First face-to-face showdown: Trump-Harris heated presidential debate touch on key topics

Report by Joe Farchakh, English adaptation by Yasmine Jaroudi

In a heated 90-minute debate, Republican candidate Donald Trump and Democratic candidate Kamala Harris exchanged accusations of dishonesty, fraud, and failure in their first face-to-face showdown. 

The debate began with an icy handshake, a stark contrast to the absence of any greeting in Trump's previous debate with President Biden in June.

Harris, visibly tense in her first presidential debate, took several minutes to compose herself, unlike Trump, who participated in his seventh.

Trump's experience gave him the upper hand as Harris' camp had anticipated his unpredictability and potential slip-ups, but her attempts to provoke him into interrupting backfired, leaving her caught in her own trap.

Trump spoke for 43 minutes, dedicating 13 of them to attacking Harris directly. In contrast, Harris used 17 of her 37 minutes to launch her own criticisms of Trump. 

Both candidates held firm to their pre-declared stances on crucial issues, including abortion, immigration, gun control, inflation, and foreign policy, particularly the wars in Ukraine and Gaza.

On immigration, Trump aggressively attacked Harris on border security, accusing her of failing to address the border crisis. In response, Harris blamed Trump for sabotaging bipartisan efforts to pass a Border Security Bill earlier this year. 

In terms of the economy, Harris promoted her "Opportunity Economy" plan to create jobs for all Americans. Trump retorted by accusing her of lacking an original economic plan, claiming she was merely copying President Biden's policies, which he said had led to unprecedented inflation. 

Trump warned that Harris' election would signal the "end of the United States."

Abortion rights, a key issue for voters, also took center stage. Harris insisted that the right to abortion must not be stripped away, especially in cases of rape, calling abortion bans an insult to American women.

Trump countered by stating that it was unacceptable to "kill children" under the guise of supporting abortion rights.

While both candidates fiercely defended their positions, the real test will be whether these talking points resonate with voters, particularly in swing states where the outcome of the election may ultimately be decided.