Donald Trump and Kamala Harris faced each other on the debate stage Tuesday night for the first time, and the mics are finally off—for now.

The highly anticipated 90-minute matchup allowed Harris to spotlight her policy goals—which she made public right before the debate—and public speaking skills on a national stage for the first time. The former president faced a new competitor at his seventh general election debate with less than two months until Election Day. 

Here are the main takeaways from the debate between Harris and Trump at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia.    

Harris got under Trump’s skin, a contrast from Biden

Harris did not hesitate to jab at Trump early on in the debate. The former prosecutor baited Trump with issues known to irritate the former president, including the criminal cases against him, supporters leaving his rallies, world leaders calling him a “disgrace,” and his failure to concede the 2020 election.

In her first answer, Harris took aim at Trump’s economic policy, saying it is exclusively for the rich, and referred to his tariffs on all imported goods as the “Trump sales tax.” She spoke about her middle-class upbringing, adding that his policy would only hurt the middle class.

She went after his performance at rallies, mentioning that “people start leaving his rallies early.” Trump claimed his rallies were larger than hers. He falsely insisted that Harris’ rally attendees were bused in and paid to attend.

Trump attempted to frame Harris as a weak leader, but she clapped back, saying the former president is self-absorbed and that Russian President Vladimir Putin would “eat” Trump “for lunch.”

Harris said Trump caused the “worst attack on our democracy since the Civil War,” referring to the Jan. 6 Capitol riots.

She also referenced Project 2025, saying the former president would implement it if elected, which he later denied being affiliated with or having read it.

Harris responds to Trump’s comments on race and claims of being too liberal

Trump made claims about Harris being too liberal, including calling her a “Marxist” and accusing her of wanting to take guns away. Harris responded saying she and running mate Tim Walz are gun owners.

She brought up Republican endorsements for the Harris-Walz campaign, including those from former Vice President Dick Cheney and Congress member Liz Cheney.

After moderators asked about Trump suggesting Harris—who is Black and South Asian—recently “became a Black person,” he said he “couldn’t care less” about her race.

“It’s a tragedy that we have someone who wants to be president who has consistently over the course of his career, attempted to use race as a divide the American people,” Harris said in response.

Candidates address key issues and reiterate positions

Both candidates discussed key issues, with varying success across the board. The vice president and former president vaguely outlined plans for key issues like immigration and the country’s economy, but at times, turned to venting about each other and their policies. 

When asked if Americans are better off economically than they were four years ago, Harris did not directly address the question and instead spoke about her economic plans as president.

Trump accused her and President Joe Biden of causing inflation. Economists have said the claims are misleading and that inflation stems from an imbalance between supply and demand.  

When the topic turned to abortion, both Trump and Harris used the time to attack each other’s positions. Trump defended his support of a six-week abortion ban in Florida by calling Democrats too radical on the issue and incorrectly citing that ninth-month and post-birth abortions had been allowed in Virginia.

In her response, Harris said that the abortion bans Trump supports criminalize health care and make no rape or incest exceptions. Referring to Project 2025 again, Harris said that if Trump was elected he would instate a national abortion ban, which he denied. Trump was quick to defend that he returned the issue to the states, which he said is what many Americans wanted.

Harris addressed her changed positions on fracking bans and decriminalizing border crossings, which Trump attacked. However, she did discuss her flip-flops in great detail. 

On solving geopolitical conflicts, Harris and Trump largely rehashed their positions. Harris advocated for a two-state solution and ceasefire, but made it clear she supports Israel’s right to defend itself. Trump deflected his answer saying that the Israel-Hamas war would never have started if he were president, before shifting to talk about the Russo-Ukrainian War. 

Trump tied Harris to Biden

The former president claimed Biden “hates her. He can’t stand her.” He also said Harris is “worse than Biden.” 

“In my opinion, I think he’s the worst president in the history of our country. She goes down as the worst vice president in the history of our country,” Trump said.

He added that her policies resemble Biden’s. 

“She’s [saying she’s] going to do this, she’s going to do that, she’s going to do all these wonderful things. Why hasn’t she done it?” Trump said.

He brought up immigration again, blaming Biden for the border crisis, and continued his anti-immigration rhetoric.

“These are the people that she and Biden led into our country, and they’re destroying our country,” Trump said. He later amplified debunked rumors that Haitian immigrants in Ohio are eating pets, which ABC’s David Muir noted local officials said was not happening. 

Separating herself from Biden will be a challenge for Harris, who has been linked to the president continuously by both Republicans and Democrats. While her policy closely aligns with Biden’s, she insisted she is the top leader for Americans and said to Trump that he is “not running against Joe Biden, you’re running against me.” 

“Clearly, I am not Joe Biden, and I am certainly not Donald Trump. And what I do offer is a new generation of leadership for our country,” she said.

The first debate but potentially not the last

While the mics may be off for now, Harris’ campaign told ABC News minutes after Tuesday’s debate ended that she wants to take part in a second debate with the former president.

Next month, Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Republican Ohio Sen. JD Vance will face off on Oct. 1 in New York City in a debate hosted by CBS News.