The five most important moments during the presidential debate between Trump and Harris: “Now I speak”

Former President Trump and Vice President Harris faced off for the first time in a debate moderated by ABC News on Tuesday in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Technically, the event was the second presidential debate of this election, but the first since President Biden ended his campaign and Democrats nominated Harris as their presidential candidate instead.

Many topics were raised and many jabs were made during the debate, but a few moments stood out. Here are the five most important moments from the argument.

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1. Trump says he wanted to send Harris a MAGA hat

Trump said he “wanted to send her a MAGA hat,” referring to Harris because the vice president adopted his political philosophy during the campaign. “Everything she believed in three and four years ago is out the window – she's now adopted my philosophy,” he said during the debate.

In particular, Harris has reversed several policy positions she held during her time in the Senate and during the 2019 election campaign, and has moderated herself against Trump in the run-up to the election.

“But if she were ever elected, she would change it,” Trump warned. “And that would be the end of our country. She's a Marxist.”

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2. Trump says he “probably got a bullet in the head” because of Biden-Harris rhetoric

The former president responded to Harris' warnings that he would be an authoritarian politician in his second term by suggesting that her and Biden's comments may have been the trigger for the assassination attempt on him in July.

“She used the weapon. Not me. She used the weapon,” Trump said in response to Harris' claims.

“I probably took a bullet in the head because of the things they're saying about me,” he said. Trump was shot in the ear at a July rally in Pennsylvania before the Secret Service killed the gunman and escorted him off the stage.

“You talk about democracy – I am a threat to democracy. You are a threat to democracy with your fake Russia investigation that has gone nowhere,” Trump added.

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3. Harris says she is not Joe Biden

The vice president told moderators, “It's clear I'm not Joe Biden,” after Trump sharply criticized the Biden-Harris administration's economic policies, saying, “She's Biden.”

“She’s trying to get away from Biden,” he said.

Harris replied that she was not Biden, adding that she was “certainly not Donald Trump.”

“What I offer is a new generation of leadership for our country,” she said.

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4. Harris stands by government’s withdrawal from Afghanistan despite criticism

“Do you believe you bear any responsibility for the way this withdrawal unfolded?” Harris was asked by a moderator.

“Well, I'll tell you, I agreed with President Biden's decision to withdraw from Afghanistan,” she said.

“Four presidents have pledged, and Joe Biden has done it.”

During the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan, 13 US soldiers were killed in a terrorist attack. Trump also pointed out that the disorganized withdrawal left American resources and equipment behind in the country.

When asked by ABC moderators whether she felt responsible for the manner of the withdrawal, Harris did not respond.

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5. Trump uses Harris' famous statement against her

Trump used a joke on Tuesday night that was similar to the one Harris made famous during the vice presidential debate in 2020.

“Wait a minute, I'll speak now, if you don't mind. Please,” the former president said.

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Harris was seen on camera interrupting Trump's statement that she supported defunding police. Her response could not be heard because her microphone was muted.

Trump's quote was a reference to Harris' own 2020 remark to then-Vice President Mike Pence. “Mr. Vice President, I'm speaking. I'm speaking,” she said at the point when Pence began to interrupt.

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