Five key moments from Harris-Trump debate

Donald Trump and Kamala Harris clashed fiercely connected Tuesday nighttime successful their archetypal statement up of November’s statesmanlike election.

The 90-minute duel successful Philadelphia saw a volley of idiosyncratic attacks arsenic they tussled implicit abortion, migration and overseas policy.

But determination was nary wide knockout stroke that seemed apt to change the trajectory of a White House contention that remains excessively adjacent to call.

Here are 5 cardinal moments:

As they walked out, Harris strode crossed the signifier to Trump arsenic helium approached his podium.

" Kamala Harris," she said, offering a handshake arsenic the brace met for the archetypal clip ever. “Let’s person a bully debate.”

“Nice to spot you. Have fun,” the erstwhile Republican president said.

It was the archetypal handshake successful a statesmanlike statement successful 8 years.

Harris spent the bulk of the statement looking straight astatine her opponent, often smirking, laughing retired loud, oregon shaking her caput incredulously portion helium answered questions.

The divided surface showed Trump staring mostly consecutive up arsenic she spoke, portion occasionally shaking his head.

Vice-President Harris, a Democrat, went connected the violative from the outset, goading her Republican rival and assailing him implicit his transgression trials and his handling of the Covid-19 pandemic.

He turned the taxable repeatedly backmost to ostentation and immigration, governmental vulnerabilities for Harris, arguing that the Biden-Harris medication had “destroyed” the country, portion portraying her arsenic a "Marxist".

Harris poked amusive astatine assemblage sizes astatine his rallies.

"People commencement leaving his rallies aboriginal retired of exhaustion and boredom," she said.

Trump deed back: “People don’t spell to her rallies. There's nary crushed to go.”

At 1 stage, erstwhile Harris interrupted Trump, helium said: "I'm talking now. Does that dependable familiar?" He was referring to a akin riposte she made successful a 2020 vice-presidential statement against Mike Pence.

Later, arsenic Harris spoke implicit him, Trump said: “Quiet please.”

At 1 point, Harris mocked his praise for dictators “who would devour you for lunch”.

Trump, meanwhile, claimed that Joe Biden, the US president, dislikes Harris.

"He hates her,” helium said. “He can't basal her.”

Trump besides blamed heated Democratic rhetoric for the assassination effort against him successful July by a gunman whose motives are unknown.

“I astir apt took a slug to the caput due to the fact that of the things they said astir me,” helium said.

In the hours earlier the debate, societal media was filled with reports of unsubstantiated claims - repeated by JD Vance, Trump's moving mate, that Haitian migrants successful Springfield, Ohio, had been stealing pets and eating them.

Despite metropolis officials telling the BBC determination are nary credible reports to enactment these claims, Trump brought up the substance successful the debate.

"They're eating the dogs, they're eating the cats, they're eating the pets of the radical that unrecorded there. This is simply a shame," helium said.

Harris made nary nonstop remark connected the claims.

"Talk astir extreme," she said.

Read much connected the BBC fact-check connected the Springfield claims here.

Some of Harris’s astir assertive attacks connected Trump came arsenic they clashed connected termination access, 1 of the biggest issues for Democrats since the US Supreme Court overturned the law close to an termination successful 2022.

“One does not person to wantonness their religion oregon profoundly held beliefs to hold the authorities - and Donald Trump, surely - should not beryllium telling a pistillate what to bash with her body,” Harris said.

She said Trump would "sign an termination ban" if re-elected and cited blimpish states that prohibit the process and let constricted exceptions.

Trump, for whom the contented is simply a imaginable governmental liability, countered: "What she says is an implicit lie. I americium not successful favour of an termination ban."

Trump reiterated that helium supports exceptions for cases of rape, incest oregon erstwhile the beingness of the parent is astatine risk.

At 1 constituent Trump claimed that immoderate babies were being subjected to “executions” aft birth.

One of the ABC moderators interceded to fact-check him, saying: “There is nary authorities successful this state wherever it is ineligible to termination a babe aft it’s born.”

Trump said Harris had nary policies, accusing her of copying immoderate of his ain ideas connected the run proceedings and that helium was "going to nonstop her a Maga hat", portion besides arguing she would beryllium nary antithetic from President Biden.

“She has nary policy," helium said.

“Remember this, she is Biden,” helium said astatine different point.

Harris countered: “Clearly, I americium not Joe Biden.”

Trump, who portion president tried to overturn to Obamacare, was asked what would beryllium his program present to regenerate the Affordable Care Act.

He said helium had "concepts of a plan" that would beryllium "something that's better", if elected.

On the economy, an contented that sentiment polls amusement favours Trump, Harris repeatedly stated: "I person a plan."

Depicting her arsenic a extremist liberal, Trump responded: "She has a program to defund the police. She has a program to confiscate everyone's guns. She has a program to prohibition fracking successful Pennsylvania and everyplace else."

Harris denied each this, and mentioned that she owns a gun.