Kamala Harris presses forceful case against Donald Trump during tense presidential debate

PHILADELPHIA — Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump faced each other on the debate stage Tuesday night for the first – and possibly the last – time.

The AJC Politics team covered the ABC News presidential debate live. Scroll down for real-time highlights.

11:01 p.m.: Guns issue not raised at debate

In the wake of the Apalachee High School shooting, which killed two teachers and two students on Sept. 4, there were renewed calls for stricter gun laws in Georgia and nationally. However, the shooting and gun policies were not brought up during the debate.

The victims were identified as Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, both 14, assistant football coach Richard “Ricky” Aspinwall, 39, and math teacher Cristina Irimie, 53. Nine others were injured at the Barrow County school.

Colt Gray, 14, is facing four counts of felony murder and is accused of using an AR-style weapon.

During a New Hampshire rally on the day of the shooting, Harris called the incident a “senseless tragedy” and said that “it doesn’t have to be this way.”

That same day, Trump said, “Our hearts are with the victims and loved ones of those affected by the tragic event in Winder.”

Get the latest on gun laws in Georgia here .

– Caroline Silva

10:46: It’s over

The first presidential debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump is over. But it might not be the last.

The Democrat’s campaign plans to announce it wants a second showdown with the GOP nominee, according to an official with knowledge of the request, which was earlier reported by The Washington Post .

It would be in addition to an Oct. 1 debate in New York between the two vice presidential nominees: Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and U.S. Sen. JD Vance.

– Greg Bluestein

10:42 p.m.: Fact-check on manufacturing jobs

In a discussion about manufacturing, Trump accused the Biden-Harris administration of gutting U.S. manufacturing jobs that all the plants were closing down. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the pre-pandemic economy had 12.8 million manufacturing jobs . When Trump left office, there were 12.2 manufacturing jobs. In August 2024, there were 12.9 million manufacturing jobs .

– Michael Kanell

10:38 p.m.: Trump demurs on previous attacks on Harris’ race

Former President Donald Trump refused to repeat some of his previous statements accusing Vice President Kamala Harris of denying her Black and Indian heritage at various points of her career. Instead, he said he didn’t care whether she had wavered and left it up to her to self-identify how she chose.

But Harris jumped on his remarks, saying that Trump had long been problematic on issues of race dating back to accusations of housing discrimination in the 1970s, his harsh criticism in 1989 of the later-exonerated Central Park Five and birtherism conspiracy theories about former President Barack Obama.

”We don’t want a leader who is constantly trying to have Americans point their fingers at each other,” she said.

Trump said Harris had resorted to bringing up decades-old controversies because she did not have recent examples to cite.

– Tia Mitchell

https://twitter.com/ABC/status/1833695667740365197

10:36 p.m.: Trump says he has ‘concepts of a plan’ to replace Affordable Care Act

Long a critic of the Affordable Care Act, former President Donald Trump said he still supports efforts to repeal the Democratic-backed healthcare law. But he said he only has “concepts of a plan” to replace the measure.

Vice President Kamala Harris said the measure has become a cornerstone of healthcare and brought up the late U.S. Sen. John McCain’s vote scuttling efforts to tank the healthcare law.Georgia is one of 10 states that have refused to expand Medicaid under the law. Gov. Brian Kemp backs a more limited program that ties work requirements to coverage, though a growing number of his GOP colleagues support a full-scale expansion.

– Greg Bluestein

10:33 p.m.: ‘I want this war to stop,’ Trump says of Ukraine

https://twitter.com/ABC/status/1833694055445778513

10:31 p.m.: ‘I will always give Israel the ability to defend itself’

https://twitter.com/ABC/status/1833691536598405411

10:30 p.m.: ‘I’m talking now’

https://twitter.com/ABC/status/1833691816568226155

10:20 p.m.: Harris says Trump was ‘fired by 81 million people’

https://twitter.com/ABC/status/1833688037257031923

10:18 p.m.: Harris: ‘You’re running against me’

Donald Trump entered the debate determined to link Vice President Kamala Harris to Joe Biden’s presidency. Time and again, he has tried to pivot questions about foreign policy, the economy or immigration to Biden’s track record.

