Former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris debated in Philadelphia Tuesday night, with the candidates talking about key issues before the November election.
The debate, hosted by ABC News and moderated by David Muir and Linsey Davis, began amiably but dissolved into quarrels. Questioning on Project 2025 and Trump’s stance on abortion began early into the debate, putting him on the defensive.
“I wasn’t very impressed by either candidate last night,” said Jack LaMorte, senior in LAS and president of the University’s branch of College Republicans. “Vice President Harris was just focusing on baiting President Trump throughout the entire debate. I think President Trump was falling for it the whole time, and it just was not very clean.”
Ibrahim Zeeshan, sophomore in LAS and general member of Illini Democrats, thought Harris clearly bested Trump.
“The main takeaway I have from the debate is that this was probably the closest former president has gotten to a public prosecution,” Zeeshan said.
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Abortion was one of the most heated topics of the night. In response to Trump’s claim that voters wanted Roe v. Wade overturned, Vice President Harris spoke passionately about the danger of denying abortions to victims of rape or incest.
“She’s bleeding out in the car in the parking lot,” Harris said. “She didn’t want that. Her husband didn’t want that. A 12- or 13-year-old survivor of incest being forced to carry a pregnancy to term? They don’t want that.”
Trump countered that he was not as extreme as Harris described him to be, but did not directly state whether he would veto a national abortion ban if it came across his desk. He commended the six justices who voted to overturn Roe v. Wade, three of which he appointed.
Speaking on abortion, LaMorte acknowledged the controversy surrounding the topic and said he agreed with the party’s platform to leave the decision up to the states.
“It’s a very divisive issue, and I kind of agree with the direction our party’s going right now and leaving it to the states. I think that is the best move,” LaMorte said.
Zeeshan said the abortion discussion was a standout moment in the vice president’s debate performance, and Harris held nothing back when discussing the implications of nationwide abortion bans.
“She pointed out how many people are suffering,” Zeeshan said. “People who are victims of rape and incest cannot get an abortion and can be criminalized for such, and she was able to make clear to the former president that what he did was very much immoral, and many people are suffering as a result.”
Immigration was another point of contention for the candidates. Harris reiterated the need to revive the bipartisan border bill blocked by Senate Republicans in May. Trump, after previously reiterating the intent to initiate “mass deportations” as president, claimed that illegal immigrants are eating and stealing pets.
“In Springfield, they’re eating the dogs,” Trump said. “The people that came in, they’re eating the cats. They’re eating the pets of the people that live there.”
LaMorte said that Trump’s overall discussion of immigration was satisfactory, but he thinks Trump chose to give more speaking time to less significant topics like rally turnout.
“I think (former) President Trump did an okay job addressing that,” LaMorte said. “I’ve seen him address it much better in the past. But last night, I think he was so focused on worrying about his crowd sizes.”
The debate, which also featured fiery back-and-forths on Obamacare, race relations and the ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza, ended with heated closing statements and no handshake.
Following the debate, Taylor Swift endorsed Vice President Harris and her running mate Tim Walz, governor of Minnesota. In an Instagram post, she expressed a need to endorse Harris after an AI-created image was circulating of her endorsing former President Trump.
“I’m voting for @kamalaharris because she fights for the rights and causes I believe need a warrior to champion them,” Swift wrote in the post. “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.”
LaMorte said he thinks many in Swift’s audience would have voted for Vice President Harris anyway and pointed out many of her supporters could be below the voting age of 18.
“She is very popular with younger audiences, and I think that it might also be with audiences who can’t vote yet,” LaMorte said. “I don’t know how much of an impact it really is going to have outside of college … I mean, people listen to her all the time, but I don’t know if they’re gonna let her political positions sway their vote.”
Zeeshan provided a differing opinion, citing that Swift’s demographic heavily consists of of-age voters. She said the singer’s endorsement could mean a boost in Harris’ polling in the coming weeks.
“(Swift) is obviously a very famous figure, beloved by many, especially in our age group in this country and around the world,” Zeeshan said. “I think those two factors combined will result in a massive polling shift in (Harris’) favor after the debate.”
In a poll published by CNN shortly after the debate, the majority of registered voters agreed Harris was victorious. Of those surveyed, 63% said Harris outperformed Trump, even though the same group had split viewpoints on who would win before debate night.
Despite the Harris campaign and high-ranking politicians voicing support for a second debate, Trump expressed hesitation about another round in an interview after getting off stage.
“Well she wants a second debate because she lost tonight, very badly,” Trump told ABC News Tuesday night.
Students hoping to gain involvement with politics, or further track the debates, can join a plethora of political RSOs on campus — including Illini Democrats or College Republicans at UIUC.
