Harris and Trump Face Off on Presidential Debate Amid Upcoming US Elections

In a highly anticipated presidential debate held in Philadelphia on Tuesday night, Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump squared off for the first—and potentially last—time. The 90-minute debate proved to be a heated exchange between the two. It presents a stark contrast to the previous June 27 debate between President Biden and Trump.

Harris, a former prosecutor, used her opening statement to launch sharp criticisms at Trump. She accused him of implementing tariffs that would act as a sales tax on the middle class and labelled his presidency as presiding over “the worst attack on American democracy since the Civil War.” Harris also took aim at Trump’s treatment of women on the topic of abortion and his praise of foreign dictators, citing Trump’s intention of implementing Project 2025. 

Trump, on the defensive, criticised Harris for moderating her positions since the 2020 Democratic primary, suggesting she had adopted some of his views. He also emphasised issues like inflation and immigration, accusing Harris of being an extension of Biden. “She is Biden,” Trump claimed. 

 

 

However, Harris chided back to Trump for his 2020 election loss to Joe Biden. She noted, “Donald Trump was fired by 81 million people.”

The debate featured ABC’s David Muir and Linsey Davis interjecting to fact-check the candidates and co-moderating the debate. Including Trump’s claim about Haitian immigrants in Ohio eating dogs and other pets.

“They’re eating the dogs, the people that came in, they’re eating the cats,” Trump declared. “They’re eating the pets of the people that live there, and this is what’s happening in our country, and it’s a shame.”

Muir immediately fact-checked Trump’s claims, saying that the city manager in Springfield, Ohio, told the network there had been no credible reports of pets being harmed, injured, or abused by people in the city’s immigrant community. 

Trump later criticised the debate as unfair, claiming it was “three on one.” 

 

 

Despite Harris’s strong performance, the outcome of the 2024 race remains uncertain. Polls continue to show a tight race.

For Belize, a small Caribbean nation with close ties to the U.S., the outcomes of such debates can have indirect but notable implications. The policies and positions of U.S. presidential candidates can influence international relations, trade agreements, and economic aid, all of which are crucial to Belize.