When Trump brought up Biden in response to a question on whether he wants Ukraine to fend off Russia’s invasion, Harris had a curt response: “It’s important to remind the former president he’s not running against Joe Biden. You’re running against me.”

– Greg Bluestein

10:17 p.m.: Democrats at watch party weigh in on debate

At the commercial break, Democratic debate watch party attendees weighed in on the performance of the two presidential nominees so far. Atlanta native Antonio Ferguson said the debate is a “hot mess.”

”Everything ends with immigration and Trump never stays on topic,” Ferguson, 36, said.

Sir Ken Coleman, 38, of Atlanta, compared the energy surrounding Harris to the energy surrounding former President Barack Obama’s campaign in 2008.”I have faith and humanity. Hopefully this debate will sway some Trump supporters,” Coleman said.

– Caleb Groves

10:10 p.m.: Partisans praise their favored candidates

Democratic and Republican observers praised their respective candidates in initial observations about tonight’s debate.

DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond, a Democrat, said Harris “was strong on the issue of a woman’s right to choose.”

“Her skills as a prosecutor helped her paint a compelling narrative with her words of what lack of abortion care looks like and if elected president she would fight for reproductive rights for all those seeking to create families,” Thurmond said. “Donald Trump, on the other hand, seemed incoherent as he spun lies about abortion laws and refused to answer questions on his own plans to kill women’s reproductive rights.”

Republican U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter saw things differently.

“President Trump is using tonight’s debate to showcase Harris’ role in this administration’s failures and hold her accountable for lying to the American people,” Carter said. “So far, he is doing that successfully, particularly on the economy and energy policy.

“This is the first chance many voters have had to hear the vice president speak without a teleprompter since she became the nominee, and her own words are the best case for a second Trump presidency,” Carter said.

– David Wickert

10:04 p.m.: ‘The court won’t stop him’

https://twitter.com/ABC/status/1833684412141011392

10:01 p.m.: Trump repeats false voting fraud claims

Pressed on his attempts to overturn his 2020 election defeat, former President Donald Trump repeats lies about widespread fraud and claims “these people” are encouraging people in the U.S. illegally to vote as he motioned to Vice President Kamala Harris.

He singles out Georgia, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania as problematic states before calling it “old news.”

”The problem we have right now is we have a nation in decline, and they have put it in decline,” he said of President Joe Biden’s administration.

Harris calls Trump a “disgrace” and questioned his temperament and “his ability to not be confused” – mirroring the GOP attacks against Biden when he was the nominee.

– Greg Bluestein

9:56 p.m.: Trump defends his actions on Jan. 6, Harris says it fits a pattern

Asked by debate moderators if there is anything he regrets about his actions on Jan. 6, 2021, former President Donald Trump said he was not responsible for the violence that day.

”’Peacefully and patriotically,’ I said during my speech” encouraging attendees to march to the U.S. Capitol, Trump said. Later he said, “I had nothing to do with that other than they asked me to make a speech.”

Vice President Kamala Harris was still an active U.S. senator from California at the time, and she said she was present as the Capitol was breached.

She accused Trump of inciting the mob and said it fits his pattern also show in his “very fine people” remark after white supremacists marched in Charlottesville and his “stand back and stand by comment” regarding the Proud Boys right-wing extremist group.

She then spoke directly to voters, saying they should remember these comments as they consider who to support in November.

”It’s time to turn the page,” she said. “And if that was a bridge too far for you, well there is a place in our campaign for you.

– Tia Mitchell

9:54 p.m.: Harris urges voters to attend Trump rallies

https://twitter.com/ABC/status/1833683442942214260

9:52 p.m.: Trump: ‘When somebody does a bad job, I fire them’

https://twitter.com/ABC/status/1833682810588078184

9:50 p.m.: Trump claims crime in the U.S. has surged

Donald Trump argued that crime in the U.S. exceeds crime in other countries. He tied crime statistics to immigration, claiming that immigrants coming into the U.S. are criminals from other countries.

