The second Presidential Debate of the 2024 election, hosted by ABC News, was held on Sept. 10 between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris. With Harris recently entering the running, it is the candidates’ first time debating each other. Their debate was moderated by journalists David Muir and Linsey Davis.
The debate started at 8 p.m. CST with a handshake between the two candidates. The topic to begin the debate was the economy. Abortion and women’s reproductive rights, immigration, crisis response and healthcare were also major topics in this debate.
Muir raised the question of the economy and focused on the state of the economy in the present and how it differs from four years ago. Harris answered first, taking time to talk about how she can empathize with American citizens as she was raised in the middle class. When she started talking about her plans for economic development, Harris brought up what she calls an “opportunity economy,” which aims to allow people from lower classes to live more comfortably due to lower prices.
“I believe in the ambition, the aspirations [and] the dreams of the American people,” Harris said. “And that is why I imagine and [actually have] a plan to build what I call an opportunity economy.”
Contrary to Harris’ response, which focused on her vision for future economics, Trump’s response focused on the current state of the economy, which he blames on President Joe Biden’s administration.
“We have inflation like very few people have ever seen before,” Trump said. “Probably the worst in our nation’s history.”
ABC News fact checking blog determined that the statement was false, but there was some truth in it as the inflation rate is the highest it’s been in over 40 years. Post World War II and the economy of the 1970s oil embargo and shortage had higher inflation rates than the present. ABC News cited the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis as their source for this information.
Davis brought up abortion as the next topic in a question to Trump regarding his stance on what abortion should look like in the U.S. She raised the fact that he brought in the Supreme Court Justices that overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022 and his more recent claims that his campaign would be great for women and their reproductive rights. Davis pointed out his inconsistencies with his stance on abortion.
Trump responded, bringing up what he believes is allowed in states that don’t have abortion bans. He said that abortion can be done in the ninth term, even after the baby is born. This, however, was proven to be false by ABC News later in their blog, saying that “there is no state that allows the killing of a baby after birth. Infanticide is illegal in all 50 states.”
When the discussion turned to Harris, she explained her plans for women’s reproductive rights if she becomes president. Harris wishes to reinstate Roe v. Wade if she wins. She talked about how some states currently have decided to ban abortion, making it illegal and, in one state, punishable by life in prison for medical professionals that provide abortion care.
“[There are] Trump abortion bans that make no exception even for rape and incest,” Harris said. “A survivor of a crime of violation to their body does not have the right to make a decision about what happens to their body next. That is immoral.”
Davis asked Trump if he would veto a national abortion ban. She talked about how his running mate JD Vance said they would take such a step if it was ever brought to their attention, and she wanted Trump’s view on the matter. Trump said he does not believe that is a decision he will ever have to make.
“I’m not signing a ban, and there’s no reason to sign a ban because we’ve gotten what everyone wanted,” Trump said. “The states are voting.”
From there, the topic of immigration was brought up. Muir asked Harris if she would have done anything differently in terms of how she and Biden responded to the migrant issue.
Harris talked about a bill that was killed by Trump that she believes would have secured the border. The bill was a $20 billion plan to add border control and aimed to catch more criminals coming in through larger detention centers and asylums. She said that it would have lessened the trafficking happening on guns, drugs and human beings. Harris stated that if she becomes president, she will be proactive about the migrant problem.
Trump’s portion of the discussion revolved around how he feels the border is today. He believes the border was secure when he was president, but went downhill when the power transferred to Biden. Trump also talked about his deportation plans if he were to become president in response to a question Muir asked about it. He noted that he wants to protect the people of America, for this he made false claims of a situation in Springfield, Ohio.
“They’re eating the dogs,” Trump said. “They’re eating the cats. They’re eating the pets of the people that live there.”
However, Muir said that ABC News talked to the mayor and reported that there were no credible cases of such things. Trump continued speaking of it, though, claiming there were television reports on it. ABC News fact-checking blogs debunked this.
Muir brought up the events of Jan 6, 2021, that took place when people believed that Trump had unfairly lost the 2020 election. This question became a transition into their conversation of how a president should react in times of crisis. The Ukraine-Russia and Israel-Hamas wars were used as examples of conflicts needing to be handled by the next president. Afghanistan was also briefly brought up.
Harris, in response to the Israel-Hamas war, believes that Israel should have the ability to defend itself and Palestinians should have the ability to feel safe in their homes. She plans for a two-state solution that she hopes would make Gaza a safe place again. For the Ukraine-Russia war, she explained what she and Biden have already done in response to a conflict that is in its second year.
Davis turned the discussion over to Trump and asked how he would have dealt with the war in Ukraine if he were currently president. Trump believes that if he were president, both wars would not have started. He criticized how Biden and Harris have dealt with these issues so far.
“Look at what’s happening in the Middle East,” Trump said. “This would have never happened. I will get that settled, and fast.”
One of their last topics discussed was healthcare, which Davis brought up by talking about Obamacare and Trump’s past statements on it saying that he plans on keeping it unless he can find something better. Trump explained what his vision is for the future of medical care in America.
“If we can come up with a plan that’s going to cost our people, our population, less money and be better healthcare than Obamacare, then I would absolutely do it,” Trump said. “But, until then, I’ll run it as good as it can be run.”
When the moderators passed the discussion to Harris, she gave her views on what healthcare in America needs to be. She also brought up the Affordable Care Act, which is a reform law that makes healthcare and insurance more affordable for U.S. citizens.
“Access to healthcare should be a right, and not just a privilege of those who can afford it,” Harris said. “The plan has to be to strengthen the Affordable Care Act.”
The debate ended by giving both candidates two minutes to give their closing statements. Harris, as determined by a coin toss held on Sept. 3, gave hers first, focusing on her promises if she becomes president. She made promises of being a president for the unity of America.
“I intend to be a president for all Americans, and focus on what we can do in the next 10 to 20 years to build back up our country by investing right now in you, the American people,” Harris said.
Trump’s closing statement focused primarily on what Harris is or isn’t doing. He argued that she has had over three years in office as vice president, but hasn’t made good on any of the promises she is making now. He highlighted the state of the world today and how that can greatly affect America’s future if it is put into someone’s hands who won’t handle it.
“We can’t sacrifice our country for the sake of bad vision,” Trump said.
With the election approaching in November, this is the final debate that will take place before the nation’s votes are cast.
