struggling with serious pregnancy complications because they can't afford abortion care in states where abortion is illegal, which she called “No Trump Abortion” states.
“It's an insult to American women,” she concluded.
It was a carefully calibrated message in a field where she holds a double-digit lead over Trump.