”All over the world, except here, crime here is up and through the roof. Despite (Democrats’) fraudulent statements that they made, crime in this country is through the roof,” Trump said.

According to the FBI , violent crimes (homicide, rape, robbery, aggravated assault) across the U.S. have fluctuated from 2012 to 2022. Violent crimes have been decreasing since 2020.Property crimes (arson, burglary, larceny-theft, motor vehicle theft) across the U.S. steadily decreased from 2012 to 2021, and then returned to pre-pandemic levels in 2022.

Read more about crime in the U.S. and in Georgia here .

– Caroline Silva

9:49 p.m.: Trump suggests Democrats to blame for assassination attempt

Former President Donald Trump said he risked a “bullet to the head” in the assassination attempt in July because of Democratic messaging warning that he is a threat to democracy.

Vice President Kamala Harris called the Republican “extreme” and said he’s likely to use the vast powers of the executive branch to imprison “political enemies” if he prevails in November.

”Understand what it would mean if Donald Trump were back in the White House with no guard rails,” she said, referring to a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that grants the president broad immunity for criminal liability for official acts.

It was a new twist on a familiar theme, with Harris reminding voters of Trump’s felony conviction in a New York hush money case while Trump accused Democrats of abusing powers to pursue charges against him in Fulton County and other jurisdictions.

“They weaponized the Justice Department. Every one of those cases was involved with the DOJ – from Atlanta and Fani Willis to the Attorney General of New York … They used it to try to win the election.”

– Greg Bluestein

9:45 p.m.: Trump shares false claims about immigrants

Former President Donald Trump during tonight’s debate repeated discredited claims about immigrants harming animals. Vice President Kamala Harris called the comment “extreme.”

Trump’s campaign and his allies recently amplified false rumors that Haitian immigrants in Ohio were abducting and eating pets, another instance of the inflammatory and anti-immigrant rhetoric Trump has promoted throughout his campaigns.

There’s no evidence that Haitian immigrants in an Ohio community are doing that, officials say, but Trump’s campaign and vice presidential nominee Ohio Sen. JD Vance, along with other Republicans this week, repeated the claims.

Vance acknowledged on Tuesday it was possible “all of these rumors will turn out to be false.”

– Alex Sanz

9:38 p.m.: UGA professor says Harris has gotten under Trump’s skin

University of Georgia political scientist Audrey Haynes says Harris got under Trump’s skin with a quip about people leaving his rallies early.

“Harris did it,” Haynes said. “Bring up his rallies, she got under his skin. Now he is talking about immigrants eating dogs and cats.

“But she is more than holding her own,” Haynes said. “Her tactic of addressing the viewing public and talking directly to them works.”

– David Wickert

9:33 p.m.: Fact check on immigration

Trump blamed immigrants for violent crimes. He has also called for deporting millions of undocumented immigrants raise ethical as well as practical issues. In addition to what Trump said would be “a bloody story,” the deportations would likely mean massive upheaval in fields and processing plants where immigrants represent a disproportionate number of workers. Researchers also say immigrants are less likely to commit crimes than native-born Americans.

– Michael Kanell

9:32 p.m.: Harris blames Trump for killing immigration bill

Faced with a question on illegal immigration, Vice President Kamala Harris brings up her background as a prosecutor and blamed former President Donald Trump for working to scuttle a bipartisan border security bill.

”What we have in the former president is someone who would prefer to run on a problem than fixing a problem,” she said.

Then she tries to get under his skin by mocking how attendees leave early. It seems to work: “People don’t leave my rallies. We have the biggest rallies, the most incredible rallies in the history of politics.”

