ABC Presidential debate live updates: Harris and Trump take the stage in Philadelphia

First off the candidates are quizzed on what voters have repeatedly said is their number one issue – the economy and the cost of living in this country.

Harris responds first, and followed by Trump – who claims her claims about his own policy are “false.”

The highly anticipated debate between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris is underway in Philadelphia – their first meeting during the 2024 presidential election – and ever.

The debate, hosted by ABC, is also the first since President Joe Biden stepped down from the Democratic ticket in July, though the rules remain the same. That means muted microphones, no pre-written notes, no live audience, no sitting and no speaking with campaign staff during commercial breaks.

The two candidates shook hands before standing by their respective podiums.

Standby for updates from The Independent team.

A mile away from the US Capitol, Washington DC’s young Republicans are convening to watch tonight’s debate.

“Harris needs to prove that she’s ready for the big league, Trump needs to prove that he’s still got it,” DC Young Republicans board member Isaac Smith told The Independent minutes before the debate.

Stepping off Trump’s Boeing with his campaign entourage and members of the Trump family: far-right conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer, a failed congressional candidate with a history of racist, anti-Muslim and white nationalist views and undying loyalty to Donald Trump.

Trump has rewarded her sycophancy by publicly praising her at his rallies and events, sharing her posts on his Truth Social, and reportedly considering her for a role in his potential administration.

He recently shared her posts falsely claiming that Kamala Harris is not Black, as well as her string of false- and conspiracy theory-fueled attacks against the daughter of the judge overseeing his hush money trial. This week on her podcast, she accused Harris and other prominent Black officials of using a “DEI Shaniqua” voice.

Andrew Feinberg, The Independent’s White House Correspondent, writes:

“More than one recent poll has shown a critical mass of voters saying they need to know more about Kamala Harris before they can vote for her.

“Here’s the sad truth: No one cares about vice presidents. Harris has spent the last three-plus years in a position with little formal power and not much actual codified responsibility. And she’s running against someone whose campaign has indicated a desire to tag her with every bad thing that has happened during Joe Biden’s presidency.

“Unfortunately for Trump, people know vice presidents don’t matter that much in terms of policy. And fortunately for Harris, this means she can talk about things other than policy. She can display her wit and her intelligence and her ability to be more coherent than the old man she’s running against.

“Doing that will let her give skeptical voters a sense of whether she is the sort of decisive, quick on the feet leader who can go toe-to-toe with the world’s dictators. It’s all about vibes, and she needs to keep the positive ones she’s had since becoming the nominee going strong in order to win.”

“Just a … mixed-up … pile of words,” Trump told the magazine. “Like she is.”

“She is, she is, well, you have to see it to really understand,” he continued, saying the nickname works better in writing as his explanation fell flat. New York Magazine’s Olivia Nuzzi, who interviewed the former president, even noted she was “confused” as he explained the nickname.

The Independent’s DC Bureau chief Eric Garcia writes:

“Kamala Harris’s ascent to the top of the ticket undoubtedly caused a vibe shift on the Democratic side. Now that Democrats no longer have to defend Biden or convince themselves that he can beat Trump, supporters pretty candidly say she’s caused a pep in their step. Multiple attendees at a rally with Doug Emhoff and Gwen Walz told me as much on Monday.

“Of course, despite this vibe shift, Harris has to deal with one big problem: She’s still Joe Biden’s number two. That means she owns much of the unpopular parts of his agenda. A New York Times/Siena College poll from earlier this week showed how this could pose a problem for her. They survey showed that 61 percent of likely voters said that the next president should represent a major change from Biden.

“But only 25 percent of likely voters believe Harris represents that change. By contrast, 53 percent of likely voters think that Trump represents a major change from Biden.

“Harris will need to successfully create some distance between herself and her boss during tonight’s debate.

“On top of that, Harris needs to make a break from style from both Biden and Trump. Where Trump has been erratic and frenetic and Biden was seen as slow, tired, dottering and almost fading in the background, Harris showing a no-nonsense approach and sharp responses can draw a stark contrast from the past.”