Trump v Harris debate: What were the key points?

Former president Donald Trump and vice president Kamala Harris engaged in a fiery debate ahead of the US election on 5 November.

The stakes were high for both candidates heading into the showdown at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia.

Here are some of the key takeaways from the debate:

Project 2025

Donald Trump insisted he had nothing to do with Project 2025 after Kamala Harris said he would introduce its “dangerous” policies.

They are a set of conservative proposals prepared by some of Mr Trump’s closest policy advisers, although the former president said the policy document is not part of his campaign.

Follow the latest on the Trump v Harris debate reaction

Abortion fact-check

Both candidates clashed over abortion, with Mr Trump saying babies had been “executed” under certain state laws and Ms Harris saying his view was “insulting to women”. Here, moderators stepped in to fact-check the former president.

‘Bored’ at Trump rallies

Ms Harris invited voters to go to a Trump rally to see people leave early due to “exhaustion and boredom” – the former president, clearly riled, hit back by saying “people don’t go to her rallies”.

People ‘eating cats and dogs’

Moderators were forced to step in again when Mr Trump repeated claims that immigrants in Springfield were eating cats and dogs – something local authorities say has not been reported to them.

Assassination attempt

Referring to the assassination attempt on him, Mr Trump said he “probably took a bullet to the head” because of Democrats “weaponising” him.

Putin swipe

Ms Harris told Mr Trump that Russian President Vladimir Putin would “eat you for lunch” after he said he would stop the war in Ukraine if he were elected.

Another debate?

In a surprise visit to the spin room to defend himself after the debate, Mr Trump failed to commit to taking part in another, while the Democrats indicated Ms Harris would be willing to.

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Trump’s reaction

Mr Trump told reporters in the spin room he thinks it was his “best debate ever” arguing it made Harris look “weak”.

Taylor Swift endorsement

Moments after the debate, Taylor Swift endorsed Kamala Harris in an Instagram post to her 284 million followers – and signed off as “childless cat lady” in reference to Mr Trump’s running mate JD Vance‘s comments about Democrat leaders from a 2021 Fox News interview.

Read more:
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Harris: What drove her to become VP
Trump claims illegal immigrants are ‘eating pets’

Ratings

Polling for CNN showed Ms Harris’s favourability ratings up – while one TV commentator described Mr Trump’s performance as being “as bad as Biden”.

Reaction

Sky News’ sister network NBC has been reporting on the reaction, with some Republican supporters describing how Ms Harris was able to “bait” Trump as she appeared to “get under his skin”. Another said she sat back and let him “sound old, angry and rambling”.

Meanwhile, two campaign officials for Ms Harris said the endorsement from Taylor Swift was a surprise and what they viewed as a “decisive victory” which spoke to her ability to attract support.