– Greg Bluestein

9:30 p.m.: Trump says overturning of Roe v Wade abortion protections took ‘great courage’

Former President Donald Trump said he was proud of the fact that six Supreme Court justices, including three he appointed, overturned federal protections to abortion. As a result, he said, each state gets to set its own standards for whether abortion should be legal and to what extent.

”Each individual state is voting,” he said. “It’s the vote of the people now. It’s not tied up in the federal government.”

Harris criticized that move, saying it allowed conservative states to implement abortion bans. Some of those bans, she said, do not include exceptions for rape or incest. Harris said if elected president she would sign into law federal protections for access to abortions.

”One does not have to abandon their faith or deeply held beliefs to agree their government and Donald Trump for certain should not be telling women what to do with their body,” she said.

– Tia Mitchell

https://twitter.com/ABC/status/1833679917092950254

9:23 p.m.: Trump calls the U.S. economy ‘a disaster’

https://twitter.com/ABC/status/1833675528412217724

9:22 p.m.: Fact check on bacon prices

Trump said the price of bacon soared. It is up, but not so dramatically as he claims. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average price of bacon before the pandemic began was $5.50 per pound. It rose over the next several years to peak at $7.61 a pound in the fall of 2021. The most recent available average price — in July — was $6.88 a pound, according to the BLS.

– Michael Kanell

9:19 p.m.: Harris and Trump kick off debate outlining their plans to improve the economy

Referencing her middle-class roots, Vice President Kamala Harris said her economic plan focuses on working Americans. She said her opponent, former President Donald Trump, has instead released plans that create tax breaks for the rich and tariffs on foreign goods that will increase prices for U.S. consumers.

”Donald Trump actually has no plan for you because he is more interested in defending himself instead of looking out for you,” she said.

Trump responded by accusing Harris of cribbing her economic plan from those laid out by President Joe Biden when he was the Democratic nominee, instead of drafting a vision of her own. He also disputed Harris’ claims that his plan to increase tariffs would raise prices.

”Who’s going to have higher prices is China and all the other countries that have been ripping us off for years,” he said.

– Tia Mitchell

9:17 p.m.: Harris seizes on Project 2025 early in debate

From the outset of the debate, Vice President Kamala Harris leans into an issue that has invigorated Democrats: The Project 2025 conservative blueprint penned by Donald Trump’s allies at the Heritage Foundation.

”I’m going to tell you on this debate tonight, you’re going to hear from the same old, tired playbook, a bunch of lies, grievances and name-calling,” she said. “What you’re going to hear tonight is a detailed and dangerous plan called Project 2025.”

As he’s done for weeks, Trump distances himself from Project 2025 while mocking the Democratic economic agenda as “run spot run” pablum.

– Greg Bluestein

9:15 p.m.: Fact check on unemployment

The U.S. unemployment rate for August was 4.2%. The unemployment rate in Georgia has been under 4% for more than three years — a record-long stretch. In July, the rate was a historically low 3.4%. (The August rate has not yet been reported.) When Trump left office in Jan. 2001, the U.S. unemployment rate was 6.4% and the Georgia jobless rate was 4.8%. At the time, the rate was slowly declining from double-digit rates in early 2020, the early months of the pandemic.

– Michael Kanell

9:12 p.m.: Cheers for Trump at watch party

At the Trump campaign’s watch party in Smyrna, the opening remarks by Vice President Kamala Harris were met with almost immediate boos and jeers in the crowd. Trump’s response was met with big cheers when he mentioned building the “greatest economy in history” and critiques of the Biden administration’s handling of the southern US border. Audience members threw up their hands in disgust when Harris mentioned Project 2025.

– Michelle Baruchman

Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com

9:10 p.m.: Trump says immigrants steal jobs - not so fast, say experts

Trump blamed immigrants for stealing American jobs. But that’s not typically the way it works, experts say.

Although many immigrants get jobs once they arrive, economists say accusations about them simply taking jobs away from Americans are misguided , at best. Those notions are based on a naïve view of the economy as a fixed thing with only a certain number of jobs instead of the reality which is constantly morphing and in which more new workers can often mean more jobs for everyone.

