TRANSCRIPT
It could be the one and only election debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, before voting day on November 5.
The rules of the 90-minute debate were strict: no opening statements, no notes, no audience in the room, and with microphone to be switched off at points to allow only one candidate, at a time, to speak .
Around the country, voters were watching; assessing who would be the clear winner, but also not forgetting what happened in the last presidential debate in June.
The performance of Joe Biden that night eventually led him to exit the race, opening the space for Kamala Harris to enter as the Democratic presidential candidate.
Ms Harris took the opportunity to lay out her policy priorities, including on abortion rights.
"Let's understand how we got here. Donald Trump hand-selected three members of the United States Supreme Court with the intention that they would undo the protections of Roe v Wade. And they did exactly as he intended. And now in over 20 states, there are Trump abortion bans, which make it criminal for a doctor or nurse to provide healthcare. In one state, it provides prison for life. And I pledge to you when Congress passes a bill to put back in place the protections of Roe v Wade as President of the United States, I will proudly sign it into law."
Former president Trump, now on his third run for the White House, did not waste time referring to the assassination attempt targeting him during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania in July.
His campaign has seized on that moment to rally support - and portray himself as a martyr who "took a bullet for democracy".
"I probably took a bullet to the head because of the things that they say about me. They talk about democracy - that I am a threat to democracy. They're the threat to democracy with the fake Russia, Russia, Russia investigation - that we went nowhere. David Muir: We have a lot get to, Linsey?"
He was challenged by the debate moderators, ABC News America journalists David Muir and Linsey Davis, on the January 6 Capitol riot.
In 2021, the United States Capitol Building was attacked by a mob of supporters of Trump after he had delivered a speech refusing to accept his defeat in 2020 presidential election.
The January 6 Committee’s final report on the 2021 incident concluded Trump was the “central cause” of the attack, that he failed to act to stop his supporters from attacking the building.
Donald Trump says he believes he did nothing wrong.
“Peacefully and patriotically, I said during my speech, not later on. Yes, or I had nothing to do with that other than they asked me to make a speech. I showed up for a speech. I said: I think it's going to be big. I went to Nancy Pelosi and the mayor of Washington, DC. I said: this is going to be a very big rally or whatever you want to call it. And again, it wasn't done by me, it was done by others. I said: I'd like to give you 10,000 National Guard or soldiers. They rejected me. Nancy Pelosi rejected me."
A participant in multiple election debates, Donald Trump sought to use his favourite attack lines and go-to falsehoods on immigration and crime, while delivering personal attacks, calling his opponent as a "radical left Liberal", a phony with no policies to run on.
"Crime in this country is through the roof and we have a new form of crime. It's called migrant crime. And it's happening at levels that nobody thought possible. David Muir: President Trump, as you know, the FBI says overall violent crime is actually coming down in this country."
Before the debate, and only seven weeks into her role as presidential candidate, Ms Harris was seen as having the harder task, needing to show voters who she is - aside from Joe Biden's running mate and vice-president for more than three years.
A recent New York Times survey, found that 28 per cent of likely November voters wanted to know more about Kamala Harris.
Born and raised in Northern California, Ms Harris is the daughter of an Indian mother and Jamaican father.
If elected, she would be the first female president of the United States; and would make history as America's first Black and South Asian woman president.
But Ms Harris has not sought to emphasise the race and gender aspects, instead focusing on policy.
She was keen, however, to emphasise her former career as a prosecutor against Mr Trump's record as a convicted criminal.
"I think this is so rich coming from someone who has been prosecuted for national security crimes, economic crimes, election interference...has been found liable for sexual assault. And his next big court appearance is in November at his own criminal sentencing. And let's be clear where each person stands on the issue of what is important about respect for the rule of law and respect for law enforcement."
She rattled Trump at moments in the debate, including over the size of his rallies, prompting this response.
"She said people start leaving - people don't go to her rallies. There is no reason to go. And the people that do go, she is busing them in and paying them to be there. And then showing them in a different light. She can't talk about that. People don’t leave my rallies. We have the biggest rallies, the most incredible rallies in the history of politics."
She also made good use of her facial expressions while her microphone was muted - showing scepticism, concern and dismissal and mouthing the words "that's not true" at certain parts.
But Kamala Harris was weaker in outlining a solution to the stalemate over a Gaza ceasefire; and less adept in explaining why she has now changed stance from being against fracking to being in favour of it.
Donald Trump has made it clear his position on climate change, declaring it a hoax.
Ms Harris says she supports a "clean energy economy” but says she won't be backing away completely from oil and gas - and she won't ban fracking if elected president.
Aware that the debate was taking place in the battleground state of Pennsylvania, one of the top natural gas producers in the country, she delivered this response.
"I made that very clear. In 2020, I will not ban fracking. I have not banned fracking as Vice President of the United States. And in fact, I was the tie-breaking vote on the Inflation Reduction Act, which opened new leases for fracking. My position is that we have got to invest in diverse sources of energy, so we reduce our reliance on foreign oil. We have had the largest increase in domestic oil production in history because of an approach that recognises that we cannot over rely on foreign oil."
Donald Trump was put on the defensive, asked by the debate moderators why he has continued to question Kamala Harris' racial identity, with remarks that she "happened to turn Black."
David Muir: Why do you believe it's appropriate to weigh in on the racial identity of your opponent? Donald Trump: I don't care what she is. I don't care. You make a big deal out of something. I couldn't care less. Whatever she wants to be is okay with me.
David Muir: But those were your words - Donald Donald Trump: I don't know. All I can say is I read where she was not black. And then I read that she was black, and that's okay. Either one was okay with me. That's up to her. That's up to her."
In her first substantive comments on race and racism, she says she has always embraced the cultural heritage of both of her parents and responded that issues of race should not be used to divide the country.
"I mean honestly, I think it's a tragedy that we have someone who wants to be president, who has consistently, over the course of his career, attempted to use race to divide the American people. I do believe that the vast majority of us know that we have so much more in common than what separates us. And we don't want this kind of approach that is just constantly trying to divide us - and especially by race."
Minutes after the end of the debate, pop superstar Taylor Swift announced her official endorsement of Ms Harris.
In a statement on Instagram, she wrote: I’m voting for @kamalaharris because she fights for the rights and causes I believe need a warrior to champion them".
Donald Trump showed up after the debate in the so-called spin room, telling reporters he thought it was his best debate and his opponent "didn’t do very well".
His running mate, JD Vance, says he thought there was a clear winner.
"So, I think what we saw with Donald Trump - he was crisp, he was clear, he had a real vision for what to do to take this country forward. He also has a record that he is proud of. And the biggest different between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump is that they both have records. Donald Trump is proud of his. Kamala Harris is ashamed of hers, and rightfully so."
President Joe Biden posted on X that America got to see the leader he's been proud to work alongside for three and a half years writing:
Wasn’t even close. VP Harris proved she’s the best choice to lead our nation forward. We’re not going back.
