Trump vs Harris Presidential Debate Highlights: Donald Trump says ‘best debate ever’; Kamala ready for ‘second’ one

Trump vs Harris Debate Updates: Donald Trump reportedly said it was his ‘best debate ever’. He also accused moderators of bias, AFP reported.

Trump vs Harris Debate LIVE: According to ABC news, Trump entered the spin room after the debate, claiming he had a great debate and continued to slam Harris over her policies. He also said he was open to debating Harris again.

Harris-Walz campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillon said in a statement, “Under the bright lights, the American people got to see the choice they will face this fall at the ballot box...That’s what they saw tonight and what they should see at a second debate in October. Vice-president Harris is ready for a second debate. Is Donald Trump?” This second debate would come in addition to an October face-off between vice presidential candidates Tim Walz and JD Vancem, the Guardian reported.

Trump vs Harris Presidential Debate Live: In a post on her Instagram account, Swift said she watched the debate, has done her research and made her choice on who to support in 2024 race. "I will be casting my vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in the 2024 Presidential Election," Swift wrote. Tap to read full story here

Trump vs Harris Debate Live Updates: Gov. Tim Walz, Vice President Kamala Harris' running mate, shared his thoughts on the ABC News Presidential Debate. "You saw a president for all America in Kamala Harris," he said.

Kamala Harris and Donald Trump did not interact after debate concluded on Wednesday. The two presidential candidates shook hands at the starting of the debate.

US Presidential Debate 2024: The first face off between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump saw the two US presidential candidates debating over a host of issues ranging from abortion to immigration to attacking racial identity to the wars in Ukraine and Gaza. Here's a quick recap of the debate:

Harris campaign spokesperson Ian Sams reacted to the Trump VS Harris debate on Wednesday, saying, "VP Harris is in total command of the stage. She is presidential. She has Trump on the ropes, holding him accountable for his own actions -- notably how he got Roe v. Wade scrapped and the damage that's caused women across America. He hasn't been the same since that exchange."

Trump closed the debate, calling out Harris' record in the last three and a half years. "She's going to do all these wonderful things. Why hasn't she done it? She's been there for three and a half years," he said. "The worst president, the worst vice president in the history of our country," he said.

Meanwhile, Harris sought to draw a final contrast between her vision for the country and that of Trump. "We're not going back," she said. "And I do believe that the American people know we all have so much more in common than what separates us, and we can chart a new way forward."

Trump-Harris Presidential debate LIVE: The first debate between Trump and Harris ended around 8:20 am on Wednesday.

Trump vs Harris Presidential debate LIVE: Donald Trump reacted to his remarks on Kamala Harris' racial identity. He said, ‘I don’t care what she is…'

Trump-Harris Presidential debate LIVE Updates: Harris said while speaking on Russia-Ukraine war: "If Donald Trump were president, Putin would be sitting in Kyiv right now, and understand what that would mean, because Putin’s agenda is not just about Ukraine..."

Trump vs Harris Debate LIVE: Israel has right to defend itself, said Harris, saying that Hamas "slaughtered" thousands of Israelis. "We must have a two state solution," she said. Meanwhile, Trump said Harris “hates Israel”.

Trump vs Harris Debate LIVE: Trump said on Wednesday, “I probably took a bullet to the head because of the things that they say about me. They talk about democracy, I’m a threat to democracy, they’re the threat to democracy."

Trump vs Harris Debate LIVE: Harris was asked about the change in her policy position on issues such as fracking, key in Pennsylvania – which she said during her last campaign for president she wanted to ban, but now won't. "We have had the largest increase in domestic oil production in history because of an approach that recognizes that we cannot over rely on foreign oil," she said.

Trump vs Harris Debate LIVE: In perhaps the most bizarre moment of this debate so far, Trump repeated a "debunked" claim that immigrants eat pets in an Ohio town, forcing the moderator to tell him that there is no proof of that.

“In Springfield, they’re eating the dogs, the people that came in, they’re eating the cats … they’re eating the pets of the people that live there. And this is what’s happening in our country, and it’s a shame,” the former US president said.

Trump vs Harris Debate LIVE: Kamala Harris hits out at Donald Trump over his November sentencing. She said Trump himself has a sentencing pending in November for felonies. She was speaking about postponement of Trump's sentencing in hush money case.