Studies show more population tends to mean more growth. Post-pandemic, the economy went several years with huge numbers of job openings as companies struggled to find workers. Immigrants helped fill in many of those slots. They didn’t push the native-born to the sidelines: The unemployment rate in Georgia has been under 4% for more than three years — a record-long stretch. Immigrants, who are likely to be working-age, add to the economy in several ways.

Because immigrants need housing and groceries and other goods, they add to demand and help grow the economy overall. Because they may have fewer choices, they provide labor for jobs that would not otherwise be filled — especially in agriculture and low-paying production jobs like chicken processing.

– Michael Kanell

9:06 p.m. The candidates shake hands

Harris introduced herself by name as she extended her hand. Trump shook it. The prop bet market goes wild.

– Greg Bluestein

https://twitter.com/ABC/status/1833672903503544768

9:02 p.m.: The debate has begun

Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump are on stage. They shook hands, and the debate has begun.

The AJC’s Greg Bluestein and Tia Mitchell will provide live updates from Philadelphia. Reporters Michelle Baruchman and Caleb Groves are attending metro Atlanta watch parties for both candidates. We’ll also provide insights from Georgia political observers during the debate.

– David Wickert

8:50 p.m.: Trump lands in Philadelphia for debate

8:45 p.m.: Representative notes ‘huge contrast’ between Harris and Trump

A slate of special guests spoke at the Tara Theatre before the presidential debate, including U.S. Rep. Nanette Barragan D-Calif.

”We are energizing volunteers, elected officials, and voters tonight,” Barragan said. “And that’s a huge contrast between Vice President Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, who is going to spend the night lying, lying, lying.”

She said the choice in this election is clear. It ’s either Trump, someone who is fighting for millionaires, or Harris, who is fighting for working-class families, the California representative said.

”We are here tonight for the vice president to make and prosecute the case tonight, Barragan said.

Another guest speaker, TV personality judge Glenda Hatchett, told the crowd of Harris supporters at the Tara Theatre, “We’re going to paint Georgia blue!”

”This is not going to be easy,” Hatchett said. “This is going to be hard work, but we can do it again.”

“Some people may call this a debate, but we here tonight are going to call this a formality,” Leonardo Williams, mayor of Durham, North Carolina, told the crowd. “This is just one step closer to the White House.”

– Caleb Groves

Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC

8:30 p.m.: Trump watcher on Apalachee shooting: ‘Georgia needs more mental health support’

Cecilia Wallace, 59, held a glittery, gold covered bald eagle as she held back tears.

It had been a hard week, personally, in addition to news of the shooting that happened at Apalachee High School. Wallace and her husband own Adventure Outdoors, the gun shop in Smyrna where the Trump campaign was holdings its debate watch party.

“Clearly the boy had a dysfunctional, troubled family life,” she said, referring to Colt Gray, the 14-year-old accused of four counts of felony murder.

That’s why, Georgia needs more mental health support — she said three times, for emphasis.

“A gun doesn’t just jump up and start shooting. We need to get to the root causes,” she said.

Wallace said she was in favor of background checks and would open to restrictions for some people who have been deemed an extreme mental health risk, in some circumstances.

– Michelle Baruchman

Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com

8:20 p.m.: Trump steps up election-related threats

Ahead of tonight’s debate, former President Donald Trump has stepped up his threats to use the vast powers of the White House to jail anyone “involved in unscrupulous behavior” this election season.

It was the Republican’s latest vow to exact retribution against those he perceives to be working against him ahead of the November election, even though there’s no evidence of the widespread fraud he has long falsely claimed led to his 2020 defeat.

An Atlanta Journal-Constitution review found that Trump has company in Georgia. At least five of Georgia’s nine Republicans in the U.S. House have promoted falsehoods about widespread election fraud, along with several GOP challengers running for Congress. Read more here.

