Harris, Trump shake hands as pivotal debate gets under way

Republican Donald Trump and Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris took the debate stage on Tuesday night in what promised to be a pivotal moment in their closely fought presidential contest, shaking hands as they met for the first time in person.

The debate got under way at 9 pm ET (0100 GMT on Wednesday).

With eight weeks to go before the Nov. 5 election, and days until early voting starts in some states, the debate - the only one scheduled - presented both opportunities and risks for each candidate in front of a televised audience of tens of millions of voters.

Ahead of the debate, Trump, 78, said he would contrast the left-wing policies Harris proposed in her unsuccessful 2020 presidential bid - such as banning fracking - with the more centrist positions she has staked out now.

"You don't know what to expect. She's changed all of her policies over the years," the former president told NBC News in a phone interview.

Harris, 59, indicated she would draw attention to Trump's reliance on falsehoods.

"Donald Trump has a real problem with the truth," she wrote in a social media post on Tuesday morning. Her campaign released an ad featuring former President Barack Obama ridiculing Trump's false claims about crowd sizes at his events. 

Harris will also talk about her plans to lower Americans' daily expenses, campaign advisers said.

The encounter is particularly important for Harris, with opinion polls showing that more than a quarter of likely voters feel they do not know enough about her. Harris entered the race only seven weeks ago after President Joe Biden's exit. 

The debate offers Harris, a former prosecutor, a chance to make her case against Trump, whose felony convictions, outspoken backing for supporters convicted in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol and frequent falsehoods are all potential vulnerabilities.

Trump has proven an effective counter-puncher in past debates, knocking opponents off-balance with unpredictable attacks, and he knows how to command a camera thanks to his years as a reality television star.

FIRST MEETING

The clash followed weeks of personal attacks on Harris by Trump and his allies that have included racist and sexist insults.

Trump's advisers and fellow Republicans have urged him to focus on the high levels of inflation and immigration during Biden's presidency, though both have dropped dramatically this year.

Presidential debates do not necessarily change voters' minds, but they can transform the dynamics of a race. Biden's poor performance against Trump in June led him to abandon his campaign on July 21.

In a contest that could again come down to tens of thousands of votes in a handful of states, even a small shift in public opinion could alter the outcome. The two candidates are effectively tied in the seven battleground states likely to decide the election, according to polling averages compiled by the New York Times. 

The 90-minute debate, hosted by ABC News, was taking place at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia. As agreed by the campaigns, there was no live audience and candidates' microphones were muted when it was not their turn to speak.

Harris spent days preparing in Pittsburgh, holding mock sessions on a stage with lights to recreate the debate environment.

Trump instead relied on informal chats with advisers, campaign appearances and media interviews to prepare, with former Democratic congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard - who had a memorably hostile exchange with Harris in a Democratic presidential debate in 2019 - offering advice.

On a call with reporters on Monday, Gabbard said Trump would treat Harris the same as any other opponent.

"President Trump respects women and doesn't feel the need to be patronising or to speak to women in any other way than he would speak to a man," she said.

Harris is expected to attack Trump over abortion. The issue has been a priority for Harris and Democrats since 2022, when the US Supreme Court - powered by three Trump appointees - eliminated a nationwide right to the procedure in a broadly unpopular decision.

Harris has also sought to tie Trump to Project 2025, a conservative policy blueprint that proposes expanding executive power, eliminating environmental regulations and making it illegal to ship abortion pills across state lines, among other right-wing goals.