US Vice President Kamala Harris and former US President Donald Trump face off in their first presidential debate in Philadelphia on September 10, 2024. Photo: VCG

US Vice President Kamala Harris and former US president Donald Trump faced off in Philadelphia on Tuesday night local time in their first presidential debate ahead of the November election, clashing over a wide range of issues including abortion, immigration, the economy and foreign policy in a showdown that lasted one hour and 45 minutes.

Describing the event as "one of the highest-stakes national debates in a generation," CNN said the fundamental question is whether -and how-one of them can deliver a compelling message to swing voters while bolstering the confidence of their respective bases. 

For the first question, Harris was asked on the US domestic economy. She outlined her plan to increase child tax credit and offer tax deductions for small business startups. She said Trump left the Biden-Harris administration with the worst unemployment level since the Great Depression and the worst attack on the US' democracy since the Civil War, a reference to the Capitol riot on January 6, 2021.

Trump said he's in favor of imposing tariffs, in some cases, "substantial tariffs," and went on to say undocumented immigrants are taking jobs from Black and Hispanic Americans.

In terms of tariffs, Harris said that Trump "invited trade wars," while also attacking Trump's plans to impose broad tariffs on foreign importers as a "sales tax" on everyday goods that the American people will ultimately pay.

Responding to an inquiry that both candidates mentioned the US imposing tariffs on China, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said on Wednesday that US presidential elections are the US' own affairs, and she has no comment on that. However, China is opposed to making China an issue in US elections, Mao added.

The two candidates also trade barbs on foreign policy, including Russia-Ukraine conflict and Gaza War.

When asked about the Ukraine crisis, Trump said he wanted the war to stop without directly answering whether he wanted Ukraine to win its war with Russia. Harris accused Trump of being willing to abandon US support for Ukraine to "curry favor with Russian President Vladimir Putin," media reported.

When debating the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, Trump said Harris "hates Israel," while also claimed Harris "hates the Arab population," because the whole region is going to be "blown up," to which Harris said it's "absolutely not true" that she hates Israel, while calling Trump "weak and wrong" on foreign policy.

Shortly after the debate, Trump told Fox News Digital that he thought it was his "best debate ever," while a New York Times analysis claimed that "throughout the night, Trump found himself in a defensive crouch."

According a post-debate poll from The Washington Post, a group of uncommitted, swing-state voters interviewed thought Harris performed better, regardless of how they plan to vote in November. In another CNN poll of debate watchers conducted by SSRS, registered voters who watched Tuesday debate broadly agree that Harris outperformed Trump.

As having been much anticipated among Democrats, Taylor Swift, one of America's most celebrated pop-culture icons and has an enormous following across the world, endorsed Harris late Tuesday after Harris's debate against Trump.