Kamala Harris tells Donald Trump ‘Putin would eat you for lunch’ as presidential candidates clash in TV debate

Donald Trump and Kamala Harris have clashed over issues including abortion, the economy and illegal immigration in their first – and possibly only – debate before the US election.

Ms Harris’s attacks appeared to get under her rival’s skin at times, claiming people left his rallies out of “boredom” and Russian President Vladimir Putin “would eat him for lunch”.

Meanwhile, Mr Trump frequently resorted to accusing her of allowing massive illegal immigration, as well as being a dangerous “Marxist” and the worst vice president ever.

Trump v Harris debate live: Pivotal night in US election

The debate in Philadelphia began with Ms Harris approaching Mr Trump for a handshake – an awkward pleasantry in the 100-minute face-off.

Ms Harris addressed voters directly into the camera several times as she made promises including cutting the cost of living and restoring abortion rights.

The ex-president, however, focussed on the two moderators throughout as the debate took place without a live studio audience.

In the opening duels, Mr Trump claimed Ms Harris had no plan for the economy and – as part of the Biden administration – had presided over high inflation and a flood of illegal immigrants taking jobs.

The vice president, in turn, accused the Republican of planning “a tax cut for billionaires and big corporations”.

During one of Mr Trump’s frequent references to a “dangerous” immigrant influx, he made a bizarre claim there were cases of them eating people’s pets.

“In Springfield, they’re eating the dogs. The people that came in. They’re eating the cats. They’re eating the pets of the people that live there,” he said.

The debate moderator interjected to clarify that officials in Springfield, Ohio, had reported no credible reports of such incidents.

Abortion rights were another key moment of the evening.

Ms Harris hit out at “Trump abortion bans” and said it was “unconscionable” that government should dictate what women do with their bodies.

During his presidency, Mr Trump installed three Supreme Court justices who helped overturn the constitutional right to abortion in 2022.

The 78-year-old defended the move, saying the issue had been “tearing the country apart” and that he had led on IVF rights.

“Each individual state is voting. It’s the vote of the people now. It’s not tied up in the federal government. I did a great service in doing it,” said Mr Trump.

Ms Harris said his claim her vice presidential pick, Tim Walz, supported abortion in the ninth month was a “bunch of lies” as she painted a sobering picture of what some women now go through.

“Now in over 20 states there are Trump abortion bans which make it criminal for a doctor or nurse to provide health care,” she said.

“In one state it provides prison for life. Trump abortion bans that make no exception even for rape and incest.”

‘Love letters to Kim Jong-un’

The former president, who’s looking to return to the White House despite his numerous legal troubles, looked rattled early on when Kamala Harris claimed people left his rallies “out of exhaustion and boredom”.

Mr Trump hit back that his events were “the most incredible rallies in the history of politics” and said Ms Harris was “bussing” people to her events and “paying them”.

Among other subjects, the two nominees were questioned on Ukraine, Gaza and Afghanistan.

Mr Trump suggested a win for the Democrats would end up with World War 3 and painted Ms Harris as a “horrible negotiator” who wouldn’t be able to stand up for America.

She hit back that Putin “would eat you for lunch”, claiming he “exchanged love letters” with Kim Jong-un and “admires dictators”.

Ms Harris said America’s top military commanders viewed him as a liability who is easily manipulated.

“It is absolutely well known that these dictators and autocrats are rooting for you to be president again, because they’re so clear they can manipulate you with flattery and favours,” said Ms Harris.

Mr Trump repeated his belief the Ukraine invasion wouldn’t have happened if he were in charge and claimed he would end it within days if he wins the election.

On Gaza, Ms Harris insisted Israel had a right to defend itself but that a ceasefire and a path towards a two-state solution was vital. Mr Trump claimed she “hated” Israel and had refused to meet President Netanyahu.

‘Not even close’

Ms Harris’s performance was praised by the man who she replaced as a candidate following his own debate debacle.

Joe Biden posted on X that the debate “wasn’t even close” – but the 59-year-old told supporters afterwards there remained “a lot of work to do”.

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Mr Trump called it his “best debate ever” and claimed his opponent “lost” as he made a rare move of entering the spin room to defend his performance.

There are so far no plans for a second debate – with the ex-president telling reporters he would “have to think about it”.

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Before Tuesday night, a summary of opinion polls by FiveThirtyEight put Ms Harris just ahead at 47.2% to 44.4% – it remains to be seen if the TV showdown will significantly shift those numbers.

There was also a boost post-debate for the Democrat hopeful when Taylor Swift posted on Instagram to say she backed Ms Harris.

“I’m voting for @kamalaharris because she fights for the rights and causes I believe need a warrior to champion them,” she wrote.

“I think she is a steady-handed, gifted leader and I believe we can accomplish so much more in this country if we are led by calm and not chaos.”