– Greg Bluestein

8:10 p.m.: Biden says Harris seems ‘calm, cool and collected’ ahead of the debate

8 p.m.: Watch live

The debate is scheduled to begin at 9 p.m. ET. AJC political reporters Greg Bluestein and Tia Mitchell will be covering the debate from Philadelphia along with colleagues back in Georgia. Stay tuned for live updates on AJC.com and on their X accounts. ABC News is sharing a livestream — including analysis before the event — in addition to the broadcast. Click or tap here to view the livestream.

7:55 p.m.: Harris supporters gather at Tara Theatre

With over 400 RSVPs for Vice President Kamala Harris’ debate watch party, Harris supporters made their way into the 56-year-old Tara Theatre.

Steve Bond, 63, said he is expecting a more energetic and vibrant debate than the debate between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump.

”I’m anticipating a show where the candidates tell us things they know we want to hear,” Bond said.

As Bond took his seat, the 63-year-old Atlantan said he’s confident the former prosecutor will make her case for why she should be the elected nominee over Trump, a convicted felon.

Sudha Shaa, 51, said Harris has energized the party since becoming the Democratic nominee. The Atlanta resident said she has started canvassing for Harris.

”I don’t think Biden would have energized voters to come out,” she said.

The only question for Shaa is whether or not Harris can win over undecided voters during the debate.

– Caleb Groves

7:40 p.m.: Trump watch party at metro Atlanta gun store

Less than a week after a shooting at a Georgia high school left four people dead, Donald Trump’s campaign is holding one of its larger debate watch parties at a suburban Atlanta firearms outlet that bills itself as “The World’s Largest Gun Store.”

The Republican’s aides say the decision to hold the event Tuesday at Adventure Outdoors was made in June, months before the mass shooting at Apalachee High School took place. Democrats and gun control advocates said it was callous and insensitive to keep the event at the gun shop after the killings. Read more here.

– Greg Bluestein

7:25 p.m.: Spin room begins to fill with hundreds of credentialed journalists

PHILADELPHIA – The debate between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris is still a few hours away, but they will face off in a mostly empty room.

Nearby however, is the media filing center where roughly 1,000 credentialed journalists will be watching and awaiting reaction from elected officials and supporters of both candidates in the “spin room.”

The AJC’s Greg Bluestein and Tia Mitchell will be reporting live from Philadelphia throughout the night.

– Tia Mitchell

https://twitter.com/ajconwashington/status/1833645784849404111

7:10 p.m.: Congressman Byron Donalds said debate night finds Harris on decline

U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds said tonight’s debate will give former President Donald Trump and opportunity to solidify himself as the front-runner in the presidential contest.

”I think tonight’s debate is going to continue a trend line we’re already seeing, and that is the support strength for Kamala Harris is going to start dwindling,” the Florida Republican said.

Donalds was among the Trump supporters making the rounds in the media filing center’s “spin room” area prior to the debate. He cited recent New York Times/Siena polling that shows Trump holding steady while many voters saying they still don’t know much about Harris, the vice president.

”If you look at polling, half the country still trying to figure out what does she stand for?” Donalds said. “She had views five years ago. She had views a year ago as vice president. She never said they changed until she became at the top of the ticket.”

– Tia Mitchell

Credit: NYT

6:50 p.m.: ABC, Direct TV dispute hinders debate watching for some

A dispute between ABC and DirectTV is making it more difficult for some people to watch tonight’s debate.

Negotiations for a new agreement for DirectTV to carry ABC programming have reached an impasse . That means tonight’s ABC debate will not air on DirectTV.

The Walt Disney Company, which owns ABC, released a statement today on the impasse: “We did everything possible to make the ABC News presidential debate widely available to the American public – including giving DirecTV the ability to serve you with access to our debate coverage,” Disney said. “They rejected that offer. If you are impacted by DirecTV’s refusal to restore temporary access to ABC, the debate is available on Hulu, Disney+ and free to stream on ABC News Live and over the air. Additionally, it will be simulcast on other broadcast and cable news networks.”