Trump vs Harris Debate LIVE: Speaking on the immigration issue, Trump repeated a “debunked story” on migrants 'eating cats'.

Will you allow abortion in seventh or eighth month," Trump said while debating on the issue of abortion ban on Wednesday.

Trump vs Harris Debate LIVE: Harris accused Trump of being deferential to Chinese president Xi Jinping amid debate over about the origins of Covid-19. “What Donald Trump did, let’s talk about this with Covid, is, he actually thanked President Xi for what he did during Covid. Look at his tweet: ‘Thank you, President Xi. Exclamation point’, when we know that Xi was responsible for lacking and not giving us transparency about the origins of Covid,” the vice-president said.

Trump vs Harris Debate LIVE: Trump said he is not in favour of abortion ban. 

Trump vs Harris Debate LIVE: In reaction to Harris's claims, Trump said, "I have nothing to do with Project 2025. That’s out there. I haven’t read it. I don’t want to read it, purposely. I’m not going to read it. This was a group of people that got together. They came up with some ideas, I guess, some good, some bad. But it makes no difference. I have nothing to do. Everybody knows I’m an open book. Everybody knows what I’m going to do, cut taxes very substantially and create a great economy like I did. Before, we had the greatest economy, we got hit with a pandemic, and the pandemic was, not since 1917 where 100 million people died, has there been anything like it."

This was after Harris brought up Project 2025, the rightwing blueprint to remake the US government authored by former Trump officials and people connected to him.

Trump vs Harris Debate LIVE:“Kamala Harris has destroyed our country with insane plans…She is a marxist,” Trump said during the debate on Wednesday.

Trump vs Harris Debate LIVE: “Kamal Harris does not have a plan and she copies Biden's plan,” said Trump during the debate.

Harris responded saying, “I was raised as a middle class kid, and I am actually the only person on this stage who has a plan that is about lifting up the middle class and working people of America. I believe in the ambition, the aspirations, the dreams of the American people, and that is why I imagine and have actually a plan to build what I call an opportunity economy."

Kamala Harris took at dig at Trump, saying he left us with worst unemployment since Great Depression.

Harris said she will focus on tax cuts.

The first debate between Trump and Harris has begun.

Donald Trump vs Kamala Harris LIVE Updates: When is the debate and how to watch it?

The debate is scheduled to begin at 6:30 am (IST) on Wednesday, September 11. Watch here 

Second gentleman and Kamala Harris' husband Doug Emhoff said he can’t wait to see Vice President Kamala Harris “in action” on the stage against former President Donald Trump. “You’ve got this, and I’ve got you,” Emhoff said.

One of the first Democratic lawmakers who called for President Joe Biden to drop out of the race after the June presidential debate said he feels more confident going into tonight’s debate. Democrat of Washington Rep. Adam Smith was among the first to voice opposition to Biden remaining the Democratic presidential candidate after his poor performance in June

Smith was quoted by CNN as saying, “I expect (Kamala) Harris to show she can effectively and competently deliver a message and respond to questions and to help expose (Donald) Trump as the lying, corrupt, incoherent narcissist that he is. Though, to be fair, Trump will likely do that last part all on his own,” Smith said, adding he felt “a lot less” anxious tonight.

Most of the focus during the debate is on the candidates, but with no audience, there’s sure to be plenty of attention on the moderators, too.

The Harris-Trump debate is happening on ABC News and is hosted by two of its news personalities.

David Muir’s “World News Tonight” has led the evening news ratings for eight years, making him effectively America’s most popular newscaster. Many nights “World News Tonight” has a bigger audience than anything on prime-time television.

Linsey Davis has a lower profile, and many will be seeing her in action on Tuesday night for the first time. She hosts ABC’s nightly streaming newscast, fills in for Muir and has moderated presidential nominating debates in the past. (AP)

Trump vs Harris Debate live: According to the rules, both Trump and Harris will get two minutes to answer and two minutes to rebut. They will get an additional minute for each candidate for clarifications and follow-ups.

In the debate, there will be a live audience, while the two candidates will stand for the entire debate.

The encounter is particularly important for Kamala Harris, with opinion polls showing that more than a quarter of likely voters feel they do not yet know enough about her.

The debate offers Harris, a former prosecutor, a chance to make her case against Trump, whose felony convictions, outspoken backing for supporters convicted in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol and frequent falsehoods offer plenty of fertile ground.

Stay tuned for LIVE updates on the debate.