The second US presidential debate offered ample hints at how the race for the White House has changed in just two months as an aggressive Vice President Kamala Harris managed to get under her rival Donald Trump's skin, hammering him over his criminal convictions, his views on abortion rights and the size of his rallies.
Kamala Harris's debate performance is being seen by experts as a major win for Democrats after President Joe Biden dropped out following his miserable performance in June.
Buoyed by her performance, Harris called for a second debate even as Trump remained non-committal.
The debate lifted the spirits of the Democrats after a fumbling and shaky performance by Biden in June showed the party trailing behind the Republicans, says a piece in 'India Today'.
However, on Tuesday night, the body language of the two leaders was a study in contrast.
Harris was the first off the blocks as she walked to Trump's podium to extend her hand before the start of the debate. The Republican, taken aback by the sudden gesture, accepted the handshake.
Interestingly, Trump and President Joe Biden did not shake hands when they met for their presidential debate two months ago.
On several occasions during the debate, Harris was seen looking directly at Trump while answering questions and countering him.
She was also seen cracking a smile and shaking her head in disagreement whenever Trump made a baseless claim or resorted to personal attacks.
At one point during the debate, Harris placed her hand on her chin when Trump referred to her as a Marxist.
The Democratic presidential candidate also looked directly into the camera while speaking on core issues like the economy and abortion. It seemed as if Harris was speaking directly to the millions of voters tuning in.
On the other hand, Trump, his usual combative self, hardly looked at Harris in their first-ever face-to-face meeting. The former President became visibly agitated during an exchange on abortion and appeared to fumble when asked if he would veto a national abortion ban if elected as president.
Harris also managed to get Trump irritated after she claimed that people left his rallies out of "exhaustion" and "boredom" as the former President brought up "fictional characters" like Hannibal Lecter.
France-based news agency AFP fact-checked the accuracy of what both contenders said on key issues:
The economy
Asked if Americans were better off than they were four years ago, Harris did not give a direct answer. She accused Trump of leaving Democrats “the worst unemployment since the Great Depression.”
This is misleading. Joblessness spiked at 14.8 per cent in April 2020 as the coronavirus pandemic shut down the US. By the time Trump left office unemployment was 6.4 pc.
Harris said she would offer families a tax credit of up to $6,000 for each eligible child, as well as a $50,000 tax deduction for small businesses, if elected president. She claimed Trump would favor billionaires and corporations over anyone else, and said the former president planned a sales tax that would hurt ordinary Americans.
Trump countered by saying President Joe Biden’s administration ushered in the highest inflation in US history, quoting figures of 21pc and as high as 60pc on some goods.
This is false. Inflation currently stands at 2.9pc. Inflation did hit a high of 9.1pc under Biden in 2022. This was well below a historic high of 23.7pc in 1920.
Trump denied he would impose a sales tax but conceded that other countries would face trade tariffs at a minimum of 10pc. Experts say tariffs amount to a tax on consumers who end up paying extra as the costs are passed on to them.
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