You can find information on how to watch the debate here .

– David Wickert

Credit: Courtesy of ABC

6:35 p.m.: A ‘critical opportunity’ for Harris

The debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump might be the best chance they have to set the tone for the remainder of the campaign. Two Emory University political scientists detail why that matters.

Alex Bolton called it a “critical opportunity” for Harris to define her candidacy and stake out her own positions separate from President Joe Biden’s administration.

”Attentive voters will want to know the degree to which she represents a significant change from the Biden administration as opposed to a continuation of current policies,” said Bolton, an associate professor at Emory.

Andra Gillespie said she’ll watch how much of the back-and-forth is “substantive as opposed to focusing on personality and theatrics.” Biden’s poor performance in the June debate, she added, overshadowed the dialogue about policies.

”What stood out to me in June were the silences: who couldn’t answer a question or who pivoted to a non-sequitur when asked about a specific policy?” she said. “Moreover, I paid attention to who told lies more frequently in the last debate. Those questions remain important to me in tonight’s debate as well.”

– Greg Bluestein

Credit: NYT

5:30 p.m.: The Atlanta debate set the stage for tonight’s presidential showdown

The last time former President Donald Trump appeared on a debate stage, he held comfortable leads in polls in Georgia while fractured Democrats bickered over whether President Joe Biden should stay atop the ticket.

Then came the June 27 debate in Atlanta. Biden’s disjointed and at times incoherent performance only fueled more questions about his health and mental fitness rather than put to rest stubborn questions about his candidacy.

Read more about how the Atlanta debate set the stage for tonight’s Philadelphia showdown here.

– Greg Bluestein

4:50 p.m.: Top Harris, Trump allies in Georgia break down what to expect in debate

Vice President Kamala Harris needs to embrace President Joe Biden’s agenda while also charting her own course. Former President Donald Trump is under pressure to steer clear of bracing personal attacks and toward issues that resonate with voters.

That’s according to two of their top allies in Georgia who joined the Politically Georgia podcast ahead of the debate on Tuesday.

Georgia GOP chair Josh McKoon said he hopes Trump makes the case that “we don’t know what we’re going to get with Harris other than a warmed-over version” of President Joe Biden’s administration throughout the 90-minute showdown.

”I expect him to stay focused on the issues while drawing important contrasts,” he said.

McKoon said part of this process is making clear that Vice President Harris and Governor Walz are the most far-left presidential ticket in American history.

Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, a senior adviser to both Biden and Harris, said the vice president shouldn’t run away from Biden’s record. But she also said Harris should seize the opportunity to brandish her own independence.

”She can run on the successes of the administration and also show the people what she’d do differently,” said Bottoms, who added that doing so will also highlight her differences with Trump. ”He’s the definition of chaos.”

– Greg Bluestein

Credit: NYT

4:15 p.m.: The stakes are high as the two candidates face off

Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump will meet tonight in what’s likely their only debate of the presidential campaign, a showdown that could mark another pivotal moment in a compressed White House race.

The ABC News debate, which begins at 9 p.m., is expected to be the only chance for voters to see the two rivals in a side-by-side confrontation this election season. The stakes are high as both campaigns are locked in tight races in Georgia and other battleground states.

Harris has a chance to appeal to millions of swing voters still curious about her policy agenda. Trump is under pressure to stick to the issues and avoid personal attacks and conspiracy theories that can turn off undecided voters.

The last presidential debate, held in Atlanta, offered a reminder of how consequential these showdowns can be. President Joe Biden’s lackluster performance fueled fresh concerns about his viability at the top of the ticket. Weeks later, he quit the race.

The matchup between Harris and Trump, just about seven weeks old, comes as both contenders duel to be the “change” candidate many voters say they want — even as they each grapple with their own records in the White House.

Check back throughout the afternoon and evening for Georgia-focused coverage of tonight’s debate.

– Greg Bluestein

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