Five takeaways from Donald Trump and Kamala Harris’s US presidential debate

In their first-ever meeting, the Republican and Democratic candidates sparred over immigration, Ukraine and the Gaza war.
The debate between United States Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump started with a handshake and ended with the candidates painting one another as awful leaders who should not be elected.

Harris and Trump traded barbs for more than 90 minutes on Tuesday, in a debate that was light on substantive policy and heavy on personal attacks.
Trump tried to portray Harris as a far-left candidate who would pursue open-border policies, ban fracking and confiscate people’s guns. He also pushed to link her to President Joe Biden, painting them as fundamentally the same type of politician.

Harris responded by questioning Trump’s fitness for office and calling him a “disgrace”. She also attempted to dismiss the former president as an object of ridicule. At several points, she appeared to be suppressing her laughter as Trump spoke.

Even pundits on conservative channels like Fox News observed that Harris seemed to leave Trump rattled. And in the minutes following the debate, pop star Taylor Swift offered Harris her endorsement.