"I am neither Biden nor Trump, I am a new leader. We need to turn the page." No, "you will be the worst president."

These are just two of the exchanges between the two candidates for the White House, Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, who faced off in their first (and perhaps only) televised duel in the Italian night ahead of the US presidential elections on November 5.

Live on ABC from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the Democratic and Republican candidates engaged in a wide range of debates, with accusations, counter-accusations, jabs and outright attacks.

Abortion – On the subject of abortion, Trump took a drastic line: “Democrats want to kill babies up to 9 months old,” but Kamala replied: “Lies, we just believe that the government and especially Donald Trump should not tell a woman what to do with her body.”

Foreign Policy – There were also tough exchanges on foreign policy and conflicts. Trump stated (as he has done in the past) that he is able to "stop the war between Russia and Ukraine even before I take office, if I win the election." Harris instead stated: "If Trump were president, Putin would be sitting in Kiev with his eyes fixed on Europe."

And on the Middle East: "Kamala Harris hates Israel, I believe that if she becomes president Israel will not exist in two years," thundered Trump. Harris herself explained that the line will be that of "peace, of the defense of Israel, but with the two-state solution," affirming that Trump is not credible abroad because "foreign leaders laugh at him."

Economy – During the Trump duel, the economy and immigration were of course also discussed. “I created one of the strongest economies in history and I will do it again,” said Donald Trump, recalling his tariff policy, especially against China, and denouncing the current “terrible economy” with too high inflation that is “a disaster not only for the middle class but for all classes.” The tycoon then attacked immigrants who bring violence and steal jobs from Americans.

Harris, for her part, said that the Biden administration had to clean up Trump's "messes" and that the tycoon "sold our chips to China, basically sold us, to give Beijing the opportunity to strengthen its military. And during Covid he even thanked Xi Jinping," she insisted.

The final appeals – In her closing statement, Kamala Harris launched a message of hope, saying that she is “looking to the future and not to the past like Donald Trump” and that she wants to embark on “a new path” to follow with an “inclusive vision,” an “economy of opportunities” that invests in small businesses and families. And that she wants to defend civil rights, starting with abortion. In short, “a president who takes care of you and doesn’t put himself first.”

Trump, on the other hand, who had the final say by drawing lots, closed by asking: "Why hasn't he done these wonderful things he's promised in these three and a half years?", before accusing her and Biden of having created "a nation in decline", "mocked by everyone, invaded by millions of immigrants" and which is bringing the world "to the brink of World War III".

At the end of the face-to-face meeting, Harris' staff proposed another duel on live TV, before the vote. A challenge that, according to what has been filtered out, would not be welcomed by Trump and his entourage.

At the end of the debate, the tycoon also stated: «This was my best debate ever», despite, he added, the «bias» of the ABC moderators.

(Unioneonline/lf)

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